Trojan didn't ask me to post here, I did on my own and just wanted to thank him for the nice work.
I recently purchased a detached condo in Aliso Viejo and am really happy with the purchase.
Background
When I originally came to Trojan, I wasn't even sure if I wanted to buy. I felt like it was the right time but was trying to set my expectations to see what was out there. The last time I had looked, it was 2007, and as you all know prices were still at their peak. I walked away discouraged because of the choices available. I couldn't figure out how Orange County must have a record amount of CEOs and millionaires because of how high property prices were. Of course, we all found out a year later what happened, liar loans, LOL "AAA" MBS, etc.
A home is supposed to improve your lifestyle pretty dramatically, and back then, it wouldn't have. I would have been taking on a financial burden for something that would have been similar in build to the apartments I was renting, so there was no point to it.
In the meantime, I started doing tons of research, and found places like Irvine Housing Blog, and got a really quick education. I felt better about my decision, and decided to sit things out for a few years until prices had reverted back to reasonable levels, and I would be building up additional capital to be able to purchase with a stronger downpayment. I remember a few happy customers talking about USC over at the blogs, so I quickly looked him up and contacted him through a private message, and followed up with my lifestyle and requirements.
Buying Process
My lease was up in 3 months, so ideally I wanted to get something around the time I was moving out. If that didn't happen, I would rather wait and find something I liked. But USC and I found some listings pretty quickly that we thought were good deals, to help figure out what worked and what didn't. We were quickly able to hone in on the exact type of property that would work. He pointed out tons of things along the way that I would not have thought of - like these HUGE power lines one property had backed up into, and 3 story condos that had a harder time reselling.
Privacy for me was huge, I work erratic hours so I need a place I can come to at 2 in the morning and not have to worry about waking up everybody. So in my price range, and lifestyle, we were able to hone in on 2-story detached condos in Aliso.
We had 1 place I really liked, but it was too high priced, so we waited on that one. Someone else scooped it up, but we found another place the next week that was even better. We put a bid on it, but someone else had already put theirs in, so we were out. That was actually a good thing, as this place has fallen out of escrow twice, and I believe there is some hidden damage there.
Finally we found a really nice place, which had tons of privacy. USC felt this was a winner, and I did too as soon as I walked in. It was move in ready, the best property we had seen so far, and at a good price point. We made a bid, and there were multiple offers on it, so USC did a masterstroke and we adjusted our counterbid upwards, and it paid off because we got the place !
I found the process to be much faster and easier than I thought it would have been. USC guided me through the process the whole step of the way, and was patient with my numerous questions.
About USC
There are a few things I like about USC. One is that even though he is confident in his abilities, I don't feel like like he's dropping the ridiculous sales tactics on me ("it's the last one OMG!!" "You're not going to get a better deal!") Having purchased a few properties himself, he knows the process and can empathize with it. I always felt in control and never once felt pressured. I also like that he put up with me showing up late all the time LOL.
Numbers don't lie, there are no emotions to them, they either work or they don't. If they don't work then you have to figure out numbers that DO work. Him having the CPA background is a huge help. He can quickly decipher the mumbo-jumbo of the mortgage docs, and can do quick calculations to see if something makes sense. He was very creative in coming up with different scenarios to help me figure out what was the best match for my requirements and resources.
The other thing I like about USC is that he has tons of resources. You never felt like you had to figure out something on your own. Buying a home, you need tons of referrals, for loans, insurance, fix-it people, painters, furniture, windows, etc., etc. USC is extremely resourceful and could always point me in the right direction when I didn't know a good place to turn to.
If anyone has any questions about the process I would be happy to be a referral with any questions you may have. My internet is going to be off and on over the next week, but I'll try to answer as soon as I can.
I recently purchased a detached condo in Aliso Viejo and am really happy with the purchase.
Background
When I originally came to Trojan, I wasn't even sure if I wanted to buy. I felt like it was the right time but was trying to set my expectations to see what was out there. The last time I had looked, it was 2007, and as you all know prices were still at their peak. I walked away discouraged because of the choices available. I couldn't figure out how Orange County must have a record amount of CEOs and millionaires because of how high property prices were. Of course, we all found out a year later what happened, liar loans, LOL "AAA" MBS, etc.
A home is supposed to improve your lifestyle pretty dramatically, and back then, it wouldn't have. I would have been taking on a financial burden for something that would have been similar in build to the apartments I was renting, so there was no point to it.
In the meantime, I started doing tons of research, and found places like Irvine Housing Blog, and got a really quick education. I felt better about my decision, and decided to sit things out for a few years until prices had reverted back to reasonable levels, and I would be building up additional capital to be able to purchase with a stronger downpayment. I remember a few happy customers talking about USC over at the blogs, so I quickly looked him up and contacted him through a private message, and followed up with my lifestyle and requirements.
Buying Process
My lease was up in 3 months, so ideally I wanted to get something around the time I was moving out. If that didn't happen, I would rather wait and find something I liked. But USC and I found some listings pretty quickly that we thought were good deals, to help figure out what worked and what didn't. We were quickly able to hone in on the exact type of property that would work. He pointed out tons of things along the way that I would not have thought of - like these HUGE power lines one property had backed up into, and 3 story condos that had a harder time reselling.
Privacy for me was huge, I work erratic hours so I need a place I can come to at 2 in the morning and not have to worry about waking up everybody. So in my price range, and lifestyle, we were able to hone in on 2-story detached condos in Aliso.
We had 1 place I really liked, but it was too high priced, so we waited on that one. Someone else scooped it up, but we found another place the next week that was even better. We put a bid on it, but someone else had already put theirs in, so we were out. That was actually a good thing, as this place has fallen out of escrow twice, and I believe there is some hidden damage there.
Finally we found a really nice place, which had tons of privacy. USC felt this was a winner, and I did too as soon as I walked in. It was move in ready, the best property we had seen so far, and at a good price point. We made a bid, and there were multiple offers on it, so USC did a masterstroke and we adjusted our counterbid upwards, and it paid off because we got the place !
I found the process to be much faster and easier than I thought it would have been. USC guided me through the process the whole step of the way, and was patient with my numerous questions.
About USC
There are a few things I like about USC. One is that even though he is confident in his abilities, I don't feel like like he's dropping the ridiculous sales tactics on me ("it's the last one OMG!!" "You're not going to get a better deal!") Having purchased a few properties himself, he knows the process and can empathize with it. I always felt in control and never once felt pressured. I also like that he put up with me showing up late all the time LOL.
Numbers don't lie, there are no emotions to them, they either work or they don't. If they don't work then you have to figure out numbers that DO work. Him having the CPA background is a huge help. He can quickly decipher the mumbo-jumbo of the mortgage docs, and can do quick calculations to see if something makes sense. He was very creative in coming up with different scenarios to help me figure out what was the best match for my requirements and resources.
The other thing I like about USC is that he has tons of resources. You never felt like you had to figure out something on your own. Buying a home, you need tons of referrals, for loans, insurance, fix-it people, painters, furniture, windows, etc., etc. USC is extremely resourceful and could always point me in the right direction when I didn't know a good place to turn to.
If anyone has any questions about the process I would be happy to be a referral with any questions you may have. My internet is going to be off and on over the next week, but I'll try to answer as soon as I can.