The Radio Realtors with Robert Lewis Podcast

🏡5 Unexpected Things to Consider When Buying Your First Home 📑🔦

Dive into this week's Radio Realtors for a rollercoaster ride through the world of real estate!

Join your host, Robert Lewis, from the California Real Real Estate Professionals at eXp Realty, as we broadcast LIVE from the Equity Protect Studios at AM1380 The Answer (KTKZ) in Sacramento, California. Whether you're a first-time buyer, a cozy home lover, or a political pundit, we’ve got something for everyone Saturday at 8am and 4pm!

Here’s the rundown of our not-to-be-missed segments:

5 Unexpected Things to Consider When Buying Your First Home – Today, we’re delving into one of the most thrilling – and sometimes overwhelming – experiences life throws our way: buying your very first home. Whether you’re looking at condos in the East Bay or charming homes in the Greater Sacramento area, today we’re going to cover the unexpected things you need to consider when buying your first home.

Exclusive Interview with Jerry Swanson - Owner of Chim Chimney Professional Fireplace and Home Services and the booming voice of the Rio Americano Raiders JV and Varsity Football teams. Jerry will sweep us through the importance of chimney and dryer vent safety and maybe throw in a play-by-play of last week's game!

7 Reasons Why Kamala Harris' Proposed Housing Plan Won't Work - Buckle up, because we're into uncovering the nitty-gritty that you won’t hear on networks like CNN or MSNBC. We’ve got the facts, the figures, and a little bit of humor to help them go down!

You can hear the show live Saturdays at 8am and 4pm on AM1380 The Answer (KTKZ)

Whether you're looking to buy your first house or just trying to understand the political landscape of housing, the Radio Realtors have got your back! So turn up the volume, pour yourself a coffee—or a mimosa (we don’t judge)—and let’s get this real estate party started!

#RadioRealtors #RealEstateWisdom #eXpRealty #SacramentoRealEstate #FirstHomeBuyers #ChimneySafety #PoliticalHousingDebate #LiveBroadcast #RealEstateExperts #AM1380TheAnswer #EquityProtectStudios

Duration:: 51m
Broadcast on:: 31 Aug 2024
Audio Format:: mp3

Dive into this week's Radio Realtors for a rollercoaster ride through the world of real estate! Join your host, Robert Lewis, from the California Real Real Estate Professionals at eXp Realty, as we broadcast LIVE from the Equity Protect Studios at AM1380 The Answer (KTKZ) in Sacramento, California. Whether you're a first-time buyer, a cozy home lover, or a political pundit, we’ve got something for everyone Saturday at 8am and 4pm!

Here’s the rundown of our not-to-be-missed segments:

5 Unexpected Things to Consider When Buying Your First Home – Today, we’re delving into one of the most thrilling – and sometimes overwhelming – experiences life throws our way: buying your very first home. Whether you’re looking at condos in the East Bay or charming homes in the Greater Sacramento area, today we’re going to cover the unexpected things you need to consider when buying your first home.

Exclusive Interview with Jerry Swanson - Owner of Chim Chimney Professional Fireplace and Home Services and the booming voice of the Rio Americano Raiders JV and Varsity Football teams. Jerry will sweep us through the importance of chimney and dryer vent safety and maybe throw in a play-by-play of last week's game!

7 Reasons Why Kamala Harris' Proposed Housing Plan Won't Work - Buckle up, because we're into uncovering the nitty-gritty that you won’t hear on networks like CNN or MSNBC. We’ve got the facts, the figures, and a little bit of humor to help them go down!

You can hear the show live Saturdays at 8am and 4pm on AM1380 The Answer (KTKZ)

Whether you're looking to buy your first house or just trying to understand the political landscape of housing, the Radio Realtors have got your back! So turn up the volume, pour yourself a coffee—or a mimosa (we don’t judge)—and let’s get this real estate party started!

#RadioRealtors #RealEstateWisdom #eXpRealty #SacramentoRealEstate #FirstHomeBuyers #ChimneySafety #PoliticalHousingDebate #LiveBroadcast #RealEstateExperts #AM1380TheAnswer #EquityProtectStudios

Follow us for more insights and chuckles as we decode the complex world of real estate!

This, this is the Radio Realtors. I sold the house. This is a home. This is a place to live. It's a place to live. Northern California's longest running show on Real Estate. Real Estate is not just buying and selling houses. Who are you? Some kind of real estate agent. Real estate agent. I love Real Estate. I love Real Estate. Have a sweet side of that house. I wanted it. The Radio Realtors. I love every sec. Now, here's your host, Robert Lewis, and Frank Crenwell. Let's go to the sell some homes. Welcome to the Radio Realtors. We are Northern California's number one real estate radio show, probably coming to you live from the equity protect.com studios. And equity protect was started because title fraud and equity theft is an easy crime. And it's a direct threat to consumers today, especially for people who own their home free and clear. Or you have a lot of equity. And most title law companies, they just monitor your title and then let you know once fraud has occurred. But using a new patented process, equity protect will prevent any temps to tamper with or steal your home equity and ownership. You can get your free risk assessment at equityprotect.com. That's equityprotect.com. And if you're low risk, you can sign up for their free monitoring service. If you're medium to high risk, you can choose one of their affordable plans for just pennies a day. You can have complete protection, get protected now. At equityprotect.com. I'm Robert Lewis, your real estate professor. And if you've got a question or a comment for us, or you're just ready to hire us, the Radio Realtors with EXP Realty, to sell your home or buy a home, you can reach us on the Radio Realtors Hotline at 83332 Radio. That's 83332 Radio. Or you can simply live chat with a member of our team 24/7, 365 days a year on our website at radiorealtors.com. That is Radiorealtors.com. And we've got an amazing show for you today with these topics. Number one, five unexpected things to consider when buying your first home. And then number two, we're going to do an interview with Jerry Swanson. He's the owner of Chim Chimney Professional Fireplace and Home Services. Lastly, number three, we're going to give you seven reasons why Kamala Harris' proposed housing plan won't work. You've probably heard about it, but we're going to dive into that. So once again, you can get ahold of the Radio Realtors on our Hotline number anytime at 83332 Radio. That's 83332 Radio. Or you can use that live chat option 24/7 at our website Radiorealtors.com. That's Radiorealtors.com. So today, we're diving into one of the most thrilling and sometimes overwhelming experience life throws our way. That is buying your first home. And hey, I know firsthand, it can feel a little like stepping into uncharted territory here. But here's the thing, just like creating a beautiful painting or crafting the perfect home design, buying a home takes a balance of inspiration and preparation. So whether you're looking at condos in the East Bay or charming homes in the Greater Sacramento area, today we're going to cover the five unexpected things you need to consider when you're buying that first home. So get your notebooks ready because we're going beyond the basics. We're going to be making sure that you're prepared for every twist and turn. And here at the Radiorealtors, we work with a lot of first time buyers, whether you're in the Greater Sacramento area or the Bay area or almost anywhere in Northern California, we can work with you. And so give us a call. If you'd like us to help you, we've got a strategy for buyers. We can send you an introduction video that basically explains the changes and the ways that we can help you in this market because it is a whole new ballgame, folks. So give us a call at 83332 radio. That's 83332 radio. Or once again, you can live chat with a member of our team, 24/7 at Radiorealtors.com. That's Radiorealtors.com. So point number one is you gotta prepare for additional expenses. Here's the thing. And it's something many first time home buyers just missed. But you've been saving for your down payment. You've been saving for closing costs and maybe even that modern furniture for the living room, right? But what about the extra expenses that creep in once you get those keys in your hands? So let's break this down with a few real world examples right here in Northern California. So you've got your dream home in Folsom and you're moving in, everything's going great until you realize, oops, the 20 year old water heater is leaking. Or maybe you notice that the fence in your new backyard needs some serious work. Things like this just happen, right? They're part of owning a home. But if you're not prepared, they can catch you off guard. And let's talk numbers here, folks. Maybe you saved up enough for your down payment, say 10% on a $500,000 home. That's $50,000. But what if I told you that you should also have a cushion, maybe a safety net that covers initial repairs? You'll need cash on hand for home insurance, initial deposits for utilities, homeowners association dues, and yes, unfortunately, unexpected repairs. A good rule of thumb is to have at least 1% to 3% of your home's value set aside for these kinds of things, especially in that first year. And that's an extra $5,000 to $15,000 on a $500,000 home. And it may sound like a lot, but trust me, it's going to save you a world of stress. And you know, here in Northern California, where we have a wide variety of homes from century old houses in Midtown Sacramento to modern suburban homes in Roseville and Rockland, the age and condition of your home can really influence these costs. So take the time to reevaluate what might need attention and plan accordingly. And it's all about ensuring that your first year as a homeowner is as smooth as possible. And make sure that when you buy a home that you do get a home warranty, because it doesn't cover everything these home warranties, but they cover a lot of things and it just might save you in some circumstances. Now, point number two is protect your rights, especially your privacy when you're a first time buyer, if you're any home buyer, for that matter. But here's something that's been gaining more attention lately, especially in California, and that's protecting your rights as a consumer and your privacy. You might not think about this right away when you're house hunting, but it's critical, right? In the process of buying a home, you're going to be asked to share a lot of personal and financial information with us, your realtors, your lender, your insurance provider, and even the title company. And we're talking about everything from your social security number to your financial history. And it's essential that you understand that that information is being used and it's being protected, right? Thanks to the California Consumer Privacy Act, which has been a game changer for home buyers in our state, businesses must disclose why they're collecting your information and how they intend to use it. But here's a catch. You've got to be proactive, right? Ask questions. Make sure you're fully aware of who has access to your data and how long they're going to be keeping it. And if you don't like what you hear, you can always request that your information not be sold or shared because it's your right. And I remember a client from Rockland who was a bit hesitant during the process because they had heard stories of data breaches and identity theft. And we walked through every step to ensure that their data was secure and it made a world a difference for them. And they were more confident in every decision they made because they knew exactly who had access to their information. And in this day and age, peace of mind is priceless, right? So whether you're home shopping in Napa or down on El Grove, don't forget that protecting your privacy is just as important as negotiating the best price on your home. So you want to make sure that you ask us, your agents, and your lender about how your information is being handled, right? It's one of those things that many buyers overlook, but it can make all the difference in your comfort and security. Now, we gotta go to break, but we're gonna come back with point number three of the five unexpected things to consider when buying your first home. If you'd like to get ahold of the radio realtors, we work with a lot of first time buyers, we work with move up buyers, we work with people that are downsizing, we work with sellers that are moving out of the state or out of the country or just around the corner. We work with you all and we love it. It is something that we do every single day. Give us a call. We'd like to work with you. Let us interview for the job and tell you why we're the best. 83332 radio is our number. That's 83332 radio or you can live chat with a member of our team anytime at radiorealtors.com. That's radiorealtors.com back after this. (upbeat music) (phone ringing) Do you know what that sound is? That's your wake up call. What do you need to wake up from? It's the nightmare of paying your landlord's mortgage. Think about this if you're paying $2,500 a month for rent, you're paying $30,000 of your landlord's mortgage a year and that should have you waking up in a cold sweat. Why not make a resolution today to buy your very own home. Jeff Compton with Guild Mortgage is ready to help you. The market has changed and it's leaning towards being a buyer's market and that means you could buy a home now, not overpay or be in a bidding war and maybe even get some of your closing costs paid for you. Jeff Compton with Guild Mortgage is a mortgage master and he specializes in customizing a loan for your unique situation. Jeff even has down payment assistance loans and ideas to buy down your interest rate. Answer your wake up call. Call Jeff Compton with Guild Mortgage at 916-765-2900 or apply online at Jeff Compton.com and I'm a less ID number 298-997. - Thank you for calling Jeff Compton's office. It's a great day to buy a home. How can we help you? - Larry Elder here at the Great Eldersky and I'm so happy to be back on AM1380 the answer. Did you know that because of our current administration, 86% of US renters would like to buy a home but they feel they can't. It's a sad situation but as my father Randolph Elder said hard work wins. You can't control the outcome but you can control the effort. How do you control the effort if you want to buy a home in Northern California? You call the dream team, the Robert Lewis group with EXP Realty. Check it out. Darren and Teresa had been renting for years and they wanted to buy a home for their family of four and even though they thought it was a lost cause they made the call to Rob and his team. And in just a few days, they were pre-approved and out looking at homes. Rob found them the perfect home, negotiated a great price and in just 21 days, they had the keys to their dream home. Hard work wins. So call Rob today at 83332 Radio. That's 83332 Radio. Online at RadioRealTores.com. That's RadioRealTores.com. DRE number 01406275. - Hi, this is Jerry, owner of chim chimney, professional fireplace and home services. Wishing you an upcoming and happy fall but reminding you to use your fireplace and clothes dryer safely this winter. House fires are one of the leading causes of death in a home. It is important to have your chimney and dryer event cleaned by a licensed professional on a yearly basis according to the NFPA. Give us a call today at 916-247-6579 or schedule 24/7 at thechimchimney.com. - This, this is a RadioRealTores. - I sold the house. - This is a home, this is a place to live. - Northern California's longest running show on Real Estate. - Real Estate is not just buying and selling houses. - Who are you? Some kind of Real Estate agent. - Real Estate agent. - I love Real Estate. - I love Real Estate. - I wish you'd tell me. - I know that house. - I wanted it. - The RadioRealTores. - I love every second. - Now, here's your host, Robert Lewis and Frank Crenwell. - Let's go to sell some homes. (upbeat music) - All right, welcome back to the RadioRealTores. We are Northern California's number one Real Estate Radio Show, proudly coming to you live from the equityprotect.com Studios. An equity protect is the only company that prevents deed and home title theft. And they started equityprotect because the scam is easy. It's a direct threat to you consumers today, especially if you own your home free and clear, or you have high equity. In most title law companies, they just monitor your title and then let you know once something has occurred, like something bad on your property. But using a new patented process, equityprotect will scan, monitor, alert, and most importantly, prevent any attempts to tamper with, or steal your home equity and ownership. And they do that 365 days a year, 24/7. You can get your free risk assessment just by going to their website, it's equityprotect.com. If you are low risk, you can sign up for their free monitoring service. If you're medium to high risk, you can choose one of their affordable plans. And for just pennies a day, you can have complete protection, including free access to their team of title monitoring and resolution experts. Plus, you can get 30% off their full service by entering the discount code Protect30. Go to equityprotect.com, that's equityprotect.com. And please tell them that the radio rilters sent you. My name is Robert Lewis, your real estate professor. We're talking to you today about five unexpected things to consider when buying your first home. Point number one is prepare for those additional expenses. And because your down payment isn't the only thing that you need to take care of, you gotta make sure that you have a cushion in there for unexpected things. And yes, your home warranty will cover a lot of things, but you gotta have cash on hand for your home insurance. Initial deposits on utilities, homeowners association do sometimes. And these are things, especially in that first year, when you're getting used to being a new home owner. Now, point number two is protect your rights, especially your privacy. And in California, we are pretty lucky because we have something called the Consumer Privacy Act, which has been a game changer for home buyers. But you just wanna make sure, because you're giving a lot of information out, you wanna make sure that that is protected. If you're working with the radio rilters and our trusted advisors, you can take it to the bank that you are protected because we only work with folks that are gonna protect your privacy and protect your personal information. Now, point number three is your down payment is an investment, not just a hurdle. So let's talk about one of the most nerve-wracking parts of buying your first home. It's that down payment. And I know, I know for a lot of people, the down payment can feel like a giant wall standing between you and that house you've been dreaming of. But here's where I wanna flip the script a little bit for you. Your down payment isn't just a barrier, it's actually an investment in your future. Now, we've all heard about the low down payment programs or even the zero down payment programs, and they are great in a lot of ways. But here's the thing, you have to think long term. Sure, these programs might help you get into a home quicker, but what you're really doing is locking yourself into a larger monthly payment. And if you're not careful, those payments can be tough to manage. So for instance, if you're buying a $400,000 home and you only put 5% down, that's $20,000. You're financing $380,000 instead of $360,000, which could lead to higher monthly payments and even more interest paid over the life of the loan. So compare that to putting down 20%, which is $80,000 and you've just built in $60,000 of equity right off the bat. It's like giving yourself a head start in the race to home ownership. And let me tell you something, building equity is one of the smartest financial moves that you can make. I had a client in Sacramento who was kind of debating, putting down 5% or 15%. And after they crunched the numbers, they decided to go with the 15% option. Just a few years later, the home's value had increased significantly. And because they had more equity from the start, they were able to leverage that equity into a down payment on an investment property. So while it might be tempting to go with a minimum down payment option, consider the bigger picture. Your down payment is an investment in your future. Your financial security and your ability to build wealth over time. And that's something worth prioritizing. Now, I don't want you to think if you're looking at things and you go, I'd really like to buy a home now, there's a down payment assistance program that is really, really good. I have to come in with just a little bit of money. I'm not saying don't go with that. I'm just saying that if you have the means to put more down, it's a great idea, okay? Now point number four is a regular home inspection won't cover everything. So be prepared to dig a little deeper. And this is something I can't emphasize enough, the home inspection. If you're buying your first home, you've probably heard that a home inspection is essential and it absolutely is. But here's the catch a traditional home inspection. Isn't gonna catch every single problem with a property. Let me give you an example. Imagine you found this beautiful older home in Davis. And it's got charm and it's got character and it's got a lovely big yard. And you do the right thing and you get a home inspection and everything looks good on the surface. But what about the things the inspector might not have access to? What about the sewer line? What about the chimney? What about the roof and the HVAC system? Home inspectors, they are limited to non-invasive inspections, visual inspections only. And they also, in the most cases, are not structural engineers, electricians, plumbers or roofers. If you have specific concerns about any part of the house, then you need a closer inspection from a trade person that specializes in that area and that would be a wise added expense. Just recently, I was working with a client over in Auburn who went through this exact scenario. The inspection came back clean, but a few months after moving in, they discovered a serious pest problem that had been hiding in the crawl spaces. And unfortunately, it wasn't something the inspector could have caught because it wasn't an area that they really couldn't access. So here's my advice, attend the inspection. Don't just rely on the report, walk through the property with the inspector at the end, ask questions and take notes. And if something seems off for your concern about something specific, consider hiring a specialist. For example, if you're worried about that HVAC system or electrical system, bring in an expert to check those areas out specifically. And remember, the inspection is a tool to help you make an informed decision, but it's not a magic wand, right? So take the time to go beyond the basics and dig deeper into any concerns you might have and it'll give you that much more confidence when you're making an offer on your home. Now, point number five is don't be afraid to negotiate because you got more power than you think. And we're gonna wrap up this conversation and talk about negotiation. And I really wanna stress this, especially for you first-time buyers. One of the most common misconceptions I hear is that the asking price is non-negotiable, but that could not be farther from the truth. In fact, negotiation is where a lot of the magic happens, especially with us, the radio realtors. Sellers often list their homes with a little bit of cushion in their price, right? Expecting that buyers may want to negotiate. And that's where you come in with a strong position, especially after your home inspection. So let's say you found a home in Orangevale and during the inspection, you discovered that the roof is gonna need some repairs in the near future. Well, this is your opportunity to go back to the seller and ask for a price reduction, a credit, or have them fix the roof before closing. You've got leverage here and you should absolutely use it to get the best deal possible. I also had a client once in Woodland who found a gorgeous home, but the inspection uncovered some significant sewer issues. And instead of walking away, we negotiated with the seller that they agreed to a seller concession of $10,000 to cover those repairs. The buyer got the home they wanted. It was a great home, just needed a trenchless sewer replacement, and the seller was able to close the deal, and it was a win-win. So don't be afraid to speak up and negotiate, whether it's repairs, closing costs, or even the asking price, there's often room to work out a better deal. And remember us realtors, especially here at the Radio realtors and the Robert Lewis Group with EXP Realty, we are your advocates, and we're here to help you get the best deal possible. So here's a wrap up, folks. That was five unexpected things you need to consider when buying your first home, from budgeting for those extra expenses, to protecting your privacy, from seeing your down payment as an investment, to maybe digging a little deeper during the inspection, and finally using your power to negotiate. And these tips are gonna help you make smarter, more informed decisions. And hey, if you've got more questions, or you're ready to start your home buying journey, give us a call here at the Radio realtors with EXP Realty. Our number is 83332 Radio. That's 83332 Radio. Or you can live chat with us at Radio realtors.com. That's Radio realtors.com. And we're here to guide you every step of the way, turning your home buying experience into a creative masterpiece that you can be proud of, right? Now don't go anywhere. We'll be back right after this. (alarm beeping) Do you know what that sound is? That's your wake up call. What do you need to wake up from? It's the nightmare of paying your landlord's mortgage. Think about this, if you're paying $2,500 a month for rent, you're paying $30,000 of your landlord's mortgage a year, and that should have you waking up in a cold sweat. Why not make a resolution today to buy your very own home? Jeff Compton with Guild Mortgage is ready to help you. The market has changed, and it's leaning towards being a buyer's market, and that means you could buy a home now, not overpay, or be in a bidding war, and maybe even get some of your closing costs paid for you. Jeff Compton with Guild Mortgage is a mortgage master, and he specializes in customizing a loan for your unique situation. Jeff even has down payment assistance loans and ideas to buy down your interest rate. Answer your wake up call. Call Jeff Compton with Guild Mortgage at 916-765-2900, or apply online at JeffCompton.com, and I'm a less ID number 298-997. Thank you for calling Jeff Compton's office. It's a great day to buy a home. How can we help you? Larry Ode here, the great old risky, and I'm so happy to be back on AM1380, the answer. Did you know that because of our current administration, 86% of US renters would like to buy a home, but they feel they can't. It's a sad situation, but as my father Randolph Elder said, hard work wins. You can't control the outcome, but you can control the effort. How do you control the effort if you want to buy a home in Northern California? You call the dream team, the Robert Lewis Group, with EXP Realty. Check it out. Darren and Teresa had been renting for years, and they wanted to buy a home for their family of four. And even though they thought it was a lost cause, they made the call to Rob and his team. And in just a few days, they were pre-approved and out looking at homes. Rob found them the perfect home, negotiated a great price, and in just 21 days, they had the keys to their dream home. Hard work wins, so call Rob today at 833-32-radio. That's 833-32-radio. Online at RadioRealTores.com. That's RadioRealTores.com. D-R-E number 01406275. This, this is a RadioRealTores. I sold the house. This is a home. This is a place to live. It's a place to live. Northern California's longest running show on Real Estate. Real Estate is not just buying and selling houses. Who are you? Some kind of real estate agent. Real estate agent. I love Real Estate. I love Real Estate. I was saying, I used it on that house. I wanted it. The RadioRealTores. I love every second. Now, here's your host, Robert Lewis, and Frank Crenbel. Let's go to the sell some homes. (upbeat rock music) All right, welcome back, folks. You've tuned into the RadioRealTores, your favorite radio station here as AM1380, the answer. We're probably coming to you live from the equityprotect.com studios and title fraud and equity theft are rapidly rising crimes. And you're especially vulnerable if you own your home free and clear or you have thousands of dollars in equity. And there's only one company that truly neutralizes these threats. That is equityprotect. Get your free risk assessment today at equityprotect.com. That's equityprotect.com. I'm Robert Lewis, your Real Estate Professor. Today, we have a special guest joining us in the studio. It's Jerry Swanson. He's the owner of Chim Chimney Professional Fireplace and Home Services. And Jerry's company has been helping Northern California homeowners keep their homes safe from the dangers of fireplaces and clogged dryer vents, which as we all know are more hazardous than most people think. Jerry, hey, welcome to the Radio Realtors. Thank you very much, Rob. It's good to be back. Yeah, we're glad to have you back. And Jerry, let's dive right into some questions. Fireplaces are a cozy feature in many homes. In fact, I have a fireplace. I love it during the cooler months. It's just a nice thing to have. But they also come with some serious risks, right? And I was doing a bit of research before our interview here. And I found out that according to the National Fire Protection Association, fireplaces or chimneys are involved in about 25,000 house fires each year. And that's pretty staggering number. So can you tell us a little bit about the importance of regular maintenance for your fireplace and what homeowners should be doing to protect their homes and themselves? So when it comes to homeowners protecting their homes, I think there's another stat that's even more telling. And that's that 2,600 people died last year as a result of house fires. Certain sub to that, sub-sector that is chimney, right? So that's 2,600, too many people, in my opinion, that died in house fires. The importance of cleaning a fireplace stems from the NFPA and our local fire departments, which say, have it inspected and cleaned if necessary on a yearly basis. Now far, far too many homeowners don't do that. It can go years, sometimes decades between cleanings in a fireplace. And in the time that you've gone in between those cleans, a lot of things have happened. First of all, our climate is naturally shifting. Climate has changed a little bit. It's a little bit wetter during our wet seasons. That moisture affects fireplaces. And especially when there has been that lack of maintenance and then say that lack of equipment being a chimney cap provided and being installed currently on the top of the fireplace, you end up with a lot more erosion than you would normally have, which not only does it degrade the masonry, but it creates a major fire hazard when you start having gaps in between the internal components of that fireplace. - Wow, yeah, that makes a lot of sense. Now, your recommendation is have your chimney looked at or inspected at least once a year. So tell us about that process with chimney. - So not only inspection, but the term inspection has changed in the last 10 years as far as fireplaces are concerned. There is a new standard when it comes to inspection and that is a video inspection. And this is really, really important. So when it comes to our clients, our clients safety and making sure that they don't become part of that terrifying statistic I mentioned earlier, right? Safety is our number one goal. And so for safety in order to ensure that we can actually give an accurate inspection on a fireplace, we are going to want to first clean that fireplace and whether it's a gas fireplace, a wood burning fireplace or a pellet burning appliance, either way, you want to remove any type of byproducts or creosote or anything that has a result that has a part of the burning process. After that's been removed, then we can begin the inspection process. And that's when we bring our camera in. Now, when it comes to our older schools, so like your Land Park listeners, your American River Drive listeners, all the way to your pre-1980 built home listeners and Orangevale, Citrusites and all over Northern California, those homes oftentimes have not had a camera inspecting their chimney flu in a number of years. So when it's been an over a year, over say two years, we want to make sure that we're running a camera ensuring that the safety barriers and the radiant heat barriers that are supposed to be inside that chimney flu are still there protecting the family inside. - Yeah, that's great, that's great. So we're talking to Jerry Swanson. He is the owner of Chim Chimney Professional Fireplace and Home Services. And you know, another area that gets overlooked is dryer vents. And I've heard that clogged dryer vents are responsible for more than 15,000 home fires each year in the US. What should homeowners be, you know, knowing about maintaining their dryer vents? - So the interesting thing about dryer vents are one of the most common house fires you can have, right? They're typically really small fires that you don't even notice that happen inside the vent. This happens on a lot of New York construction. So when I say New York construction, I mean, most things built after 2000 if you live in Northern California, that we started centralizing our laundry rooms. We started putting them in the center of the house and taking them out of our garages where we kept them for most of up until that point. - That's right. - So when we take the dryer and the wash, we stick it in the center of the house. There's only one way we can go and that's up and out, right? As soon as we start going up and out, and we're not immediately transitioning to the outside, all of a sudden we've created a strain on the system to where that lint then has to travel up the vertical length of that pipe or up that pipe through a 45 degree angle, then over another 20 feet like they are in our grove, and then out to the outside of the house. When you create this long of a run, lint is getting stuck and then dried all over the inside of that vent. When it's stuck and dried to the inside of that vent, it becomes extremely flammable, right? So I have a good story. I did a dryer vent cleaning for a guy in Auburn, which was kind of funny because if you know people from Auburn, they oftentimes are not hiring people, they're doing it themselves, but this guy hired me. He was older, right? - My DIYers. - A lot of DIYers in Auburn. So he asked me, he's older, gentleman, and he asked me to clean the dryer of it, and then he asked me the strangest question afterward. He asked me if he could keep the lint. And I looked at him and I was like, yeah, it's your lint, like, but why? He's like, well, I camp, I take my grand's kids camping. And when we go camping, all I do is I take that lint and a rock and a flint, and it lights right up. It's the best fire starter, and I'm like, I now have, like, a retirement strategy that I can work. I can resell the lint that I pull out of all the dryer vents, but it was just eye opening to me because that's what people use for a fire starter is a little bit of lint, a rock and a flint. And if that guy is that easily lighting a fire with that, just imagine what a tiny piece of hot metal that comes off of your jeans, right? Or any piece of clothing, every piece of clothing has a zipper, a button, something, right? - Right. - And when we lose a little zipper tag, or you lose a little bit of a rhinestone or something, if there's metal on that, and that's hot, that gets back inside that lint. It starts that fire, and on your longer run vents where there's air, 'cause we need three things in order to make fire. You need a fuel source, you need air, and you need an ignition source, right? So if we have air rushing from the dryer system, we have air flushing into this, we have our ignition source being the little hot piece of metal, and we have an abundant amount of fuel. - That's the lint? - That's the lint, man. I mean, that's a jet coming out of the side of your house. That is serious damage. And not only that, the framing surrounding that, right? Not only that, it stresses the framing by pulling the moisture out of the surrounding framing, right? Which can cause that. And that's how the major house fires get started, right? People die every single year because of dryer and fires. It's a more serious thing than people realize, so. - Crazy stuff. And that's funny that he actually uses the lint to start a fire. So naturally, you wanna make sure that you don't have a fire started in your vents. That could cause some serious issues, serious damage, and even you could lose your life. So those are things that you really need to take care of. Now, beyond your work with Jim Chimney, you've also become very active in the community, which I think is awesome. And I've heard that you do some football commentating for the high school alma mater of yours. That's Rio Americano. How did you get involved with that? - So I was really grateful to get involved with it. I was actually hanging out with my old wrestling coach from high school, which surprisingly, and it's like 20 years later, I'm still friends with my wrestling coach from high school. And we were watching one of his clips play football over Casa Roble. And it just so happened that the Rio coach was there. And I do a little bit of voice work here and there. So I asked him and I was not really joking, but I was like, I thought it'd be fun. I was like, hey, do you guys get an announcer? And it was the first person I ever asked. And the head coach was like, yeah, absolutely. So it ended up working out where I did it last year. This year, I thought, hey, what if we really kicked this up a notch? And like, you know, I really want it. The idea behind it is just giving back and trying to do as much as I can for like young people. 'Cause as a guy who owns a business, there are ways you can give back. And I really do believe that like actually time and effort and those things are what's most important, right? - Sure. - Anybody can give money to give your actual real time and patience, right? Because you get to deal with all sorts of people. It's different thing. - Absolutely, yeah. - But this year I wanted to make it good. So I reached out to my favorite radio host and favorite co-commentator Rob Lewis here. And we have been taking the wheels and having fun with this on Friday nights. - Yeah, no, it's really fun. I mean, I've really enjoyed co-commentating with you last Friday. That was super fun. And like I said, Rio is my alma mater as well. And I think it's great to hear about local business owners giving back to their communities in meaningful ways like this, you know? And like you said, you know, you can give money and people need donations and those types of things. But giving your time, it's a commodity that you can't get back. And by the way, folks, the next home game for Rio is September 27th when the Raiders host the Timberwolves from Wood Creek High School out in Roseville there. I believe the varsity kickoff is seven o'clock. - 'Cause that's seven p.m. for varsity kickoff. But don't forget those JV kids. They're working hard, right? - Yeah. - They start at five p.m. over at Abbott Field, which is right off of El Camino and Eastern. - Yeah, so it's El Camino High School, right? - El Camino High School, baby. Have a field. - That's a nice setup they have over there. - They have a very nice setup. They have an excellent snack bar where you can get ice cold drinks. - And nachos and hot dogs, but you gotta get there early. - You gotta get there early with hot dogs. - Those things go fast. So before we wrap up, is there any advice you'd like to leave our listeners when it comes to home safety? - So what my advice would be to your listeners is to make sure they're using a licensed contractor. With it being totally unregulated, you want to make sure that who you're using is one insured, bonded, and actually from the area. You wanna make sure that their contractors licenses are good in California. And instead of doing all that extra work, just call us at Chim Chimney at 916-247-6579 or say you're like me and you wanna book yourself online. You can book any time, 24 hours a day, from 10 p.m. till 4 a.m. in the morning. Whenever you wanna book it, I won't judge at thechymchymney.com. That's thechymchymney.com. - So folks, if you need any fireplace, chimney, dryer, vent, or any other home services done, make sure you reach out to Jerry and his team at Chim Chimney Professional Fireplace and Home Services. They will keep you and your home safe and sound. You can reach them once again at 916-247-6579. That's 916-247-6579 or schedule online at thechymchymney.com. That's thechymchymney.com. And Jerry, thanks again for being on the radio realtors. - And thank you and don't forget to come check out the Reirators take on the Wood Creek Timmerwalls. Friday, September 27th at 5 p.m. for JV and 7 p.m. for Varsity at Abbott Field in Sacramento. And with that, we're gonna take a short break. If you'd like to get ahold of the radio realtors and the Robert Lewis group here at exp realtty, reach out to us at 83332 radio. That's 83332 radio. But stay tuned. There's more to come on the radio realtors. ♪ AC heat ♪ ♪ And plumbing you just call these ♪ ♪ It's as easy as calling please ♪ ♪ Please, AC ♪ ♪ Please, AC plumbing and heat yeah ♪ Robert Lewis here from the radio realtors and right before this big heat wave, my AC system died. But I have to tell you, I'm so thankful that I called my friends at Lee's Air Plumbing and Heat. My family chose a Bosch 18 seer system and now even through this scorching heat wave, our home is cool and comfortable and our utility bills are 35% less. Nobody wants to replace their HVAC system, but if you have to, with Lee's you may qualify for up to $8,500 in rebates. So if you need a new HVAC system, repairs, or just to tune up, go to LeesAir.com. That's LeesAir.com. ♪ AC heat ♪ ♪ And plumbing you just call these ♪ ♪ It's as easy as calling please ♪ ♪ Please, AC ♪ ♪ Please, AC plumbing and heat yeah ♪ ♪ Please, AC ♪ Robert Lewis here from the radio realtors and it's often debated. What is the best season to have your carpets professionally cleaned? Some say spring, some say fall, but one of my favorite times of the year to get my carpets zero-resified is summer. Summertime is the one time of year you're more likely to have friends and family visit your home. There are also many fun activities both indoors and outdoors. So your home takes a beating from the extra traffic, leaving your rugs and furnishings worse for the wear. So what should you do? Just call my friends at zero-res. Zero-res carpet cleaning provides you with insanely clean carpets for a smarter, longer-lasting clean because their process is free of soaps, harsh chemicals, and even fragrances. Their skilled technicians revive and refresh your carpets quickly, affordably, and simply better than the competition. Right now, get three rooms clean starting at just $139. Call zero-res right now at 916-245-2992 or book online at zero-res-sacrameno.com. Spell it forward or backwards. It spells the same zero-res. This, this, is a Radio Realtors. I sold the house. This is a home. This is a place to live, is a place to live. Northern California's longest-running show on Real Estate. Real Estate is not just buying and selling houses. Who are you? Some kind of real estate agent. Real estate agent. I love Real Estate. I love Real Estate. I was just telling you, I know that house. I wanted it. The Radio Realtors. I love every second. Now, here's your host, Robert Lewis, and Frank Cremo. Let's go to the sell some homes. [MUSIC PLAYING] Welcome back to the Radio Realtors. We are Northern California's number one real estate radio show, probably coming to you live from the equityprotect.com studios. Equity Protect is the only company that prevents deed and home title theft. And you've probably heard the stories on the news about criminals stealing people's hard-earned equity or even selling their homes without them knowing. And there are several companies that monitor your title and then alert you after something bad has happened. Well, equity protect is different. Equity protects scans, monitors, alerts. But most importantly, they prevent any attempts to tamper with or steal your home equity and ownership. They do it 365 days a year 24/7. You can get your free risk assessment at equityprotect.com. If you're low risk, they will monitor your title for free. And that's what you're paying for with their competitors. And if you're medium to high risk, then you can sign up for their monthly or yearly plans. And you can even get 30% off by using the discount code protect30. If you own your home free and clear or you have high equity, you need to protect it. Check out equityprotect@equityprotect.com. My name is Robert Lewis, your real estate professor. And today we're diving into a topic that could shape the future of real estate in America. It's Kamala Harris' proposed housing plan, specifically her promise of a $25,000 down payment assistance for first-time buyers. And it sounds like a dream come true, right? But as we always say on this show, the devil is in the details. And this time it's literally, right? We're gonna give you seven reasons why Harris' housing plan may not work as advertised. And trust me, these are things you're not gonna hear on networks like CNN or MSNBC. So let's get right to it. Reason number one, the $25,000 promise isn't what it seems. Is Kamala Harris has widely publicized her proposal to provide up to $25,000 in down payment assistance for first-time buyers. And it sounds pretty straightforward, right? Well, not exactly. What networks like CNN and MSNBC don't emphasize is that this assistance is limited to first-generation home buyers, meaning your parents must not have owned a home. And that's a significant caveat that many prospective buyers may not realize. If you don't meet that qualification, you can still get some assistance, but it's much lower. It's up to $10,000 if you paid your rent on time for the last two years. So it's not a blanket, $25,000 for everyone. And that's something that voters need to understand before they get too excited. Now reason number two, fueling the housing market fire. You know, several experts warn that offering such widespread down payment assistance could actually intensify the housing affordability crisis. And when you inject more money into an already overheated market, it tends to drive prices up further. And this is a lesson from history during the 2009 financial crisis. Comparable credits were being offered, but the housing market was in a free fall at that time. And today it's the exact opposite demand is already sky high. And with such a short supply of homes, this kind of assistance could simply raise prices, making homes even less affordable. In fact, Ken Johnson, who is a professor of finance at the University of Mississippi, noted that making it easier for people to buy homes when the market is already overpriced is like throwing gasoline on a fire. The demand will rise, but the supply simply isn't there to meet it. And this could result in runaway price inflation. Now reason number three is supply and demand disconnect. Harris's plan to build 3 million new homes over four years sounds ambitious. But the reality of it happening is truly a different story. The US hasn't reached that level of home production since the housing boom of the early 2000s. And even then the regulatory and financial challenges were nowhere near as complex as they are today. Most builders are focusing on larger, more profitable homes, leaving a gap in the market for affordable starter homes. And Harris's plan to stimulate the building of affordable housing through tax credits is a step in the right direction, but it's not enough to address the sheer scale of the housing shortage. Without the supply of new homes, all this plan could do is push home prices higher and higher. Now reason number four is political and legal hurdles. Here's another thing that the mainstream media isn't talking about. Most of the regulatory barriers to home construction exist at the state and the local levels. And even if the Harris administration wanted to streamline construction processes, it would be an uphill battle. Local governments are extremely slow to change zoning laws or cut red tape and legal challenges could tie up projects for years and years. And this just isn't a federal issue. It is a local one. And Harris can't just wave a magic wand to make it go away. The idea of streamlining construction, it sounds great in theory, but in practice, it's a massive challenge that many administrations have really struggled to overcome. Now reason number five, unintended consequences of restricting corporate landlords. Part of Harris's housing plan involves punishing corporate landlords who buy up single family homes and use software to set rents. And while this might appeal to many frustrated renters, it could have unintended consequences. Corporate landlords are a significant part of the current new construction sector, especially in the build to rent market. And if these companies are penalized or restricted, it could actually reduce the number of new rental units being built, further squeezing an already tight market. So while it sounds like a measure to protect renters, it could actually shrink the supply of available housing. Now reason number six, is this a targeted giveaway? I'm gonna talk about the demographics. You know, by limiting the $25,000 down payment to first generation home buyers, is Harris's plan targeting specific voting blocks? It's a question worth asking, especially when you consider that home ownership rates very significantly across racial and socioeconomic lines. And this aspect of the plan raises questions about whether it's designed to win over certain demographics more than it's designed to solve the housing crisis. Why are we offering this kind of assistance only to first generation buyers? Why not expanded to all first time home buyers, regardless of their family background? Now, reason number seven, Trump and Vance's counter arguments. Former President Trump and his running mate, J.D. Vance, they have been quick to criticize Harris's plan. Vance in particular has argued that this is nothing more than a political stunt to pander to specific groups, claiming that it's an effort to give $25,000 to illegal aliens to buy American homes. And while it's unclear whether non-citizens would be eligible for assistance, it's a valid concern that the details of this program are really hazy. And right now, traditional or conforming mortgages are off limits to undocumented immigrants. But the fine print of Harris's plan leaves a lot of questions unanswered about how exactly these funds would be distributed and who would qualify. So here's a wrap up on Harris's housing plan. You know, it's a bold proposal, but it is far, far, far from perfect. And the fine print reveals some serious shortcomings that the mainstream media just isn't covering. From limiting down payment assistance to first generation buyers, to potentially inflating home prices in an already overheated market, there are plenty of reasons to be skeptical. And let's be real, no housing plan will be a silver bullet for such a complex problem. Promises of $25,000 checks sound great in a campaign speech, but in practice, you know, these kinds of policies, they can lead to unintended consequences. And just like the medical world, a well-meaning treatment can sometimes worsen the condition if it's not properly prescribed. And if the plan isn't carefully implemented and backed by a healthy strategy to increase housing supply, we could see the exact opposite of the intended effect. Housing becoming even less affordable for the average American. And here's a deal. It's easy to get swept up in the excitement of big promises, but it's crucial to ask tough questions and demand clarity on who really benefits. And as voters, we need to dig deeper than the headlines and make sure we fully understand the implications of these policies. Everyone should read the fine print of their candidate's plan before casting their vote. Housing affordability is one of the most critical issues facing Americans today. And any real solution requires a balanced approach, not just flashy promises, right? And this is why it's so important to analyze the details and question the broader impact because a promise of $25,000 doesn't mean much if it ultimately pushes the dream of home ownership further out of reach for so many. So as we head towards the next election, let's be informed, folks. Ask the tough questions and keep the conversation going about what truly needs to be done to make housing more affordable for everyone and not just a select few. So that is the show, folks. If you're a first-time buyer, I know this is kind of really tailored towards you, but we love to work with first-time buyers and we love to work with all buyers. But you first-time buyers are one of the segments of the population that we like to work with the most because you need a lot of assistance. You need coaching and we are experts at that. And we can coach you along the process and we can help you through this. We can even send you an introductory video that shows you what we do different. Just give us a call. 83332 radio is our number. 83332 radio or text us on that number. 83332 radio will email you a short video that explains our strategy and process for you first-time buyers. That's 83332 radio, 83332 radio, or you can live chat with a member of our team. 24/7 at our website RadioRilters.com. That's RadioRilters.com and Matt, our producer, is telling me that's all the time we have for this show. Take care, everybody. And thanks for making the RadioRilters part of your day. ♪♪ ♪ AC heat ♪ ♪ I'm climbing you just call this ♪ ♪ It's easy as calling ♪ ♪ Please, please, AC ♪ ♪ Please, AC ♪ ♪ Calling in here ♪ Robert Lewis here from the RadioRilters that I know by experience, having your AC breakdown on a hot summer day is the worst. Instead of enjoying the cool comfort of your home, you're scrambling to find a good H-Back company wondering if this will require just a simple repair or if it's time to get a new system. Well, don't worry. The best AC repair service is just a click away. Lee's Air Plumbing and Heating offers a wide range of high-quality services to fix problems with your AC system. Their team of experts will work hard to get your broken AC unit back up and running. Don't sweat it. Book your service now at LeeZair.com. That's LeeZair.com. ♪ AC heat ♪ ♪ I'm climbing you just call this ♪ ♪ It's easy as calling ♪ ♪ Please, please, AC ♪ ♪ Please, AC ♪ ♪ Calling and he yeah ♪ ♪ Please, AC ♪ - With summertime here, maybe it's finally time to do something with that house that you own that is stressing you out. - Yeah, whether it's a heavy fixer upper with deferred maintenance, an older all-original home, an inherited house, or even a hoarder home, or maybe you have bad tenants, a divorce sale, or you're behind on payments. - We've got something called the Easy Cash Offer. If you're in need of a fair and quick all-cash home sale, Robin Garrett here at the Radio Realtors can help. - Call the Radio Realtors today. 833 32 radio. That's 833 32 radio. DRE number 0140 6275. - Hi, Larry Elder here, and you've heard me say that success occurs when opportunity meets preparation. And with the recent N.A.R. settlement, selling a home is more complicated than ever before. And that's why if you need to sell, you have to be prepared and hire a hard working realtor. You also need a tough negotiator to help you net the most money possible. My recommendation? Call my friend Robert Lewis with EXP Realtee. Check this out. Angie had a seller home in Rancho Cordova and moved to Colorado for work. She needed her home so quickly to buy her next home. And because Rob spends thousands of dollars on marketing each month, he has a pool of buyers that are ready to buy. Rob sold Angie's home in just 19 days for the full list price. Rob referred her to an agent in Colorado through his nationwide network of realtors and helped her negotiate a great deal on a home there too. Sell your home today for top dollar. Call Rob with EXP Realtee at 833 32 radio. That's 833 32 radio. Online at radiorealtors.com DRE number 014062 75. Rob here reminding you that you can hear all of our shows on the Radio Realtors Podcast through Apple Spotify, iHeart Radio, Amazon, Pandora and more. Please give the Radio Realtors podcast a five star review and share the link with your friends. Access it now at radiorealtors.com.