Keeping It REAL - by Bettsy Tyler

The mid 1950’s was a time of development in California. The small farms and rural communities were fast becoming suburban tracks of the American dream. A family making the median income could afford to buy a brand-new home in a mass-produced suburb on the outskirts of cities such as San Diego, Los Angeles and San Francisco. The single-family home and suburban dream of 65 years ago became the American housing system. Year after year developments were built with basically similar homes with similar lots sizes surrounded by fences and sidewalks. Yet California has had a housing shortage for decades. Fast forward to 2021. It is not news that California home prices are some of the highest in the nation. Those same suburban homes today require two times the median income to even think about purchasing. They are no longer on the outskirts as cities and businesses sprawled outward. Since the mid 1970’s, when housing began out-pacing wages, many warned that the housing problems would remain...

  Selling your home when you still need to shop for a new one can feel daunting to even the most seasoned homeowner––especially when the demand for new homes keeps rising, but the supply feels like it's dwindling.¹ You're not alone either if you're already feeling drained by the complex logistics of trying to sell and buy a new home all at once.   Searching for a new home can be exciting, but many home buyers admit that it can also be stressful, especially if you live in an unpredictable market with plenty of competitors. Unfortunately, waiting out a competitive housing market isn’t always the best idea either since listings are expected to remain limited in the most coveted neighborhoods for some time.²   That doesn't mean, though, that you should just throw up your hands and give up on moving altogether. In fact, as a current homeowner, you could be in a better position than most to capitalize on a seller’s market and make a smooth transition from your old h...