South County Real Estate Guide - October 2014

Real Estate

EXPERT’S CORNER ONE THING IS CERTAIN

29 Gavina, Dana Point Incredible, Panoramic Catalina Island, San Clemente Island & Unbelievable Ocean views! Exceptional opportunity in the highly sought after ‘Estates at Monarch Beach.’ Spectacular residence in guard gated community with 5 bedrooms, 4.5 baths, large bonus room, library/den and indoor sauna! All new carpet, interior & exterior paint. Gorgeous Limestone floors, french doors, built-ins, ceiling fans, recessed lighting, bidet & more. Living room & separate family room areas, each with their own fireplaces. Fantastic floor plan with main floor bedroom & full bath. Large master suite with fireplace, walk in closet and sitting area. Comfortable master bath with dual sinks, soaking tub & stall shower, perfect for relaxing. Gourmet kitchen with center island, granite counter tops, stainless steel appliances and breakfast nook area. Separate formal dining room. Light and bright, open and spacious floor plan. Elevator makes the house wheelchair accessible. 3 car attached garage with new epoxy flooring. Super rear yard and covered patios to sit back and enjoy the good life. This is a must see!

We all come to the end of our life at some point. With an aging population and the greatest transfer of wealth in the world’s history taking place, anyone who owns real estate in Orange County should consider putting their assets into a living trust. A living trust is a legal document that may serve as a substitute for a will.

With a living trust, your assets (e.g. real property, bank accounts, stocks, etc.) are put into the trust, administered for your benefit during your lifetime, and then transferred to your beneficiaries when you die. Most people name themselves as the trustee in charge of managing their trust’s assets, keeping you in control of your assets during your lifetime. You can also name a successor trustee (a person or an institution) who will manage the trust’s assets if you ever become unable or unwilling to do so yourself. There are people who just do this for a living, called Professional Fiduciaries.

If your assets are not in a living trust when you die, they often are subject to probate. Probate is a court-supervised process for transferring assets to the beneficiaries listed in one’s will. “Probate is very much like a lawsuit to most people.

Putting your loved ones through that as your last act is not what most people have in mind, which is why many people take the time to properly set up a trust.” says John Stifter, Attorney in San Clemente.

In California, probate can be very time consuming - tying up the assets for months - and expensive, with fees and

costs often adding up to 6% of the gross value of the estate, in addition to any taxes that may be owed. If the heirs live out of state, as is often the case, the process becomes even more cumbersome. A proper living trust avoids probate fees and costs, allowing the trustee to distribute the assets according to your directions without court supervision or involvement, saving your heirs time and money.

Even with a living trust, challenges may arise for the trustee. In particular, bills for the estate need to continue to be paid, but there may not be adequate cash in the estate, requiring the liquidation of assets.

This can be a complicated scenario, especially when there are multiple beneficiaries with different needs. What if there are three children of the deceased and one of them wants to keep their parents’ home, but the other two prefer to have the money from a sale? What becomes of the personal belongings? What if the home requires work to be done prior to sale (what home doesn’t)? Who determines that? Who clears the property out? Who will get the greatest yield from the sale of the property? Who manages all this?

It is important to select a team of experienced professionals to help address all these matters. It starts with a good estate attorney, but may also require a real estate professional who is geared up for this type of transaction and can make a difficult, emotional transition much less traumatic and more financially beneficial.

DAVE CSIRA Broker Associate 949.500.3283 dave@csiragroup.com www.csiragroup.com 33522 Niguel Road, Monarch Beach

Gabe Smith REALTOR #01704776

Harcourts U.S.A. 949.533.4490 Gabe.Smith@harcourtsusa.com www.GabeSmithRealEstate.com

SOUTH COUNTY REAL ESTATE GUIDE PUBLISHES THE FIRST FRIDAY OF EVERY MONTH. For advertising inquires or to book your ad space for the November 7 edition, contact Michele Reddick at 949.388.7700, ext. 103 or mreddick@picketfencemedia.com

Real Estate

ExpErt’s CornEr

TOP 5 TIPS for Sellers Today’s sellers may face challenging condition in many markets, but that doesn’t mean choosing to sell is a bad idea. There are many reasons to sell and most are good ones. Here are ten tips to get you on your way to getting your home sold.

1. Hire a Professional.

This is no time to be navigating the rough waters of the real estate market on your own. You want someone who can help you accurately price your home, bring in potential buyers, handle contracts, and market your home to the masses.

2. Fully Disclose.

Are you selling because your current home needs more work than you can handle? Are there infestation problems you’d rather not talk about? You must disclose all of these facts to potential buyers. If they find out after the fact that you withheld information you could be in a whole heap of trouble.

3. Be Realistic about Pricing.

It is much wiser to price a home correctly from the start of the selling process than to have an overpriced home sitting on the market for months only to have to do a price reduction, over and over again. You get more traffic on a well-priced home and newly listed home.

4. Detach Emotions.

Sellers may have the inclination towards adding sentimental value to a home.

They see the memories and work they’ve put into a property and think every buyer should recognize this. This kind of attachment will make it harder to make smart and timely decisions about offers.

5. Be flexible.

It’s no secret that today’s market can be challenging for many sellers. Some markets have seen sharp price declines and shallow buyer pools, this means you need to be flexible on both price and terms, don’t compromise on your bottom line, but understand that you must be willing to negotiate.

Gabe Smith REALTOR #01704776

Harcourts U.S.A. 949.533.4490 Gabe.Smith@harcourtsusa.com www.GabeSmithRealEstate.com