Here are the key reasons why it makes sense to list your home before summer hits this year:

1. Lower inventory. This gives you less competition as a seller and helps you stand out more to the buyers who are out there. It gives your home the place it needs to shine.

2. Motivated buyers. In the summer months, we tend to have a lot of casual buyers who aren’t very motivated. If they’re out in the market now, they’re quite motivated and ready to make that purchase that fits their needs.

3. Lower interest rates. They’re generally lower now than they are in the summer. It’s like gas prices: Gas tends to go up in the summer because there is more demand. The same goes for mortgages.

If you have any questions about selling your home or real estate in general, don’t hesitate to reach out via phone or email. We look forward to hearing from you soon.

​There are four options that you have when your appraisal comes in below the agreed-upon purchase price for your new home:

1. The seller can lower the price from the agreed-upon price to the appraised value.

2. The buyer can bring in cash to make up the difference between the appraised value and the agreed-upon price. This happens a lot with a home that is overly improved for the area. The buyer sees value in bringing in the cash.

3. The buyer and seller can meet in the middle. The buyer brings a little extra cash and the seller lowers the price a little bit. It’s a good compromise to keep the deal together.

4. The buyer can walk away if a compromise cannot be made.

These are your four options for a low appraisal. If you have any questions about appraisals, buying a home, or anything else related to real estate, don’t hesitate to reach out via phone or email. I look forward to hearing from you soon.

​Most people have visions and foresight, but not everyone takes action. If you don’t act on your dreams, they die in your head and on your lips. Are most people economically free? No, they’re not. If you want to lead, you have to figure out how to thrive.

I’m calling to your soul to say that no matter how great your life is, you can take it to the next level. All you have to do is find a way to thrive on what produces fear inside you and other people. Thrive on something that gives you a higher purpose by being decisive.

Everyone has a list of “shoulds” in their life. I should lose some weight or I should make some more calls. People love when their “should” lists are met, but they’re kind of like New Year’s resolutions: You commit in the short term, but not in the long term. That breeds failure.

​When you turn your goal from a “should” to an absolute “must,” you make it a certainty in your mind. When human beings resolve to do things inside themselves, they can do anything and will always find a way to succeed. 

Everything in life is always changing; change is a given. On the other hand, progress, real progress, takes time.

If you have any questions about how I can help you achieve your 2021 goals, don’t hesitate to reach out via phone or email. I look forward to hearing from you soon.

Our state is abuzz with talk of the newly passed Proposition 19 changes, but what do you really need to know about this property tax law? One of the most significant changes brought on by Proposition 19 is that it allows you to transfer your property tax value to anywhere else in the state of California. Previously, the law only allowed for transfers to properties in those specific counties that had chosen to participate in Prop. 19. Now, if you want to transfer the tax value of your current property in Los Angeles or Ventura County to your new home in Palm Springs, you’re able to do so. In fact, you’re able to transfer the tax value on your primary residence up to three separate times—a huge increase from the previous one-time cap.

Here’s another benefit: The ability to transfer your tax value regardless of the purchase price of your new home. Previously, if you had sold your home for $1 million, you would have had to buy your next home for $1 million or below to carry over your tax value. Now, Prop. 19 extends to those who are upgrading on the market, though the taxes will be prorated. In other words, if you sell your home for $1 million and buy your next one for $1.2 million, your tax value for that first $1 million will carry over, and you’ll only pay at the new tax rate for that $200,000 difference. 

When all these changes are taken into consideration, it’s clear that many Californians now have a unique opportunity to make an affordable move. Hopefully, this overview answered any Prop. 19-related questions you may have had. If not, please feel free to reach out to The Buss Lampert Group; we’re here to be your real estate resource, and we’d love to hear from you. You know who to call for assistance with any of your 2021 buying or selling needs!

​Happy holidays to you!

The holiday season has officially arrived. We hope you enjoy this wonderful time of year and make some fantastic memories.

We wanted to take a moment to thank you for your continued support. We love helping people make their real estate dreams come true, so thank you for working with us and supporting our business.

This may be a busy time of year, but we are always here to help you and answer any questions you may have. Give us a call or reply to this email and we’d love to help out.

In case we don’t hear from you until 2021, have a happy New Year!

With the world we live in becoming so negative, it’s vitally important to start every day off right. If you win the morning, you win the day. I read a book called “The Miracle Morning” by Hal Elrod and have been following the routine it details since. Once you get in the habit of it, you realize it’s the best possible way to start your day. 

It’s a pretty easy ritual to follow using the acronym SAVERS:

• Silence/meditation. Here is one of my favorites is Tony Robbins’ gratitude meditation. 
• Affirmations. You can find them online or make them up yourself.
• Visualization. Take a moment to visualize how your day will look, how your week will look, and how your year will look. Think about what you want and the steps you need to take to get there.
• Exercise. This doesn’t have to be anything crazy. Just get your blood flowing with a quick run, bike ride, or weight lifting circuit.
• Reading. Take 10 minutes to read a bit of a new book or a few news articles.
• Scribe. One of my favorite things to do is to journal in the morning about my goals and what I’m grateful for.

This process takes roughly an hour and you don’t always get that much time, but if you can combine a few of these steps into one, you can get it done quicker.

If you have any questions or want to know more about my morning routine, don’t hesitate to reach out via phone or email. I look forward to hearing from you soon.

Today I’m here with my friend Ilona from Little Eyes Catering, who’s going to help me share the ways you can have a stress-free Thanksgiving. Nobody wants to do a last-minute scramble to prepare everything before dinner is ready and guests arrive, so Ilona will first share some of her tips for what to do the day before to make the holiday go smoother. Beyond that, she has some great tips and recipes for how she makes herbed butter, turkey, and so much more! To find out how to make your Thanksgiving holiday more simple, stress-free, and delicious, watch the video above.

We hope that you have a wonderful Thanksgiving filled with great food and company. If you have any other questions about throwing a stress-free holiday or anything to do with real estate, don’t hesitate to reach out to us. We’d love to help you.

​What makes this fall a great time to buy a home? There are five main reasons:

1. Homes sit on the market a bit longer. This means there’s more inventory and a better chance for you to secure a good deal. 

2. Less competition. There are fewer buyers to compete against than you’d otherwise see in the spring and summer months. Fewer buyers mean you don’t have to be as aggressive with your offer. 

3. For various reasons, many sellers want to close before the end of the year. For example, they may want to take advantage of certain tax benefits. 

4. Many sellers also want to sell before the holidays rather than wait through them. They want to be in their new home to enjoy the coming holiday season, so they’ll be motivated to help you buy their current one. 

5. You get to see homes in different weather conditions. In other words, conditions you wouldn’t see in the spring and summertime. 

If you’d like to buy now and take advantage of this opportunity or have any real estate questions at all, don’t hesitate to reach out to us. We’d love to help you.

Here are the top four reasons you should list your home in the autumn:

1. Less competition. In spring and summer, a deluge of houses hits the market, but that doesn’t happen in the fall. Your property will stand out better in a smaller crowd. 

2. High demand. People are still looking to move into our area, and there’s still not enough inventory. In the autumn, most buyers who come to see your home are serious. They’re usually pre-approved, motivated, ready to write offers, and aren’t just looky-loos. 

​3. Holidays. Since there are some wonderful holidays in the fall, buyers could have a more emotional reaction to your house. Seeing a property decorated for Halloween or Thanksgiving creates a sentimental connection for the buyer. 

4. Timing. Some buyers looking at your home may not have a family, so they don’t need to worry about a school schedule. There are plenty of other reasons someone may need to move.

If you have further questions about selling in the autumn or real estate in general, please don’t hesitate to give us a call or send an email. We would love to help you.

Today we’re taking a break from real estate content to do something fun! We’re conducting a special contest, and the prize is a $100 Amazon gift card! Below are five questions on little-known facts about me (Marissa) and Danny. 

This is an honor system, so when you’ve finished reading this message (or watching the video above) email me at marissa@thebusslampertgroup.com with how many questions you got right. The people who get the most answers correct will be entered into a drawing to win the prize. To get the answers, watch the video above. 

Question 1. Who was their sixth-grade arm wrestling champion: Danny or Marissa?

Question 2. Who was born in Westlake Village Hospital: Danny or Marissa?

Question 3. True or false: Marissa proposed to Danny on the balcony overlooking the ocean in Malibu. 

Question 4. Who was on their high school wrestling team: Danny or Marissa?

Question 5. True or false: Was Marissa Danny's first kiss?

Don’t forget to send me your answers! We hope you learned a few interesting facts about us. 

If you have any questions regarding real estate, please feel free to give us a call or send an email. We would love to help you.