Guides

Looking to buy

Financing first, then what to look for, then what happens once an offer is accepted. Read in order if you are early; skip ahead if you are not.

  1. First-Time Buyer in the Inland Empire

    The process end to end, the costs beyond the down payment, and the local things that catch people out.

    First-time buyers

  2. Documents You'll Need

    Everything underwriting will ask for, what causes the most delay, and what not to do between pre-approval and closing.

    Buyers & sellers

  3. Mello-Roos Explained

    Why two houses a few blocks apart carry very different monthly costs, and how to find the real number before you are committed.

    Buyers & sellers - Inland Empire · reviewed, sources cited

  4. New Construction vs Resale in the Inland Empire

    Builder incentives, upgrade pricing, and the assessments that come with a brand-new tract - plus why the sales office is not working for you.

    Buyers - Inland Empire

  5. Why Your Neighbor's List Price Isn't a Comp

    Asking prices are opinions. Sold prices are evidence. The difference is most of what goes wrong in pricing a home.

    Sellers, and buyers making offers

  6. Making a Competitive Offer Without Overpaying

    Price is one lever of several, and often not the one that wins. Which concessions are cheap and which quietly transfer real risk to you.

    Buyers in competition

  7. How to Read a Disclosure Package

    The dullest document you will be given and the most informative. What each part is for, and where the real information hides.

    Buyers

  8. Contingencies Explained

    Your exit routes, and the deadlines that close them. The single most consequential set of dates in a purchase.

    Buyers

  9. HOAs: What to Check Before You Buy

    The monthly dues are the number everyone looks at and the least informative. Reserves, pending assessments and litigation matter more.

    Buyers in HOA communities

  10. What Happens After Your Offer Is Accepted

    The full escrow timeline - inspection, appraisal, underwriting, contingencies, closing - in the order it actually happens.

    Buyers in escrow

  11. ADUs and What They Do to Your Property

    A permitted ADU and an unpermitted conversion look similar and are worth very different amounts. What changes for appraisal, financing and disclosure.

    Owners considering an ADU, and buyers of homes that have one

Not your situation? Selling · In escrow · Owning · Investing

General information, not legal, tax or financial advice. Every property and transaction differs, and tax rules change - verify the current position for your own situation.

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