Home Seller: May 1, 2026 by mcnaughtonmedia

ALL THINGS REAL ESTATE

Lease-option agreement is a gamble

Q: My girlfriend and I are parting ways. About three years ago we found a nice little “first timer’s” house but because of bad credit I’d gotten from a divorce the previ ous year, we couldn’t qualify for a mortgage. Instead, we paid the guy who was selling the house $10,000 out of pocket and entered into a lease. The idea was we would pay a very high amount of rent, about double market value, and the extra amount would be credited toward our down payment. We paid the real estate agent that was listing the house to draw up the paperwork.

Fast-forward three years and we’ve probably put an extra $38,000 in increased rent into the place. That’s above and beyond the “normal” rental amount of about $2,800 per month. My now ex-girlfriend wants her money. I want to keep the house, but I can’t afford to keep paying the exorbitant rent without her. The landlord/seller says it’s my problem and isn’t going to give us any money back if we break the lease. We need to get our money back. How do we do that?

the property to you for the term of the lease.

The second agreement is the option agreement.

That agreement gives you the exclusive right to buy the property, for a specific price, within an agreed-upon period of time.

It’s common, though not legally necessary, that the buyer (or “optionee”) gives money to the seller (or “optionor”) for the privilege of having the option. Your option legally ties the seller’s hands, meaning if he later decides to sell the property to someone else during the option period, he can’t. Only you have

Say the house went up in value by 20% during the term of the option. The seller would be unable to sell the house at the new and improved value.

On the other hand, you would have the right to buy the house at a bargain.

A: Ah, finally a question with a pretty straightforward answer: You don’t.

You signed a type of contract with the seller that’s known in the business as a lease-option agreement. The way a leaseoption works is the buyer enters into two different contracts. Both are related to each other, but they’re not the same.

The first is the lease.

Just like any standard lease, you agree to pay rent and the landlord is committed to leasing

Of course, market conditions being what they are, the opposite could happen and the house could go down in value, as they did in 2008, and as they are right now, and you might not be able to get a mortgage. At the end of the option the seller, by gambling correctly, gets to keep your money and the house.

And that’s the problem with lease-options. They were designed for people who play the markets. Typically those people are knowledgeable about how they invest (gamble) their money and are prepared to take a loss if things don’t go their way.

In your case, as with many others I’ve dealt with through the years, you just wanted to buy

See Jones, Page 6

6 Bdrm | 7 Bath | 5,727 Square Feet

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O ered at $2,750,000

Tim Jones

Raquel Perez-McDonald

Malek Baroody Broker, DRE#

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Solano real estate transactions

BENICIA

TOTAL SALES: 7

LOWEST AMOUNT: $525,000

HIGHEST AMOUNT: $1,288,000

MEDIAN AMOUNT: $850,000

AVERAGE AMOUNT: $864,429

504 Capitol Drive - $850,000

02-23-26 [4 Bdrms - 1919 SqFt - 1982 YrBlt],

Previous Sale: 07-08-10, $437,000

850 Leeds Court #2 - $935,000

02-27-26 [3 Bdrms - 2212 SqFt - 1987 YrBlt],

Previous Sale: 05-25-22, $1,025,000

1781 Lindo Street - $565,000

02-24-26 [2 Bdrms - 1311 SqFt - 1984 YrBlt],

Previous Sale: 11-13-19, $440,000

379 Mcallister Drive - $1,288,000

02-23-26 [4 Bdrms - 2758 SqFt - 2007 YrBlt], Previous Sale: 11-03-16, $760,000

473 Mccall Drive - $1,068,000

02-26-26 [5 Bdrms - 2794 SqFt - 1997 YrBlt],

Previous Sale: 06-29-14, $685,000

255 Military Street - $525,000

02-24-26 [4 Bdrms - 2145 SqFt - 1900 YrBlt],

Previous Sale: 12-08-08, $68,500

375 East O Street - $820,000

02-23-26 [3 Bdrms - 1751 SqFt - 1988 YrBlt], Previous Sale: 06-22-04, $560,000

DIXON

TOTAL SALES: 5

LOWEST AMOUNT: $390,000

HIGHEST AMOUNT: $890,000

MEDIAN AMOUNT: $590,000

AVERAGE AMOUNT: $605,000

305 South 8th Street - $530,000

02-26-26 [3 Bdrms - 1306 SqFt - 1963 YrBlt], Previous Sale: 07-05-22, $290,000 428 West F Street - $390,000

02-26-26 [3 Bdrms - 949 SqFt - 1953 YrBlt] 1440 Folsom Downs Circle - $890,000

02-23-26 [5 Bdrms - 3824 SqFt - 2003 YrBlt], Previous Sale: 04-27-09, $400,000 1595 Ingrid Drive - $625,000

02-27-26 [4 Bdrms - 1887 SqFt - 1993 YrBlt], Previous Sale: 04-05-12, $221,000 1120 Merrill Court - $590,000

02-25-26 [4 Bdrms - 1619 SqFt - 1976 YrBlt], Previous Sale: 08-31-12, $227,000

FAIRFIELD

TOTAL SALES: 13

LOWEST AMOUNT: $415,000

HIGHEST AMOUNT: $1,290,000

MEDIAN AMOUNT: $570,000

AVERAGE AMOUNT: $625,269

407 Acacia Street - $532,500

02-24-26 [3 Bdrms - 1274 SqFt - 1958 YrBlt],

Previous Sale: 04-28-04, $300,000 1120 Courtland Court - $570,000

02-23-26 [3 Bdrms - 1305 SqFt - 1988 YrBlt],

Previous Sale: 03-24-99, $148,000 3360 Hillridge Drive - $705,000

02-25-26 [4 Bdrms - 2502 SqFt - 1991 YrBlt],

Previous Sale: 06-09-15, $500,000 1216 Lincoln Street - $467,000

02-26-26 [3 Bdrms - 1034 SqFt - 1951 YrBlt],

Previous Sale: 04-03-20, $365,000

201 Madison Street - $460,000

02-24-26 [4 Bdrms - 1020 SqFt - 1890 YrBlt]

2222 Madrone Drive - $675,000

02-26-26 [4 Bdrms - 2320 SqFt - 1977 YrBlt],

Previous Sale: 04-24-12, $70,500

5019 Michaelangelo Court - $570,000

02-25-26 [3 Bdrms - 1175 SqFt - 1999 YrBlt],

Previous Sale: 11-14-08, $250,000

759 Overture Lane - $1,290,000

02-26-26 [5 Bdrms - 3562 SqFt - 2004 YrBlt], Previous Sale: 04-16-12, $510,000

5277 Shumway Place - $710,000

02-25-26 [3 Bdrms - 2554 SqFt - 2012 YrBlt],

Previous Sale: 05-15-12, $424,000

1012 Sparrow Lane - $514,000

02-25-26 [4 Bdrms - 1716 SqFt - 1969 YrBlt],

Previous Sale: 08-11-23, $800,000

160 Sutherlin Lane - $415,000

02-24-26 [2 Bdrms - 1183 SqFt - 2001 YrBlt],

Previous Sale: 02-05-02, $204,445

4013 The Masters Drive - $650,000

02-24-26 [3 Bdrms - 1958 SqFt - 2004 YrBlt], Previous Sale: 11-18-04, $447,730

292 Woolner Court - $570,000

02-26-26 [3 Bdrms - 1500 SqFt - 1983 YrBlt],

Previous Sale: 03-20-23, $550,000

RIO VISTA

TOTAL SALES: 6

LOWEST AMOUNT: $260,000

HIGHEST AMOUNT: $455,000

MEDIAN AMOUNT: $371,500

AVERAGE AMOUNT: $366,333

971 Bridgeport Way - $355,000

02-27-26 [2 Bdrms - 1139 SqFt - 2002 YrBlt],

Previous Sale: 11-11-25, $310,500

400 Brockton Place - $260,000

02-24-26 [2 Bdrms - 1172 SqFt - 2000 YrBlt],

Previous Sale: 09-21-25, $285,000

470 Edgewood Drive - $390,000

02-26-26 [2 Bdrms - 1657 SqFt - 2000 YrBlt],

Previous Sale: 07-18-00, $221,000

176 Gardiner Way - $388,000

02-26-26 [3 Bdrms - 1248 SqFt - 1949 YrBlt],

Previous Sale: 02-26-13, $369,000

205 Oakridge Way - $350,000

02-27-26 [2 Bdrms - 1439 SqFt - 2005 YrBlt],

Previous Sale: 12-12-05, $453,241

2119 Revival Lane - $455,000

02-27-26 [3 Bdrms - 2102 SqFt - 2022 YrBlt],

Previous Sale: 03-31-22, $521,000

SUISUN CITY

TOTAL SALES: 6

LOWEST AMOUNT: $535,000

HIGHEST AMOUNT: $650,000

MEDIAN AMOUNT: $552,500

AVERAGE AMOUNT: $572,083

116 Birchwood Court - $545,000

02-23-26 [3 Bdrms - 1427 SqFt - 1990 YrBlt],

Previous Sale: 08-25-09, $188,000

114 Birchwood Court - $560,000

02-27-26 [4 Bdrms - 1763 SqFt - 1990 YrBlt],

Previous Sale: 02-18-25, $595,000

540 Coot Lane - $535,000

02-27-26 [4 Bdrms - 1386 SqFt - 1978 YrBlt],

Previous Sale: 07-09-25, $396,000 1404 Donner Court - $544,000

02-26-26 [3 Bdrms - 1563 SqFt - 1984 YrBlt],

Previous Sale: 10-13-25, $147,000

507 Kings Way #B - $650,000

02-27-26 [10 Bdrms - 6120 SqFt - 2010 YrBlt], Previous Sale: 06-17-03, $50,000 1651 Little Rock Circle - $598,500

02-24-26 [3 Bdrms - 1580 SqFt - 2004 YrBlt], Previous Sale: 08-15-19, $456,000

VACAVILLE

TOTAL SALES: 26

LOWEST AMOUNT: $300,000

HIGHEST AMOUNT: $1,350,000

MEDIAN AMOUNT: $566,000

AVERAGE AMOUNT: $626,769

328 North Alamo Drive - $752,000

02-24-26 [5 Bdrms - 2344 SqFt - 1978 YrBlt], Previous Sale: 03-22-16, $490,000

115 American Way - $555,000

02-25-26 [3 Bdrms - 1734 SqFt - 1990 YrBlt],

Previous Sale: 10-12-21, $555,000

206 Amherst Court - $419,000

02-23-26 [4 Bdrms - 1602 SqFt - 1975 YrBlt],

Previous Sale: 09-11-19, $460,000

460 Andrea Drive - $525,000

02-24-26 [3 Bdrms - 1318 SqFt - 1975 YrBlt]

466 Andrea Drive - $575,000

02-24-26 [4 Bdrms - 1602 SqFt - 1975 YrBlt]

138 Arcadia Drive - $410,000

02-24-26 [3 Bdrms - 1379 SqFt - 1981 YrBlt],

Previous Sale: 10-08-20, $355,000

536 Aster Street - $725,000

02-27-26 [5 Bdrms - 2765 SqFt - 2019 YrBlt],

Previous Sale: 07-31-21, $725,000

470 Berryessa Drive - $300,000

02-26-26 [3 Bdrms - 960 SqFt - 1966 YrBlt],

Previous Sale: 08-10-12, $154,000

142 Bounty Lane - $580,000

02-26-26 [2 Bdrms - 1744 SqFt - 1997 YrBlt],

Previous Sale: 04-30-20, $465,000

491 Buck Avenue - $572,000

02-23-26 [5 Bdrms - 2347 SqFt - 1959 YrBlt],

Previous Sale: 07-15-05, $475,000

122 Carlsbad Circle #15 - $540,000

02-26-26 [3 Bdrms - 1598 SqFt - 1970 YrBlt],

Previous Sale: 09-23-25, $362,000

723 Chateau Circle - $579,000

02-27-26 [3 Bdrms - 1591 SqFt - 2001 YrBlt],

Previous Sale: 12-16-22, $550,000

149 Currant Lane - $535,000

02-24-26 [2 Bdrms - 1597 SqFt - 1997 YrBlt],

Previous Sale: 03-18-99, $186,500

207 Dogwood Court - $544,000

02-24-26 [3 Bdrms - 1381 SqFt - 1985 YrBlt],

Previous Sale: 09-11-01, $225,000

107 Freedom Court - $560,000

02-27-26 [3 Bdrms - 1424 SqFt - 1990 YrBlt],

Previous Sale: 10-25-10, $170,000

814 Kingman Drive - $540,000

02-24-26 [3 Bdrms - 2474 SqFt - 2004 YrBlt],

Previous Sale: 02-04-22, $680,000

197 Marna Drive - $545,000

02-26-26 [3 Bdrms - 1437 SqFt - 1985 YrBlt],

Previous Sale: 00/1991, $100,500

459 Meadowview Drive - $825,000

02-25-26 [5 Bdrms - 2558 SqFt - 1966 YrBlt],

Previous Sale: 08-27-25, $525,000

126 Olympic Circle #401 - $425,000

02-27-26 [2 Bdrms - 1152 SqFt - 1964 YrBlt],

Previous Sale: 06-14-24, $445,000

154 Rainier Circle - $485,000

02-24-26 [2 Bdrms - 1152 SqFt - 1964 YrBlt],

Previous Sale: 11-26-25, $303,000

309 Regency Circle - $615,000

02-23-26 [4 Bdrms - 1925 SqFt - 1991 YrBlt],

Previous Sale: 00/1991, $180,000 1048 Stillspring Drive - $850,000

02-26-26 [5 Bdrms - 3742 SqFt - 1998 YrBlt],

Previous Sale: 06-15-20, $670,000 507 Stinson Avenue - $765,000

02-27-26 [4 Bdrms - 2363 SqFt - 1988 YrBlt],

Previous Sale: 06-24-11, $194,000

136 Suisun Court - $850,000

02-23-26 [5 Bdrms - 2265 SqFt - 1979 YrBlt],

Previous Sale: 04-22-16, $499,000 1218 Terrace Court - $875,000

02-23-26 [4 Bdrms - 2717 SqFt - 2004 YrBlt], Previous Sale: 08-06-15, $560,100 6041 North Vine Street - $1,350,000

02-27-26 [4 Bdrms - 2882 SqFt - 2001 YrBlt], Previous Sale: 03-17-09, $659,000

VALLEJO

TOTAL SALES: 24

LOWEST AMOUNT: $62,000

HIGHEST AMOUNT: $645,000

MEDIAN AMOUNT: $455,000

AVERAGE AMOUNT: $438,146

205 14th Street - $307,000

02-26-26 [2 Bdrms - 960 SqFt - 1925 YrBlt],

Previous Sale: 02-21-26, $215,000

204 Alameda Street - $373,000

02-23-26 [1 Bdrms - 768 SqFt - 1920 YrBlt],

Previous Sale: 01-02-20, $305,000 517 Britannia Drive - $595,000

02-23-26 [3 Bdrms - 1545 SqFt - 1987 YrBlt], Previous Sale: 03-13-03, $140,000 414 Brunswick Drive - $615,000

02-27-26 [3 Bdrms - 1698 SqFt - 1978 YrBlt],

Previous Sale: 10-29-18, $495,000 102 Dartmouth Avenue - $590,000

02-25-26 [4 Bdrms - 1856 SqFt - 1967 YrBlt],

Previous Sale: 10-30-25, $395,000

138 Dieninger Street - $485,000

02-23-26 [3 Bdrms - 1100 SqFt - 1956 YrBlt],

Previous Sale: 10-28-25, $318,000 721 Elmwood Avenue - $62,000

02-23-26 [3 Bdrms - 1020 SqFt - 1951 YrBlt],

Previous Sale: 07-29-15, $355,000 131 Fiddletown Court - $510,000

02-25-26 [4 Bdrms - 1556 SqFt - 1978 YrBlt],

Previous Sale: 01-26-18, $350,000 1201 Glen Cove Parkway #114$236,000

02-27-26 [2 Bdrms - 976 SqFt - 1992 YrBlt],

Previous Sale: 01-17-21, $387,500

229 Hermosa Avenue - $437,000

02-25-26 [2 Bdrms - 1128 SqFt - 1943 YrBlt],

Previous Sale: 03-17-17, $232,000

121 North Jackson Way - $518,000

02-24-26 [4 Bdrms - 1385 SqFt - 1952 YrBlt],

Previous Sale: 04-23-20, $415,000

226 Kathy Ellen Drive - $360,000

02-23-26 [2 Bdrms - 1010 SqFt - 1978 YrBlt],

Previous Sale: 05-22-25, $182,500

426 La Jolla Street - $440,000

02-25-26 [3 Bdrms - 900 SqFt - 1953 YrBlt],

Previous Sale: 04-10-02, $180,000

303 Lemon Street - $337,000

02-27-26 [2 Bdrms - 1054 SqFt - 1900 YrBlt],

Previous Sale: 06-25-21, $385,000

107 Lexington Drive - $645,000

02-23-26 [3 Bdrms - 2023 SqFt - 1975 YrBlt], Previous Sale: 04-13-21, $625,000

121 West Notre Dame Court - $460,000

02-24-26 [3 Bdrms - 1610 SqFt - 1980 YrBlt],

Previous Sale: 08-01-08, $208,000

1179 Oakwood Avenue - $494,000

02-26-26 [3 Bdrms - 1572 SqFt - 1951 YrBlt],

Previous Sale: 10-09-09, $265,000

355 Parkview Terrace #7 - $210,000

02-27-26 [2 Bdrms - 918 SqFt - 1973 YrBlt],

Previous Sale: 12-20-23, $190,000

1530 Redwood Street - $539,000

02-24-26 [3 Bdrms - 1294 SqFt - 1952 YrBlt],

Previous Sale: 06-06-08, $265,000

1402 Rice Street - $450,000

02-26-26 [2 Bdrms - 972 SqFt - 1936 YrBlt],

Previous Sale: 03-18-25, $250,000

28 Shoal Drive - $500,000

02-27-26 [3 Bdrms - 1795 SqFt - 1990 YrBlt],

Previous Sale: 09-28-22, $613,000

301 Stinson Street #6 - $385,000

02-27-26 [2 Bdrms - 989 SqFt - 1990 YrBlt],

Previous Sale: 11-27-01, $150,000

402 Tregaskis Avenue - $347,500

02-23-26 [3 Bdrms - 1270 SqFt - 1950 YrBlt], Previous Sale: 03-25-13, $152,500

213 Waterview Terrace - $620,000

02-25-26 [3 Bdrms - 1678 SqFt - 1989 YrBlt], Previous Sale: 07-09-18, $510,000

SOLANO REAL ESTATE SCENE

New home builder incentives galore

AHOMEBUYING IN AMERICA: She wants a ‘cut-and-dried rule’ for refinancing

KATIE KELTON, CCC BANKRATE.COM

Jim Porter

lmost all the new home builders own a mortgage company these days, and the few that don’t have a preferred lender relationship, so the builders often legally steal pre-approved borrowers away from bankers, credit unions and brokers. They win with incentives that are only given if the buyer uses the preferred in-house lender.

Today, Taylor Morrison, Beazer, Meritage and Lennar are offering all kinds of different incentives to get buyers off the fence. Some of these builders are offering $25,000 for closing costs, solar, landscaped backyards or special loan programs like adjustable-rate loans fixed for seven years below 4%.

Thirty years ago, or so, I remember a new home builder in Browns Valley, Vacaville, offering a free swimming pool for buyers as an incentive. This was before all the big builders owned a mortgage company. They still had preferred lenders but because they were not profiting off the loan, a spot retail loan officer like me could convince the sales rep and her boss to let me do the loan and still give the buyer the pool or the closing costs credit.

See Porter, Page 6

First-time homebuyer Ryan Katherine, 30 years old, bought a Salt Lake City home with her partner in 2023. After agreeing to a 2-1 buydown – where you pay a lower mortgage rate for the first two years – the couple’s initial 4.625% rate turned into their current 6.625% mortgage rate.

Setting the scene on homebuying

Katherine’s 2-1 buydown is an example of an increasingly popular incentive for buyers. Bankrate reports these super-low new construction rates averaged 5.27% during the third quarter of 2025, compared to 6.26% for buyers of existing homes.

Typically, a seller finances a mortgage buydown for the homebuyer by putting money into an escrow account that’s applied to the monthly mortgage payments. That way, the buyer can pay less in interest for the first few years. For example, a 3-2-1 buydown reduces the interest rate by 3% the first year, 2% the second year and 1% the third year. A 2-1 buydown like Katherine’s reduces the rate by 2% the first year and 1% the second year.

Katy Care, loan officer at Veridian Mortgage, says a buydown can help you enter the homebuying market with a lower monthly payment. But keep in mind that interest rate will increase in the future. To help mitigate the costs of that increase, Care suggests buyers monitor rates and consider refinancing when rates drop at least half a point.

Behind her homebuying experience

Katherine found her $443,000 three-bedroom, one-bathroom home with a local real estate agent, who recommended a certain lender. But that lender’s rates seemed high, so the couple started shopping around – which is a proven way to find lower rates. They found another lender who gave them an estimate that was thousands of dollars lower over the life of the loan.

“If you can refinance at half a percent or better, with very little cost

Katy Care, a loan officer at Veridian Mortgage.

“He pretty much just won my trust,” Katherine says. “Since then, I will just shoot him a text and be like, ‘Hey, we’re looking at the interest rates. What do you think?’ ” She also compares refinancing rates on her own by searching online.

Katherine and her partner only made one offer, which was quickly accepted. The whole homebuying process lasted a month. “I’m pretty happy because we ended up getting a small house that we could both afford,” she says.

Their lot covers 7,840 square feet with room for a patio, shed, garden and patch of grass. As a homeowner, she’s enjoying composting, xeriscaping and renovating. And she and her dog walk daily on the public land right behind the house.

The couple has talked about refinancing, but Katherine says the noise of real estate and personal finance can be a lot to sift through. “Anything that has to do with money, I really just want a simple cut-and-dried rule to follow,” she admits.

Her homeownership dream

Katherine might eventually want to leave the Utah summer heat and move farther north, if she has the funds. But she loves her home and doesn’t want to ever sell it. To her, it has sentimental value.

She’s also in no rush to leave. “I’m making a lot of friends, and it’s absolutely dumping snow in Salt Lake right now,” she said when we spoke in February. “I can’t say I’m having a terrible time.”

An expert’s take

Care says if you’re deciding when to refinance, you can calculate the breakeven point of interest savings versus closing costs. Some of her homeowner clients have saved almost $800 per month with a refi. “We’re going to be looking for refinance opportunities very closely once you close,” she says. Her rule of thumb is to consider refinancing for at least half a percent reduction.

PAUL HAMILTON/DREAMSTIME/TNS

to do it, it makes sense,” says

Finding a home you can afford is a major step toward lasting financial security.

How to buy a home you can afford

METRO

Riding the ups and downs of the financial market is challenging, particularly as it pertains to figuring out the right time to buy a home. After years of volatility, recent data indicates that the housing market might have hit an affordability ceiling, creating a much-needed period of rebalancing.

Although prices remain high, the bidding wars and back-office tactics that may have dominated past years have cooled considerably. This means buyers may have a wider window in which to purchase a home that is more affordable, states Cotality, a data analytic service. Those looking to buy now can explore options to ensure their next home does not bust their budget.

Know the numbers

The first step to buying a home is understanding the median home price. According to data from Realtor.com and Redfin, the national median home price has stabilized at $429,156 in the United States. At the same time, mortgage rates have eased. CREA Statistics says the national average home price in Canada was $663,828 in March 2026. The

average 30-year fixed rate is now around 6.0 to 6.3% as of April 2026. For the first time since 2022, the typical mortgage payment has fallen below the 30% affordability threshold. Rocket Mortgage says this is a standard guideline suggesting households spend no more than 30% of their gross monthly income on housing expenses.

Sit down with a lender

By working with a lender to run numbers, potential buyers can get a clear picture of what they can afford. Plus, a mortgage preapproval may be a necessity when putting in an offer on a property. Lenders often lean heavily on the 28/36 rule to determine risk. This means that total monthly housing costs should not exceed 28% of a person’s gross monthly income, advises PNC Bank. Total debt payments, including that new mortgage, car loans, and student debt, should remain under 36%.

Account for hidden costs

Buyers may be inspired to widen their search criteria to find an affordable home. That could translate into choosing an older home or one that requires more repairs and upgrades. It’s important that

Porter

From Page 5

Nowadays, the only time the builder might allow an outside lender is when the preferred lender cannot approve the loan. Local lenders are hurt occasionally by these corporate builder lenders, but we need new homes, so people sell their old ones to buy the new ones. The old ones are needed for inventory because many buyers want a backyard already done in an established neighborhood. Some move-up buyers want a dream home that has low property taxes at 1.15% per year versus some new homes at 1.7% per year. Most first-time home buyers in Solano County cannot afford a brand new home, and local lenders need houses for these people.

Finally, the other thing that is positive about a buyer’s market like this is that the builder and even regular home sellers will accept an offer from someone and give them time to sell their old house for the down payment.

a budget include maintenance reserves for annual repairs, as well as construction costs for immediate needs.

Look for undervalued areas

Many areas of the country have featured recent corrections in the housing market, making housing more affordable. Corrections have occurred in parts of Florida, San Francisco, and Los Angeles, among other locales. Buyers can target these areas and consider widening their search radius, especially if they work remotely and need not worry about commuting.

Target “old” listings

Buyers can have a real estate agent sort listings by how many days homes have been on the market. According to Mortgage Research, homes sitting on the market for more than 60 days are prime candidates for price cuts. Those homeowners also may be more inclined to negotiate.

Buying a home that is affordable requires diligence on the part of potential homeowners, who can consider the market and their finances and tweak search parameters to get the best deals.

Jim Porter, NMLS No. 276412, is the branch manager and senior loan adviser of Solano Mortgage, NMLS No. 1515497, a division of American Pacific Mortgage Corporation, NMLS No. 1850, licensed in California by the Department of Financial Protection and Innovation under the CRMLA / Equal Housing Opportunity. Jim can be reached at 707-449-4777.

From Page 2

a place to live.

But your circumstances have changed and now you want out of the option. And that’s just fine, since you are in control of whether or not you ultimately want to exercise your option. But you aren’t entitled to any of your money back.

If you walk away, either because you choose to or because you have no choice, the seller keeps your money and the house.

It’s kind of a win/win for the seller, since he wins the money and wins the house. You lose both.

Tim Jones, Esq. is a real estate attorney in Fairfield. If you have any real estate questions you would like to have answered in this column, you can send an email to AllThings RealEstate@TJones-Law.com.

REAL ESTATE

His wild, theme park-style home in LA is full of joy

It even has a Disneyland room

TRIBUNE CONTENT AGENCY

Brandon Shahniani is obsessed with the 1980s sitcom “The Golden Girls,” so much so that he decorated his breezy bedroom in pastel tones that would make Blanche Devereaux, the show’s famously flirtatious character, green with envy.

“I want to live in 1980s Miami Beach,” says the 28-year-old who’s the co-owner of the Fair Oaks Pharmacy and Soda Fountain in South Pasadena, a Disney adult, and occasionally, the drag persona known as ‘Naynay.

“When I ask myself, ‘Where would I want to wake up?,’ the answer is right here,” he says. “And I sleep really well here.”

His bedroom, which he calls ‘Naynay’s Expo Beach Resort, looks and feels like a hotel, with a soothing scent reminiscent of Coppertone sunscreen coming from a specialized scent-delivery machine, a resort activity schedule on the dresser and an emergency evacuation map on the back of the door.

Welcome to ‘Naynay’s World Expo, Shahniani’s three-bedroom, three-bathroom 1982 townhome in Montrose, composed of 11 carefully curated immersive moments, each filled with the pop-culture sights, sounds and smells of his youth that make him “feel safe, expressed, playful and happy.”

“Whimsy is very important to my generation,” the zillennial says as he offers a tour. “The future is bleak for us,” he adds, even though his upbeat attitude and warm energy make you feel like you’ve known him for years.

To push back against generational anxiety, Shahniani has covered every wall in his house with sentimental items – hundreds in total – many of them from periods he is too young to have experienced. There’s a vintage Disneyland ticket book, a Rubik’s Cube and an old aluminum speaker from a drive-in theater. Some things, including a signed birthday greeting from Disney Imagineer Joe Rohde, are framed. Others, including an Egg McMuffin carton, lunchboxes and food-themed Barbies, are simply mounted on the wall.

When you first walk in the front

door, you’ll see ‘Naynay’s Drag-In Dine-In Theater centered around a custom-made shiny red-andwhite vinyl booth. Across from the booth and above the bar, a pink-and-white television made from an iPad inside a plastic foam cooler plays old cereal commercials and clips from “I Love Lucy” and “Bewitched” on repeat.

“I love a diner and a drive-in theater,” he says about his movie nights, where he screens films and serves TV dinners. But don’t expect him to sit still for long. “I’m not a big movie person,” he says. “I play movies for ambience.”

His home is visually over-

whelming – as colorful, whimsical and jam-packed as Disneyland’s Enchanted Tiki Room (which he prefers over theme park rides such as Space Mountain) – with license plates and custom-made signs by artists Reimi Mosses and Dan Rocky as big as movie posters.

“It’s clear that he, like me, was educated at theme parks,” says friend Charles Phoenix, a midcentury pop-culture and design expert. His home “feels like we are in some sort of exquisite divine design reality. It touches a nerve in me that everybody has their own version of nostalgia.

And what Brandon has created is his own nostalgia.”

Using sensory theme park tricks he picked up during his time as a storyteller at Disneyland, Shahniani, who grew up in South Pasadena, has filled his town house with sound effects from hidden speakers he controls with his iPhone. In the diner, for example, the speakers play outdoor sounds including crickets to create a real drivein movie atmosphere. Upstairs in his bedroom, tropical sounds and steelpan music add to the feeling of sleeping in a seaside resort. Other rooms downstairs include the B-Movie Bathroom, ‘Naynay’s Kitchen of Progress and the ‘80s & ‘90s Food Culture Hall of Fame dining room, which is illuminated by a Pizza Hut pendant. In the ‘80s Palm Common Room, a vintage keyboard, a computer mouse and touch-tone phone hang on the walls.

This spring, just outside the dining room, Shahniani will add the Expoterrace, a relaxing patio with a fountain, waterfalls and lush plants inspired by Living with the Land at Epcot in Florida. Upstairs, in the bubble gumpink Powder Room, Shahniani keeps his drag costumes, made by his favorite dressmaker, Kelsey Swarthout, who uses upcycled Disney sheets in her designs. He stores his makeup, wigs, earrings, eyelashes and purses in sleek cabinets and organizes them in a digital closet he built from an iPad and a plastic foam cooler. When he’s not getting ready as ‘Naynay, he likes to watch “chick flicks” such as “Clueless,” “Earth

See Joy, Page 13

MYUNG J. CHUN/LOS ANGELES TIMES/TNS

Brandon Shahniani’s Montrose townhome is full of specific time-capsule moments that bring him joy such as his 1950s-style diner.

Supertunia Vista family gets another winner

Planting season has begun in earnest in the South and, as they say, it will be matriculating your way wherever you live. I visited a garden center this week and it took my breath away with the giant selection. There was the new Supertunia Vista Cool Jazz Petunia too.

With the addition of Cool Jazz, the Vista group has grown to seven and now owns 454 awards. When you think of Supertunia Vista petunias you probably think of Bubblegum, the bright pink variety with the big stature. But did you know all seven varieties have the potential to reach 2 feet tall and 3 feet wide? Everyone has their favorites; son James has been a Vista Fuchsia guy while I have had a special place for Vista Paradise.

Lately, Vista Jazzberry, the 2024 “Petunia of the Year,” has climbed into my favorite list along with this year’s Vista Cool Jazz. Cool Jazz still looks like light lavender blue to me while others see some pink. Either way, the color of Cool Jazz goes with everything.

This brings up recipes. While you may think of the Supertunia Vista group as the monsters of baskets and containers, they really are the workhorses, so to speak, of mixed container designs too. They work with Superbena verbenas and Luscious lantanas, Rockin salvias and Superbells calibrachoas. If you are thinking this plant has different water requirements than this one, forget it! We have to water containers in the South every day unless we get rain. Thus, all the plants are pals when it comes to water.

While I have basically been talking about Supertunia Vistas as container plants, they are also your go-to plants for large sweeping beds of color or pocket plantings at the entrance or other high-traffic areas

around the home.

I live and garden in zone 8 Georgia. I planted Supertunia Vistas in late October, and they dazzled until midsummer when a roving deer herd discovered them. They showed remarkable cold tolerance and have so much potential for fall planting in zones 8 and 9. The key is making beds with a rich organic mix that drains well. Boggy winter soil is not your friend. For this reason, I have become fond of the new raised bed soil planting mixes.

The Supertunia Vistas do one other thing that is taken for granted: They attract pollinators. You will always see hummingbirds visiting, but I have photographed American Lady butterflies on Bubblegum, Pipevine swallowtails on Silverberry, and Eastern Tiger swallowtails on all. For this reason,

The Garden Guy uses practically no pesticides throughout the garden.

Because our growing season is so long in the South, fertilizing is an important practice, even more so on containers with daily watering. In the containers I like to use a water-soluble mix every two to three weeks. I pour it out of the old-fashioned water can with a spout. The flowers in the ground are fertilized with control release granules at planting and then again, a couple of times during the growing season according to the container label. Oh yes, and I usually cut back in August.

The winter seemed long, so you are probably eager like The Garden Guy. You can’t buy a better petunia than those in the Supertunia Vista series. They come in Supertunia Vista Bub-

blegum, Paradise, Fuchsia, Jazzberry, Cool Jazz, Snowdrift and Silverberry, all of which are award winners.

HANDOUT/TNS PHOTOS

Supertunia Vista Petunias are also ideal for sweeping beds of color like this Vista Jazzberry, the 2024 “Petunia of the Year.”

Supertunia Vista petunias also attract pollinators like this American lady on the Vista Bubblegum.

The Supertunia Vista series are all also well suited to mixed container designs like this Supertunia Vista Fuchsia petunia Indian Summer rudbeckia, Diamond Frost euphorbia, Luscious Royale Cosmo lantana and Shasta daisies.

Girls are Easy” and “Pretty in Pink.” Shahniani doesn’t perform as a drag queen, but he enjoys dressing up as ‘Naynay for different events and theme park visits. “I treat drag the way other people treat cosplay,” he says.

Says Phoenix: “He’s so original. I’ve never known anyone who self-presents like him.”

Past the 1970s-themed mint chocolate chip bathroom, where you can lather up with Native Girl Scouts Cookies Thin Mint Body Wash, and through the Hall of ‘Naynay, which displays seven retro portraits of Shahniani in his favorite drag outfits by illustrator Brittney Sides, you’ll find the Disneyland-themed Archive Room. Shahniani calls it a “teenage boy’s dream.” Which tracks for someone who has visited every Disney theme park in the world –Tokyo is his favorite – and was recently featured in AJ Wolfe’s book “Disney Adults: Exploring (And Falling in Love With) A Magical Subculture.”

The Archive Room is painted blue and filled with Disney parks memorabilia he’s collected over the years including his ticket

stubs, which are safely stored in a fillable glass lamp. “From scouring through antique malls and online auctions to personal items from my childhood at the parks or things gifted by previous cast members and Imagineers, it’s a holy grail collection of all of my personal hyperfixations from the park,” he says.

Shahniani says his home feels special because so many friends helped with the design, the art on the walls and even his clothing.

His friend, theme park journalist Carlye Wisel, noticed these details too. “Visiting Brandon is

glee-inducing not just because of the decor, but also the company,” she says in an email. “At our annual holiday party, he sets up gingerbread houses for us to decorate, puts presents on the steps, and even bakes enough of his signature cookies that we can bring a box home to our families. Spending time at Brandon’s house during the holidays is the closest I’ll ever feel to being inside a Christmas movie.”

Shahniani agrees: “It’s so fun to be here. There’s something so youthful about it.”

The feeling of being trans-

ported by youthful energy motivates Shahniani every morning when he starts his day by playing Pinar Toprak’s uplifting Epcot theme on the speakers downstairs.

As he puts it, “I believe that my default way of thinking, feeling and seeing the world is being dictated by the way I was programmed as a young child. When the youngest, most innocent version of you is healed and well, then it’s easy to go out and do amazing things. And when little Brandon feels great inside, then big Brandon can go out and

change the world for the better.”

Now he hopes to help others build the dream life they’ve always imagined. “I’m currently working on an accessible lifecoaching resource in the style of an ‘80s TV show, using YouTube videos, to show others they can defy the societal norm of being miserable,” he says. “It’ll be funny, effective, kitschy, nostalgic and change the way we use self-help for the better.”

Some people may see it as whimsy, he says, adding: “Others call it prioritizing your mental health.”

MYUNG J. CHUN/LOS ANGELES TIMES/TNS PHOTOS

The guest bedroom, left, is Disney-themed. A Pizza Hut pendant illuminates McDonald’s collectibles in the ’80s & ’90s Food Culture Hall of Fame dining room.