How we helped Tim Michelson sell his mother’s house



“Justin has done several real estate deals for myself and my family. This involved buying, selling, and handling foreclosures. He's always done an excellent job, and this is why I always refer him to my friends and family, or anyone looking to get involved in real estate. This year our mother passed away, so we had to sell her home in California. We asked him to do so, and he did a wonderful job for us. Everyone in my family was very pleased with his work. It was a touchy matter, but he handled it very professionally.”

-Tim Michelson, Home Seller

Tips for Holiday Decorating on a Budget




The holidays are approaching. Today, we thought we'd do something a little different and share this festive video on holiday decorating tips from HGTV. Designer Angelo Surmelis shares several great ideas to spread holiday cheer throughout the home. Here are some of our favorites.


  1. Pay attention to the mantle. If you don't have some already, buy some kind of garland to drape over the mantle. Next, use leftover ornaments and candles to add light and texture. When choosing ornaments and candles, ensure they are in the same color-palette. This helps make your mantle a great focal point!
  2. Use smaller Christmas trees. Every house has their main Christmas tree. In addition, you can also purchase smaller, inexpensive, eco-friendly trees to place throughout the home. Decorate these trees with strips of fabric from a T-shirt in holiday colors to save money for the main tree.
  3. Use what you have. Be resourceful. Adding a plate charge and place mat to your everyday dining set adds some jazz to your table. Fresh-cut flowers and candles will help finish the look. You don't need grand, expensive candles -- a little candlelight goes a long way!

As you can see, it doesn't take much to make your home feel more festive. If you have any questions, give us a call or send us an email. We would be happy to help you!

How we helped Jeremy Speizer find the perfect home for his family!



“He worked with me and my family. He worked with us for a good 8-9 months helping us find a home. We looked all throughout southern California specifically the Orange County region. I think the biggest thing that I like about Justin, obviously, I think he's a friend of mine, but I think the biggest thing I like about Justin is the fact that he's very knowledgeable about not only housing or the neighborhood but more specifically how it was built, the age of the home, is there an attic, is there not, when there's challenges with the walls. He's a kind of a get-it type guy, he gets it and I know that in two words “gets it” doesn't really explain it all but you know there are some people out there who are sales people and there are some people out there who are looking for your best interests and I think Justin is one of those guys. Obviously he sells real estate but he is looking out for your best interest.

We had a budget, we knew what we wanted, but we just couldn't find it, and it’s really tough to find a house here in Southern California in the 4-500,000 dollar range. That's kind of a starter house out here, so for us, we shopped, like I said, for a long time. What was important for us, was not necessarily, we wanted to be in Orange County, but what was important to us was a good school district for our daughter and we wanted something that was in a good neighborhood and that looked nice. It took us a long time but we finally made the decision and thank God we had Justin in our corner. He stuck with us through thick and thin and even through a lot of months we were frustrated. We just couldn't find anything or we would find something and then we were outbid and so he was very patient with us and I think patience is key. He took it on himself to come out and work with me on the weekends for the first 6-8 weeks after we bought the place and helped remodeled my kitchen."

-Jeremy Speizer, Home Buyer

How we helped Renee Herrera buy her home with ease!



“He is wonderful, he went beyond! He helped us every step of the way and with a lot of things that we didn’t know. There was not a time when we called, texted or asked questions where he did not answer us immediately. He always tried to find every solution for us and get us the best results. We love our home! We ended up getting a good lender, so he went beyond. We have no complaints, we would definitely use him again and we would definitely refer him. We think he is awesome!”

-Renee Herrera, Home Buyer

How Can You Stage on a Budget?




If you are looking to sell your home, your goal is to get the most money possible in the shortest amount of time. One of the best ways to add value and appeal to your home is through home staging. You have a lot of options for how you want to go about it. You could hire a professional staging company, but that comes with a hefty price tag. Most of the time, a few simple fixes is all it takes to transform a living room.

Today we are going to go through some of our most favorite, inexpensive home staging tips or you. We hope these will help you save both time and money when it comes time to sell your home.

A fresh coat of paint is always a good idea. Neutral, warm colors work best for highlighting the natural light in your home. This will make it easier to punch up the room with some colorful accessories and pull everything together.

A common design problem facing many homeowners is that they have no real entry way, as their front door opens up to the living room. To fix this, you can add a table, some lighting, and a rug to "fake a foyer" and make it feel like the living room and entryway are two different spaces.

A patterned rug, some pillows, or bright curtains add a ton of texture and an eclectic layer to the space, which is essential to a well-designed room.

In some cases, a "make-under" is just what you need. In the case of most fireplaces, taking some accessories and clutter away enhances the look and feel of the room greatly.


You could spend well over a few thousand dollars with a staging company, or you could do these fixes yourself for around $500. That's a small investment considering the value that you add to your home by adding those pieces.

If you have any questions for us about staging your home or anything else real estate related, give us a call or send over a quick email. We are always here to help, and would love to hear from you!

How we helped Charles Hebert sell his home within a week.



“We got great results! I was really pleased! We wanted to sell quickly and as is and Justin determined a great marketable price. We received multiple offers at or above asking price within a week and we selected an offer within the week!”

-Charles Hebert, Home Seller

How we helped Dianne Johnson select the perfect home for her



"We spent a lot of time with him viewing many homes. We ended up with the home that was the best fit for us so we are very satisfied with the home that we purchased through Justin. He was always level-headed, he didn’t sway us one way or the other, and he was a conduit for showings. He was neutral but very good. Everything worked out really well!"

-Dianne Johnson, Home Buyer

Flexible Grant Program for Home Buyers




Today, I'm joined by Taylor Loop of Movement Mortgage to discuss a great grant program for home buyers. This is free money that you can use for down payment assistance and closing costs.

It's an excellent government program that provides 5% for down payments and closing costs for FHA or VA transactions, and 3% down for USDA loans. The requirements are very flexible; this program is not limited to first-time home buyers, and if you sell the property later and move, you're not required to pay it back. The property just has to be your primary residence on the close of escrow.


If you need to refinance your home, you may also be able to use this grant money for some of the costs involved in that.

So, if you've been struggling to save up money for your down payment, this program could be perfect for you. If you have any questions, please give me a call. I'd be happy to answer any of your questions, and I can put you in touch with Taylor. We look forward to hearing from you!

How we helped Jody Weiss sell his home by going above and beyond



"We sold the house and we had a full price offer within twelve hours of listing.  When we were getting the house ready Justin actually came over and took care of my dog during showings.  He was awesome!"

-Jody Weiss, home seller

When Is the Best Time to Buy a Home?




A lot of people have been asking me lately, "When's the best time of year to buy a home?" My answer is September! Why?

For one, there's peak inventory in August. This means there's the highest number of homes available on the market.

Another reason why September is a great month for buyers is there's less demand, which means less competition.


Also, interest rates remain historically low. Interest rates still hover around 4%, and you can get more house for your money with these low rates. There are signs that rates may rise soon, so September is a good time to take advantage of the current rates.

These factors will probably continue into October. Generally, the winter season is when the buyer has the most power. However, a lot of people take their homes off the market in order to avoid moving during the holidays, which means there's less inventory.

All in all, if you're thinking of buying a house, now is the time. If you have any questions, give me a call or send me an email. I look forward to hearing from you!

How Property Taxes Affect Your Monthly Payment




In today's video, I discuss figuring out what your property tax will be when you're buying a home. Property taxes are an important element of figuring out your monthly payments, or what you owe annually. Also, when you go through the qualification process, lenders factor in property taxes. Knowing what the property tax will be ensures that you are properly qualified. 

Every neighborhood is a little bit different. Most of us in Riverside County pay a base rate of approximately 1%. However, certain communities have special assessments, or community facility districts, that add to the amount you're required to pay with your taxes. When you work with a real estate agent, we can look at tax rates for different areas and tell you how much those special assessments will be, as well as what the special assessment money is going toward. 



New homes built after the year 2000 generally come with special assessments, especially if they are in an incorporated area. If high taxes are more than you can stomach, you may want to focus on older communities. Homes built before the year 2000 are more likely to have lower taxes.

Remember, the important thing is to find out what the taxes are in an area before you make an offer on a property. If you have any questions about property taxes, or real estate in general, please give us a call or send us an email. We would love to hear from you!

What's the Best City in Riverside County for Real Estate Investments?




Today I'd like to tell you about one of the best cities in Southwest Riverside County to invest in, or simply to buy a home in.

The place that I'm referring to is Menifee, California. There are a lot of reasons for this, and one of them is that the city is extremely welcoming to new business growth right now. They're currently building a new civic center, shopping outlets, and other exciting things that will be drawing new business and new businesses to the area. 


In the long term, this will all help prices appreciate in the area. This is why I'm suggesting that this is a good area for real estate investment such as rental property for investment purposes.

There are a lot of affordable homes in the area. Nearly 80% of homes fall within the FHA loan limit, and there is a wide variety of neighborhoods within the area. There are a variety of home styles and communities in the area including horse properties, lakefront property, gated communities, and senior homes.

If you have any questions about Menifee or about investing there, please don't hesitate to contact me. I'd be very happy to help you!

Southwest Riverside County Real Estate Market Update




A lot of people have been asking me whether we're in a seller's market or a buyer's market. The truth here is that we're in a rather balanced marketplace in Southwest Riverside County. We don't have too much supply or too much demand. 

With this being said, there are some hotbeds of activity in the area. In the lower price ranges, it's generally a seller's market. We have a lot of first time buyers who are looking to purchase, and that's driving up demand.


So, what does this mean for you?
Home values are currently rising, which is good for buyers and sellers. You're going to have more competition if you're selling in the lower price brackets, but you can probably get more money for your home. An extra word of advice is that home buyers want homes that are clean and move-in ready. If your home is in good condition and priced well, it should sell without too much difficulty.

Also, interest rates have risen slightly, and are expected to continue rising. This means if you're thinking of buying, you should do so soon. The longer you wait, the more your affordability will drop. 

If you have any questions about our local real estate market, please don't hesitate to contact me!