Questions and answers
FAQ
How do I decide whether to stay or move?
Put both paths in numbers side by side. The site’s long-term cost of owning calculator adds up property tax, insurance and upkeep year by year if you stay. The downsizing calculator shows the cash a move could free up and how your monthly costs would change. You can send either estimate to Rudy for a personal version, with no pressure.
From Stay or Move? Forever Home FAQ for San Diego Owners
What changes help a home work for the long run?
Start with the features that make everyday routines easier. A no-step entry, a bedroom and full bath on the main floor, wide doorways and lever handles all help. In the bath, a low-threshold shower with a seat and wall blocking for future grab bars make later changes easy. Many occupational therapists and contractors with the Certified Aging-in-Place Specialist (CAPS) credential can assess a home and suggest changes.
From Stay or Move? Forever Home FAQ for San Diego Owners
Will a remodel or an ADU raise my property tax?
It may. California may reassess new construction, so an addition or an accessory dwelling unit (ADU) could add to your assessed value. Ask the county assessor how a specific project would be treated before you build. The site’s ADU return estimator weighs a unit’s cost against the rent it could bring in.
From Stay or Move? Forever Home FAQ for San Diego Owners
What big costs come with staying in an older home?
The big replacements. Based on InterNACHI’s chart, the site’s maintenance planner puts tank water heaters at about 6 to 12 years, asphalt shingles at about 20 to 30 and exterior paint at about 7 to 10. Turning each item’s age into a monthly set-aside spreads the cost over time. On the tax side, the county assessor’s site points owners 62 and over who meet other requirements to the State Controller’s Property Tax Postponement Program.
From Stay or Move? Forever Home FAQ for San Diego Owners
Is there a better month to sell a home I’ve owned for years?
Your own plans often matter more than the month. Averaged over past years, San Diego sale prices have run about 3.5% above their yearly trend in June and about 3.2% below it in January. That is history, not a forecast. The disclosure forms ask what you know about the home, including work done without permits, so gather permits and warranties early.
From Stay or Move? Forever Home FAQ for San Diego Owners
Who can move a property tax base to a new home under Prop 19?
Three groups qualify: homeowners who are 55 or older, those who are severely and permanently disabled, and victims of a wildfire or a natural disaster declared by the Governor. You must meet one of these on the date the original home sells, and both homes must be your principal residence. The replacement can be anywhere in California. Owners who qualify by age or disability can use the transfer up to three times.
From Stay or Move? Forever Home FAQ for San Diego Owners
How long do I have to buy the replacement home?
The replacement has to be bought or newly built within two years of the sale, either before or after it. If you buy first, you pay tax on the new home’s full market value until the old one sells, and that period is not refunded. The claim goes to the assessor in the county where the new home sits, after the sale and the purchase both close and you live in the new home. The deadline is three years from buying the new home or finishing its construction.
From Stay or Move? Forever Home FAQ for San Diego Owners
What if the new home costs more than the one I sell?
Any value above the state’s limit is added to the base you carry over. The limit is 100% of the old home’s market value if you buy or build before you sell, 105% in the first year after the sale and 110% in the second year. In a state example, selling a $400,000 home and buying a $600,000 one in the first year adds $180,000 to a $100,000 base, for $280,000. Your tax bill can still differ, because tax rates vary from area to area.
From Stay or Move? Forever Home FAQ for San Diego Owners
Can my children keep my property tax base if they inherit the home?
Sometimes, under narrower rules for transfers on or after February 16, 2021. The base can carry over only for the parent’s principal residence or a qualifying farm, and the child must make the home their own principal residence. The child files for the homeowners’ exemption within one year, and the BOE-19-P claim within three years of the transfer or before any transfer to a third party, whichever is first. A grandchild can qualify only if their parents are deceased on the date of transfer.
From Stay or Move? Forever Home FAQ for San Diego Owners
Is there a value limit on a parent-child transfer?
Yes. If the home’s market value on the transfer date is more than the parent’s factored base year value plus an adjusted $1 million, the excess is added to that base. The adjusted amount is $1,044,586 for transfers from February 16, 2025 through February 15, 2027, and the state updates it every two years. Apart from a qualifying farm, rentals and other property that is not the parent’s principal residence no longer qualify.
From Stay or Move? Forever Home FAQ for San Diego Owners
Does putting my home in a living trust trigger a reassessment?
Generally, no. The San Diego County Assessor says putting a home in a revocable trust, or one where the benefit stays with you, is generally not a change in ownership. A revocable trust, often called a living trust, can be changed or canceled during its term. A reassessment can come up later, when the home passes to the next owner, unless an exclusion applies.
From Stay or Move? Forever Home FAQ for San Diego Owners
How does a trust help pass on a home?
A living trust names a successor trustee to manage your assets for the beneficiaries you choose. If you have put the home into the trust, the California courts’ self-help site says it should go to those beneficiaries without probate court. A home in a parent’s trust may still qualify for the parent-child exclusion, and the county asks for the trust documents with the claim. The courts’ site adds that living trusts are complicated, so an estate-planning attorney usually helps set one up.
From Stay or Move? Forever Home FAQ for San Diego Owners
Is there another way to pass on a home without probate?
The courts’ self-help site describes a transfer on death (TOD) deed, which names who receives the property when you die, without probate court. You fill out the form, have it notarized and record it with the County Recorder. You can revoke it if you change your mind. An estate-planning attorney can say whether a TOD deed, a trust or a will fits your plans.
From Stay or Move? Forever Home FAQ for San Diego Owners
Should I rent out my home instead of selling it?
Run the numbers both ways first. A home held for years may carry a Proposition 13 tax bill well below what a new buyer would pay, and that changes the rental math. The site’s keep-or-sell calculator compares the first-year return of renting it out with selling and investing the cash. It leaves out income tax on rent and the work of being a landlord, such as repairs, vacancies and local rent and notice rules.
From Stay or Move? Forever Home FAQ for San Diego Owners
Does renting the home first change the tax on a later sale?
It can, since the federal exclusion of up to $250,000 of gain on a single return, or $500,000 on a joint return, has a use test. You generally must have owned the home and used it as your main home for at least 2 of the 5 years before the sale. Years of renting can shrink the exclusion, and depreciation claimed on a rental changes the result. California taxes the gain as ordinary income, so ask a CPA to work through your own dates.
From Stay or Move? Forever Home FAQ for San Diego Owners
Is it better to downsize before or after I buy?
It depends on your equity, your income and what the next home costs. If the smaller home costs less, buying first may need only a modest equity loan; the table shows each path’s cash and costs.
From Next Home Timing: Sell First or Buy First?
Can I take my time moving out after I sell?
A rent-back lets you stay for an agreed time if your buyer agrees. Up to 29 days is usually an SIP addendum; longer stays need a lease.
From Next Home Timing: Sell First or Buy First?
How does Proposition 19 affect the order?
If you buy first, you may pay tax on the new home’s full value until your sale closes, with no refund. Selling first avoids that gap, but your assessor confirms what applies.
From Next Home Timing: Sell First or Buy First?
What if I can’t find the right home quickly?
Change the days to find the next home in the form. Selling first with a longer search means more rent, while a contingent offer or buying first lets you stay put until you move.
From Next Home Timing: Sell First or Buy First?
Can I test the market quietly before a public listing?
There are a few quiet routes, each with its own MLS rules. In SDMLS, the delayed-marketing route is an Active listing kept off the internet that allows in-person showings and has no end date. Coming Soon in SDMLS can last as long as 30 days, isn’t sent to public portals, and doesn’t allow in-person showings. In CRMLS, Coming Soon can’t go past 21 days and allows no showings at all; the listing typically reaches Realtor.com and portals like it, and there’s no delayed-marketing route. Keeping things quiet may bring in fewer offers and a less certain sense of price, a trade-off Rudy can help you think through.
From Compare My Selling Options
My mortgage is paid off. How do I fill this in?
Enter 0 for the loan balance. Holding costs then come down to the tax, insurance and HOA dues you pay each month, and the rent column has no loan payment to cover. The keep column shows the home’s estimated future value, based on the growth rate you guess, as your equity.
From Compare My Selling Options
What if I rent the house out instead of selling?
The rent column shows it. Rent arrives, and so do the costs of being a landlord: a manager or your own hours, repairs, empty stretches between tenants and local landlord rules. Tax can change too. Federally, a gain of up to $250,000 can be excluded, or up to $500,000 when you and a spouse file jointly, provided the home belonged to you and served as your main residence for 2 or more years in the 5-year period before selling. So a long rental stretch can matter even after decades of living there. A CPA can tell you how your own dates line up with it.
From Compare My Selling Options
Is the commission rate set in stone?
Not at all. It’s open to negotiation, and whatever rate you and your agent settle on is written into the listing agreement. Enter the number you expect; the listing, the pre-market sale and the later rent-then-sell sale all use it. Testing two or three rates shows how much the net moves.
From Compare My Selling Options
Is there paperwork if I’d rather not market the home publicly right away?
Yes. A disclosure signed by the seller is required under NAR’s 2025 policy. By signing, you confirm you know which MLS benefits you’re giving up or putting off, such as being seen by a big pool of buyers from day one. In California, the MLS choice is also noted on the C.A.R. addendum (MLSA), and each MLS has its own Coming Soon form. Rudy goes over every form with you before any quiet marketing starts.
From Compare My Selling Options
I bought before 2000. Does this still work?
Usually. Zillow's ZIP data starts in 2000, so earlier purchases use FHFA's yearly ZIP index to reach Zillow's first full year. A few ZIP codes lack the older index, and the page says so.
From Long-Held Home? See Your Equity Since Buying
How far off could this be?
A ZIP-wide index cannot see decades of upkeep, additions or a remodel, so a long-held home can land outside the range. Rudy reviews recent nearby sales for free for a real value.
From Long-Held Home? See Your Equity Since Buying
My home is paid off. What do I pick?
Choose "No loan (paid off or paid cash)." If you have a reverse mortgage or an equity line, pick the second option and enter that balance instead.
From Long-Held Home? See Your Equity Since Buying
Is my Prop 13 value my home's value?
No. It is the base your property tax uses, which started at your purchase price and rises 2% or less a year; after a long time it is often far below market value. Your tax bill shows the exact figure.
From Long-Held Home? See Your Equity Since Buying
Selling From a Distance
Can the house sell without me moving back for a while?
Yes, for most owners. From where you live now, showings, the opening weeks and the inspector's and appraiser's visits can usually be handled without you. The one job that needs you is signing, done the way escrow arranges it.
From Moved Closer to Relatives? Selling the Old House
What does signing the deed look like from my new home?
Find a notary close by, mobile or in an office; California accepts an acknowledgment made under another state's law. If you are abroad, a U.S. consular officer can help, or a local notary whose signature is then authenticated with an apostille. Escrow will tell you which ID to bring.
From Moved Closer to Relatives? Selling the Old House
Can I sign with a notary online?
As of October 2026, California notaries cannot notarize online yet. Another state's online notarization might or might not be accepted for your deed; escrow and the title company make that call.
From Moved Closer to Relatives? Selling the Old House
Should a relative stay in the house while it is for sale?
It can work if you agree on showing times, a daily pick-up habit and the day they will move out. An empty house is simplest to stage. A rented house is different, since the tenant needs written notice before showings; 24 hours is presumed reasonable in California.
From Moved Closer to Relatives? Selling the Old House
Who lets in the inspector, appraiser and buyer's agent?
Usually the relative or neighbor who has the keys, or a lockbox; ask Rudy how to set it up, and keep a copy of the contract schedule.
From Moved Closer to Relatives? Selling the Old House
Who should I tell that I moved?
Tell your insurer and USPS, the HOA if there is one, and the Assessor's office if you were getting the homeowners' exemption.
From Moved Closer to Relatives? Selling the Old House
The Long View
Before I buy, how can I find out what changes a home could take later?
Rudy can help you pull together the zoning, the permit history and any HOA or recorded rules. Then he can turn your plan into clear questions for the local planning department. That office gives the answer. Plans and cost estimates come from an architect, an engineer or a licensed contractor.
From Rudy Flores: Thinking Past Move-In Day
Does Rudy give advice on Prop 19 or the tax on my sale?
No. Rudy is not a tax professional. He can point you to the State Board of Equalization’s Prop 19 rules and help you line up the dates of a sale and a purchase. Eligibility questions go to the county assessor, and tax questions go to your CPA.
From Rudy Flores: Thinking Past Move-In Day
What helps most on a first call?
A rough timeline, the areas you like and a few must-haves, such as single-level living or a yard sized to the upkeep you want. If you own a home now, a rough idea of your loan payoff helps too.
From Rudy Flores: Thinking Past Move-In Day
