• Congratulations to Grant, who CLOSED Escrow with his Buyer on a new development purchase AND helped them by CLOSING their purchase loan!
• Congratulations to all of you who are currently working with clients and making offers! The market continues to be competitive, and while your offers won't always win the day, with perseverance you will get there!
• We have some other new listings coming up soon,
• My vacant land listing in Escrow is moving towards Closing, AND my new UTC Townhome listing went Active!

1. Home Fire Hardening Disclosure and Advisory (HHDA)
   Sellers are now required to complete CAR Form HHDA, a new Home Hardening Disclosure for properties that are: a) Within High or Very High Fire Hazard Zones; b) Built before 2010; and c) Residential One to Four unit Properties.
2. Foreclosures / Tenants and housing providers
   This law grants tenants, nonprofit affordable housing providers, etc., a 45-day window to purchase a residential property through foreclosure if they can match or exceed the highest bid made at the foreclosure auction.
3. Foreclosure and Notice of Tenants' Rights
   Requires that a notice be posted and sent to tenants when a notice of trustee's sale is posted on the property. The notice informs the tenant that the foreclosure process has begun on the property and what rights the tenants may have under the law.
4. Homestead Exemption
   The homestead exemption had a big increase across the board. For example, for married couples, the exemption went from $100,000 all the way up to $600,000.

• Presentation (Offer package and email, Pre-Approval, Keep it Simple)
• Relationship (Listing Agent Rapport, Addressing Seller needs, Personal letter)
• Structure (Keep it clean, Contingency periods, Deposit, Price, Down payment, etc.) 
• Timing (How is the market where you are, Be first, Be a backup, Be last)

• Appraisals and Offers – One possible issue in today's market is appraisal value vs purchase offer. Some scenarios:
  • Agent may write a standard offer. If the property does not appraise during escrow, the seller may drop the price, the buyer may make up the difference, or they may meet in the middle.
  • Some agents are writing into the offer that the buyer will pay up to $5,000 in cash if the property does not appraise.
  • Some seller agents are writing into counter offers "if property does not appraise, buyer to make up the difference in cash" or "make up the difference up to $8,000."
• New Developments – Be sure to accompany the buyer on the first visit to a new development. Complete the agent paperwork, and obtain a copy. Some new developments are on a referral basis, while on others you act in a fiduciary agent role.
• Agents and Loans - DRE Licensed Agents with an NMLS license can handle both real estate and loans for Conventional, VA and USDA loans.
• Digital Signatures – You may use Digital Ink 1.0 or 2.0 (free CAR member benefit), or DocuSign (extra fee). In settings, you can set your default digital signature option.
• Glide – Use of Glide is expanding. More on this in the coming meetings.

Gregg Watkins, Broker
619-665-6789
Watkins Realty Group
DRE Lic #01399591
NMLS #367327