California Real Estate Podcast with Prashant Vanka

Using capital gains exclusions is a useful way to acquire wealth through real estate.Buying a home? Click Here to Perform a Full Home SearchSelling a home? Click here for a FREE Home Price EvaluationIn the state of California, if you own a house for less than 24 months, you’ll be hit with a short-term capital gains tax and all of the capital appreciation you’ve accrued will be taxed for as much as 34% or higher based on your tax bracket.Because of that rule, it’s very important that you understand how to take advantage of capital gains exclusions (or IRS Code: Section 121).First, you must understand the ownership principle of capital gains exclusions, which states that you must have owned the house as a primary residence for at least two of the last five years you’ve owned the property. This is one of the secrets of how high net-worth individuals accumulate a lot of cash using real estate as a vehicle. The second thing to consider is the frequency of using capital gains exclusions. This is something you can do every two years. For example, if you buy a house, wait 24 months, and then sell it for—say—$400,000, you can get an exclusion for that entire sum if you’re a married couple. Remember—married couples can exclude up to $500,000, while single persons can only exclude up to $250,000. You can then defer your taxes, roll that into your next investment property, and start the process all over again. If you have any questions about this strategy or any other real estate topic, please don’t hesitate to reach out to me. I’d be happy to assist you.

When preparing to sell your Silicon Valley home, consider these three things carefully first.Buying a home? Click Here to Perform a Full Home SearchSelling a home? Click here for a FREE Home Price EvaluationIf you're getting ready to list your home on the market, there are three things you must consider first.Where to start with renovations: Research from the National Association of Realtors shows that renovating bathrooms returns 58% of the value you invest in them, and a new roof can return 105% of the value invested.Paint: Zillow states that painting your kitchen yellow returns $1,400 more than a white kitchen and that lavender dining rooms return $1,122 more than a white dining room. It's an easy way to put a little more money in your pocket when you sell your home. Technology: Because of the area we live in, smart home technology is very attractive to buyers. Some of the best ideas are cheap fixes that add a ton of value, like a Nest thermostat, Amazon Echo for the sound system, and a door lock for all the doors.If you have any other questions about preparing your home for the market or the Silicon Valley market in general, don't hesitate to give me a call or send me an email. I'm always happy to help!

Selling your home on your own isn’t the best idea. You might save the 6% in commission, but you’ll give up a whole lot more money elsewhere.Buying a home? Click Here to Perform a Full Home SearchSelling a home? Click here for a FREE Home Price EvaluationWhy should you hire a real estate agent as opposed to trying to sell your home on your own? There are three specific reasons that we would like to share. You may think it’s a good idea to sell your home FSBO (For Sale By Owner), but here are three reasons why it’s not:1. FSBO homes fail 75% to 95% of the time. Those that end up selling are sold for a fraction of their true value. The NAR stated last year that homeowners have lost an average of 17% on their sale prices because they are trying to save 6% on commission.2. Owners aren’t agents. In terms of preparing and marketing the property for sale, showing it, and negotiating the best deal possible, it’s a full-time job. Most homeowners don't have that kind of time to dedicate to a sale.Hiring an agent saves you time and money. 3. It saves you time and money.If you have any questions for me about selling your home or anything else related to the real estate market, I would love to hear from you. Give me a call or send me an email today. I look forward to hearing from you.

The Silicon Valley real estate market is extremely competitive. Here’s how we can help you get an edge.Buying a home? Click Here to Perform a Full Home SearchSelling a home? Click here for a FREE Home Price EvaluationWhy does working with the Vanka Group make a difference when buying a home in Silicon Valley? There are three main reasons.The first thing is our needs analysis. It’s the first thing we do with our buying clients. It’s so important because every client is different. Some buyers want a certain home in a certain area no matter the price, and some have a budget they have to stick to. Because of that, this meeting is essential in setting your expectations for the process as a whole.55% of homebuyers are paying with cash. Secondly, we understand the market. In Silicon Valley, 55% of homes purchased last year were cash transactions. If you’re going to be competing with cash offers and you’re using financing, a pre-approval is essential in getting all your ducks in a row. We have some amazing lender partners we can refer you to.Finally, the last step is to identify the neighborhoods that are good fits for you. We can strategize with you and help narrow down the best options, whether you want to be near good schools, the highway, or both.If you have any other questions, don’t hesitate to give us a call or send us an email. We look forward to hearing from you soon.

Investing in real estate is a smart move, especially here in California. Here’s why.Buying a home? Click Here to Perform a Full Home SearchSelling a home? Click here for a FREE Home Price EvaluationThe question of “Are we headed toward a market correction?” is one of the most common inquiries I’ve been getting lately. So today I am going to talk about the three things you should be focusing on if we are indeed headed toward a correction.First, make your investments with a five to seven year outlook. With a long-term plan, you’ll be just fine.Secondly, California real estate has historically appreciated for over 7% if you hold the asset for at least five years.Real estate is a recipe for building wealth. Finally, the power of compounding. Real estate is one of the only asset classes that you can invest in with as little as 10% down. You can buy a million dollar asset for $100,000 in cash value and when you combine that with the fact that homes appreciate so rapidly around here, you have a recipe for building wealth.If you have any questions for me or you’re looking to get into real estate investing yourself, give me a call or send me an email. I’d be happy to hear from you.

Zestimates and other online home value calculators should be taken with a grain of salt. Here’s why.Buying a home? Click Here to Perform a Full Home SearchSelling a home? Click here for a FREE Home Price EvaluationWhen I go on listing presentations, home sellers always ask me about the disparity between Zestimates and what homes actually sell for. Zillow will give their home a certain value, but the National Association of Realtors states that homes sell for 5% more or less than their Zestimate more than 67% of the time. There are a couple main reasons why this happens. The first thing you have to understand about a Zestimate is that it’s an algorithm, or a formula-based estimation. It only calculates general information like the square footage of the house and the previous sales in that house’s particular zip code. As we know, houses are imperfect. Zillow doesn’t take into account things like the wear and tear from your kids or your pets. Details play a huge part in a home’s true value. For example, in Silicon Valley, schools are a big factor in determining home prices. Two identical houses in Cupertino that are right across the street from each other could be as much as $200,000 apart in value just because one house is assigned to Lynbrook High School and the other is assigned to Monte Vista High School. Zestimates should only be used as a guiding tool for pricing your home.With all this factored in, it’s really important that you use Zestimates and other online calculators as merely a guiding tool. If you want to know the exact value of your house, you should ask a professional real estate agent who knows your neighborhood well.If you need an estimate of your home’s value or you’re looking to buy or sell, don’t hesitate to get in touch with us. We’d be glad to help.

When should you put your home on the market? It turns out spring and summer are great options for a couple reasons. Buying a home? Click Here to Perform a Full Home SearchSelling a home? Click here for a FREE Home Price EvaluationWhen is the best time of year to sell your home?Redfin, which is the largest real estate portal, has stated that homes sold in the spring and summer sell 9% faster and for 1.2% more money. There are a couple of reasons for that. Spring and summer are great times to sell your home.First, families that are looking to move want to wait until their kids are out of school. They don’t want to deal with the hassle of having to change school districts in the middle of the year, so selling during the spring and summer is ideal. Second, interest rates are beginning to rise. Buyers are getting off the fence because they want to lock in the low interest rates that we have right now. If you’re looking to buy or sell a home or if you have any other questions, feel free to give me a call or send me an email. I look forward to hearing from you!

When you sell your home, following these three steps will help you net the most money possible on your sale.Buying a home? Click Here to Perform a Full Home SearchSelling a home? Click here for a FREE Home Price EvaluationWhen you sell your home, following these three steps will help you net the most money possible.1. Staging. The National Association of Realtors has statistically proven that homes that are staged and displayed with great photography (and video) net up to 6% more than houses that aren't. 2. Mega open houses. This is something I share with sellers in our very first consultation. Any buyer who is serious about buying your house will take three showings. The first is typically online (remember, amazing photos and videos are important!) and the second typically happens when a buyer drives around the neighborhood to see if it's one they'd want their family to live in. Can their kids go play at the park? Is this where they'd like to go buy groceries? The third and final showing for motivated buyers is the “mega open house” when they come visit it in person. We hold these mega open houses for all of our sellers, and they are a giant party! We have food, champagne, wine, and beer, and we make it a great experience. Motivated buyers will possibly look at four to eight houses in a given weekend, so we want to be the house that sticks out in their mind. Buyers will look at up to eight houses in a given weekend, so we want to be the home that stands out. 3. Inspections. When a buyer looks at a home, they like to know that all the little issues have been addressed up front. As a seller, we ideally like to have inspections up front, like the property inspection, termite inspection, and a chimney or pool inspection if the home has them.If you have any questions about this topic or you're thinking of buying or selling a home here in Bay Area, give me a call or send me an email. I'd be happy to help you out!

If you’re selling a house, there are a few smart investments you can make that will actually net you more money in the end.Buying a home? Click Here to Perform a Full Home SearchSelling a home? Click here for a FREE Home Price EvaluationWhen preparing your house for sale, what can you do to it that brings the best return on your investment?I put together a list of the best things you can do in our market here in the Bay Area.Declutter the house. Your personal ornaments might not be things that buyers are looking at or place value in. Decluttering and making the house as bright as possible will make it look larger.Paint is gold. Think neutral colors on your interior walls for a clean look to increase the value of your home. At the end of the day, it will return more money on your investment.Flooring. New carpet might be one of the cheapest and most effective ways to get more money out of your sale. If you have hardwood flooring, be sure to clean it up and polish it. We have great vendors for these resources that give our clients special pricing on things like flooring. We’d be happy to put you in touch with them.New carpet might be one of the cheapest and most effective ways to get more money out of your sale.If you have any other questions about ways to get the most value out of your home sale or you’re thinking about buying a new home, give me a call or send me an email soon. I’d be glad to help.

Owning a home requires more than a mortgage payment. There are always extra costs associated with homeownership.Buying a home? Click Here to Perform a Full Home SearchSelling a home? Click here for a FREE Home Price EvaluationYour mortgage payment isn’t the only cost you’ll have when you buy a home. There are certain costs that buyers tend to forget when they are going through the buying process. Here are three extra costs associated with homeownership that you should take into account in your budget:1. Property taxes. They are paid once every six months in California. However, you can deduct all the property taxes against your revenue line.“Property taxes are paid twice per year.”2. Utility bills. When you are coming from a property where you lease with a landlord, they could be covering some of your bills. When you own your own home, you will have to pay those costs out of pocket. I’d budget at least $200 a month for this.3. Furnishing bills. To furnish a 3-bedroom house, it’s going to cost you $15,000 to $20,000. Don’t go out on a spending spree before the sale is closed and you hold the title. The lender can pull your credit up to that moment and even deny your loan.If you have any questions for us or you’re looking to buy a luxury property in the area, give me a call or send me an email. I look forward to hearing from you soon.

How will President-elect Trump’s policies impact the real estate industry? I’ll go over a few important points that you need to know today.Buying a home? Click Here to Perform a Full Home SearchSelling a home? Click here for a FREE Home Price EvaluationDonald Trump will be the next President of the United States. What does that mean for the real estate industry? First of all, since the election ended a couple weeks ago, interest rates have gone up half a point. Historically speaking, 4% is still a low interest rate, so home prices have not been affected that much so far. “Interest rates are still historically low. ”Even if rates were to increase in the future, Trump’s views on regulation in the real estate industry would counter any effect interest rates might have on price. This past August, Trump said, “There’s no industry other than the energy industry that’s regulated more than real estate.” Right now, regulation costs make up 25% of building costs; Trump believes regulation costs should be closer to 2%. If that happens, more renters would be able to afford houses. That said, inventory is still a huge challenge in the real estate market. As a result, our market has remained fairly stable. If you are thinking of selling your home, now is still a good time to get top dollar. If you have any other questions about the real estate market, just give me a call or send me an email. I look forward to hearing from you!

Did you know that homeownership is one of the best ways to build wealth? Here is a full breakdown of how homeownership can benefit you.Buying a home? Click Here to Perform a Full Home SearchSelling a home? Click here for a FREE Home Price EvaluationThough it’s a dream for many of us to one day own a home, there are a few financial benefits of homeownership that you may not have considered. Saving money is one of the major benefits. You get to save the interest portion of your whole mortgage against your income for the year. Many people don’t realize that your monthly mortgage payment is broken down into two separate parts: mortgage interest and mortgage principal payment. While the first part of your monthly payment is fully tax deductible, the second part includes property tax. When you own a house in California, you’ll pay property tax on it. That portion of your monthly payment can be held against your income as well. In addition, during the first year you own a house, you’ll typically have origination fees from borrowing money with a loan. This can also be deducted against your income. So when you’re deciding whether it’s better for you to rent or buy a home, you need to determine your net payment and compare that to what you’re paying your landlord. “Owning a home is like a forced savings plan.” The other thing to consider about home ownership is that owning a home is like a forced savings plan. Remember when I said that your monthly payment is broken up into two parts—the principal and the interest? The principal part is the actual loan that you’re paying down. Let’s take a look at an example mortgage. If you’re paying $2,000 per month against your principal and you own the house for five years, this would equal $24,000 in principal reduction per year or $120,000 over the course of five years. This is a lot of money, but you’ve saved a lot of money that you wouldn’t have if you had rented the property. When you add it all up, this is how you build wealth in real estate. What happens at the end of this five-year period? If you own the house for more than two years, then in the state of California, you are eligible for a capital gains exclusion on your primary residence. If you’re single, this could mean up to $250,000 available for you to defer out in taxes, and if you’re married, you’re eligible for up to $500,000 in deferments per transaction. If you have any other questions about the benefits of homeownership or you’re looking to buy or sell a home in the Bay Area, feel free to give me a call or send me an email. I’d be happy to help you!

The U.K.’s decision to leave the E.U. has had a big impact on our real estate market. Low interest rates have kept the demand for homes high.Earlier this summer, the U.K. voted to leave the E.U., which has become known as the “Brexit.” This decision created heaps of uncertainty for our neighbors across the Atlantic, but here in the U.S., Brexit has been nothing but good news for our real estate market.With so much uncertainty, foreign investors wanted a safer place to invest than in the U.K. One of these places was the U.S. housing market. This pushed our mortgage rates down even further to almost unseen lows. In fact, we are now in the middle of the second-longest run of cheap mortgage rates in history. What does this mean for you as a seller? “Low rates bring more buyers to the market.”These low rates are a big benefit if you are selling. They bring more buyers to the market, and the more buyers that are in the market, the greater the demand is for your home. This healthy demand will help you sell more quickly.The combination of low mortgage rates, high rent, and tax savings keep our demand extremely high. These ultra-low rates won’t last forever and may rise as soon as after the election.If you’re looking to take advantage of this unique situation while it lasts, let me know. Give me a call or send me an email and I would be glad to speak with you. I look forward to hearing from you soon.

Brexit has had a profound impact on our housing market. With lower rates, more and more people are deciding to make the leap and buy a home. Buying a home? Click here to perform a full home searchSelling a home? Click here for a FREE home price evaluationEarlier this summer, the U.K. voted to leave the E.U., which has become known as the “Brexit.” This decision created heaps of uncertainty for our neighbors across the Atlantic, but here in the U.S., Brexit has been nothing but good news for our real estate market.With so much uncertainty, foreign investors wanted a safer place to invest than in the U.K. One of these places was the U.S. housing market. This pushed our mortgage rates down even further to almost unseen lows. In fact, we are now in the middle of the second-longest run of cheap mortgage rates in history. What does this mean for you as a buyer?“The low rates make for a lower payment.”If you’re looking to buy a house, now is a great time to do so. The low rates mean you’ll pay less per month. On a 30-year $800,000 mortgage, the total cost is $97,000 less over the life of the loan than it was last year. With today’s rates, you could also afford a more luxurious home for the same monthly payment you could have had last year. Clearly, this is an awesome opportunity. If you are looking to buy or invest and are in need of some help, we can get you connected to some of the best lenders in the business. If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to give us a call or send us an email. We look forward to hearing from you.

When selling your home, you may be wondering what you should be looking for in a real estate agent or Realtor team. Today I’d like to provide you with some examples of the kinds of services and advantages that we provide to sellers so that you can better determine which features you need most. 1.    Economies of scale, resources, and expertise. Our team works hard to leverage technology and the information we have available to us when working with our buyers. Because of this, we have a great sense of the trends in the market. In addition, we do customized staging on all of our listings so that we know exactly what to highlight in your home in order to tell its special story. “Each home has its own special story to tell.”2.    High-quality online marketing. All of our marketing is focused on our international buyers in China and India to reflect the buyer pool here in Silicon Valley.3.    Negotiation tactics. For us, it’s no surprise that our negotiation expertise, in conjunction with our knowledge of technology and marketing, ultimately nets our home sellers a higher price on their homes than our competitors.If you have any other questions selling your property or finding the Realtor team that’s right for you, don’t hesitate to send me an email or give me a call. I’d be happy to help you!

A lot of people have been asking me lately about the Bay Area real estate market and whether we are in a market that’s better suited for buyers or sellers. The truth is, it depends on what price range you’re looking at. “The luxury market is great for buyers right now.”In the luxury market, anything over $1.4 million is in more of a buyer’s market. We are seeing less and less multiple offer situations, and people are no longer bidding 10% to 15% over list price like they used to. If you’ve been thinking of buying in this segment of the market, it’s a great time to get a deal.For homes under $1 million, with how low interest rates are and how strong the rental market is, it doesn’t make sense for anyone to pay their landlord’s mortgage. It makes more sense to buy a home by taking advantage of low interest rates and investing in your own equity.If you have any questions for me, don’t hesitate to give me a call or send me an email. I look forward to hearing from you.