Rancho Santa Fe Real Estate Facts

Finding a Buyer for Your Rancho Santa Fe Home

Once your Rancho Santa Fe home is ready to show, your agent will list the property in the MLS or Multiple listing Service. Most homes are sold as a direct result of their listing in the MLS, which today also means the home will get extensive Internet exposure. Other ways that your agent will use to find buyers include advertising in newspapers and magazines, holding open house and signage.

Buying a Rancho Santa Fe Fixer-Upper

Some Rancho Santa Fe investors concentrate on buying fixer-uppers, making repairs and upgrades then selling for a profit. Going with a Rancho Santa Fe fixer-upper can also be a smart way for those who are handy to buy a home in a neighborhood that they might otherwise be unaffordable. Fixer-uppers are a wonderful opportunity for those who simply love to create their space to their own specifications but for whatever reason do not want to start with a vacant lot.

Best to know the extent of the job and whether or not you are up to it before you buy. Some Rancho Santa Fe fixer-uppers simply need cosmetic work such as paint, wallpaper, carpeting and maybe kitchen appliances are fairly easy to estimate the costs for fixing. Rancho Santa Fe homes that need minor structural repairs such as roofing are also fairly easy to cost estimate.

Buying Rancho Santa Fe Real Estate...Will it Pay?

A frequent question from prospective homebuyers relates to building home equity. Rancho Santa Fe buyers like to estimate how much a home may increase in value based upon past appreciation. One of the many advantages of home ownership is that appreciation is based on the home’s market value rather than on the actual dollar amount invested or the down payment so that a $100,000.00 home that appreciates 5% is now worth $105,000.00. This is one way of building your Rancho Santa Fe home equity but there is more you can do.

Rent or Buy Rancho Santa Fe

In the early years of your Rancho Santa Fe mortgage, nearly all of every monthly payment is interest. This means you are only paying off a tiny bit of the loan principal, but it is good news in terms of tax savings.

The monthly payment for a $100,000, 30-year, 8% mortgage on your Rancho Santa Fe would be about $734. In the first year of your mortgage, $7,970 of your $8,805 payment or 91% would be deductible as mortgage interest. Even in the tenth year, almost 81% of your payments would be deductible. What this is worth to you depends on your tax bracket but this tax savings built into the home-buying equation is why you can afford to make higher mortgage payments than your current rent payments without squeezing your budget. There is no similar tax subsidy for renters.

When Rancho Santa Fe Does Not Sell

Here is where your agent’s expertise and diligence comes into play. A top agent will consider what similar Rancho Santa Fe have sold for within the last 3 to 6 months and compare those homes condition, features and location with your home. If there are no comparable sales in the area, which is often the case with custom or one-of-a-kind properties, the agent may suggest that you obtain a formal appraisal.

A homeowner who must sell and sell quickly needs to price their Rancho Santa Fe at or slightly below market to ensure a quick sale. A different homeowner may want to sell but has time and wants to get the top market price. These homeowners will often price the home slightly above current market prices and expect interested buyers to offer a lower amount to start the negotiation.

Rancho Santa Fe ADVANTAGE

The advantages of buying in any particular city or area depend on the buyer’s individual needs. Factors include proximity to schools, work, shopping, recreation, cultural opportunities and health care. Affordability is another important factor. So your first step in considering Rancho Santa Fe or any other city is to determine which of your needs are met and which are not met.