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Torrance real estate and homes for sale

Keith Kyle - Vista Sotheby's International

Why You Should Check Your Credit BEFORE the Home Search

February 15, 2023 by Keith Kyle

In much the same way that a resume displays your work experience to a prospective employer, a credit report provides prospective creditorsCharts and paperwork (and in some cases employers and insurers too) with a detailed picture of your credit history. And like a resume, your credit report can influence whether you will receive what you are applying for. Ideally, your credit report is an accurate, up-to-date reflection of your credit history.

However, since we don’t live in an ideal world, there are many reasons that your credit report could contain inaccuracies that might prevent you from receiving the credit your deserve. The good news is you can take action to keep your report accurate.

The top five reasons why you should make a practice of regularly reviewing your credit report.

Inaccuracies & Mixed Credit Files

Many inaccuracies on a credit report can be the result of simple human error, and are therefore not difficult to dispute. Of course, if you don’t order your credit report, you might never know about it. Whether the inaccuracies relate to payments not credited, late payments, or data mixed in from the credit file of someone else with a name similar to yours, you will want to contact the credit bureau to dispute inaccurate information promptly.

Tracking Payments

One of the most important elements of credit is a demonstrated history of on-time payments. Once you send the check
though, anything can happen—a delay in the payment being received can kick you over to a 30-day delinquency. If you call
your creditor an explain the situation, they might adjust the information. Of course, if you don’t read your credit report, you
won’t necessarily know which payments are being received and reported properly.

IIdentity Theft

This issue alone is reason to order you credit report immediately. Identity theft is an insidious crime, involving a thief who
assumes your name to open new accounts, divert your card statements to another address, and run up all sorts of bad debt
without you ever knowing about it until collectors come calling. Over time, identity theft could jeopardize your ability to obtain
further credit. The best way to catch a thief who is using your name is by getting a copy of your credit report, which will show
you if there are accounts listed you know you haven’t opened.
For example, if a thief has intercepted a pre-approved credit card offer in your name and sent it in with a change of address,
your credit report will include the account.

Inquiries

If you’re shopping around for a loan or more credit, you should know that when creditors check your credit, it places an inquiry on your credit report. Inquiries can add up, which is often interpreted as a negative by creditors. For this reason, too many inquiries can actually make getting credit more difficult. Moreover, if you didn’t authorize someone to look at your credit report and they did, they may have broken the law.

Credit Fraud – Unauthorized Charges

Credit fraud involves theft of your credit card or account number to make authorized charges to your account. Though consumers are protected financially from this abuse, other creditors may take note of all this activity and decide to raise your
interest rates or refuse to grant you a loan.

Ordering your credit report will help you catch new activity on accounts that you haven’t been using, or may have closed.

When it comes to managing your credit worthiness, your credit report is your best resource. Ordering your credit report gives you the opportunity to manage your credit wisely today, while planning your credit strategy for achieving future goals—a credit savvy move every consumer should make!

Back to home buyer and seller tips and information

Filed Under: Buyers, First Time Buyers, home loan process Tagged With: check your credit, credit scores, tips for home buyers

Keith Kyle Proud to Be One of the Top Realtors Nationwide

July 12, 2022 by Keith Kyle

We are proud to announce that we were recently recognized as one of the top 1.5% of all realtors in the country.

RealTrends + Tom Ferry America’s Best Real Estate Professionals, now in its 10th year, honors America’s finest real estate agents and teams from all across the country!  Almost 24,000 U.S. real estate sales associates from every state are featured in America’s Best. They are the top 1.49% of more than 1.6 million licensed Realtors® nationwide.

We were ranked in both the top realtors in California as well as one of the top realtors in the United States.

We couldn’t have done it without the trust of our wonderful clients and the many agents we’ve had the pleasure to work with.

Filed Under: Buyers, First Time Buyers, Realtor Keith Kyle, Torrance Real Estate, Vista Sotheby's International Realty Tagged With: top ranked realtors in torrance, top torrance real estate agents, top torrance realtors

Realtor Spotlight – Meet Torrance Specialist Keith Kyle

December 28, 2021 by Keith Kyle

Contacting the right realtor shouldn’t be scary.  We’ve worked with countless buyers and sellers at all stages of the process….whether they’re ready to go or just want information…..we believe in earning our clients trust over time and assure you there is never pressure.

Buying and selling real estate in Torrance and South Bay is a very big deal. For many it may be one of the single biggest purchases in their lives.  That’s why you should have ultimate confidence in your realtor and why it’s so important to pick the right one for you.  Not only should your realtor be knowledgeable, but also professional, experienced, and a good communicator and negotiator.

  • About Torrance real estate specialist Keith Kyle – Meet this top producing Realtor and residential real estate specialist and find out if he would be the right fit for you.
  • About Vista Sotheby’s International Realty – One of the most reputable and successful real estate brokerages in the South Bay for over 20 years. Find out more about our offices and how we provide the very best real estate services
  • About Torrance – Find out all that this wonderful city can offer from great schools, to housing options, to recreation and activities
  • About Buying a home – Buying a home can be a major undertaking with much involved. Find out what online tools we offer to assist you, and find out how our highest levels of customer service can make the process far simpler and less stressful
  • About Selling your Redondo Beach home – Find you what you should look for in a listing agent and why working with a Redondo Beach local specialist can make a major difference.
  • Testimonials – Why take our word for it…find out what our past clients have said about us.

When buying or selling a home in Torrance, you have endless choices of which real estate agent to work with. As a long time resident of the area and a consistent top producing agent, I not only have an understanding of the neighborhoods and the real estate market, but I sincerely enjoy helping people find a home in the area.  You want to love where you live….and I certainly do.

Keith has been awarded “Year End Top Producer” with Vista Sotheby’s International every year since 2007.

Having lived in Hermosa for over 25 years with one child in the Hermosa school system and the other at Redondo Union, I am deeply involved with the community and think that it is one of the finest places to live imaginable.   I have long been a sponsor and business partner of the Hermosa Ed Foundation, Redondo Union and the Wiseburn Ed Foundation.

From award winning  schools, to charming and diverse neighborhoods, to dazzling beaches and nearly perfect weather, the South Bay has it all. I realize that you have endless choices when considering a local Realtor®, and hope that you will allow me to earn your business. My goal is not simply to sell houses, but earn clients for life.

Philosophy – Buying or selling your home is a tremendous event and shouldn’t be treated like buying a car. It is my goal to not only understand your housing goals, but to understand you and your motivation for wanting to make such a big decision.

A realtor should never “pressure” you to make a decision. I always have my client’s best interest in mind….not mine.

My goal is to have long term clients. Most realtors sell a house and simply move on to the next deal. I strive to have clients for life….friends that will gladly refer me to their friends, neighbors and family.

This is simply not a “transaction” to me. Your complete satisfaction, well beyond the close of escrow, is what I always strive for. Why take it from me…..hear what my past clients have to say.

Dedication – It is my sincerest goal to do everything possible to ensure total satisfaction. You will never work with an assistant or staff member but directly with me. In addition I am a full time realtor and have been one of the top producing realtors at South Bay Brokers and Vista Sotheby’s every year since 2007.

Expertise – with over 21 years in the South Bay, I can not only help with the local market and the key aspect of pricing, but can help with information about local schools, community events, city ordinances and building restrictions

Vista Sotheby’s International– With the merger of South Bay Brokers and Vista Sotheby’s the impeccable reputation of SBBI was combined with a global reach second to none.  I have the backing and support of the top company in the area with the ability to market and reach buyers around the world.

Keith Kyle


Top Producing Realtor
DRE# 01712785

310-251-2344 cell/text
Keith@KeithKyleHomes.com

 

Filed Under: First Time Buyers, Listing Agents, Torrance homes for sale, Torrance Real Estate, Torrance Realtors, Vista Sotheby's International Realty Tagged With: real estate specialist, top torrance real estate agents, top torrance realtors, torrance real estate agents, torrance realtor keith kyle, torrance realtors, vista sotheby's torrance

State of Torrance Real Estate Market As We Head into 2020

March 3, 2020 by Keith Kyle

Welcome to our Torrance real estate update for the coming year.   2020 is looking to be another banner year for home sellers as the combination of seemingly endless demand and historically low interest rates means more people will be looking to purchase a home.

View the current homes for sale in Torrance California.

In general the real estate market seems to be slowing down heading into 2020 but for a very odd reason…..each month there are fewer homes hitting the market.  Fewer listings mean fewer home sales.  January saw a very slight uptick in the number of listings so we’re hopeful that is a trend that continues.  Other than that small bump in January, the number of homes for sale has dropped every month since May of 2019

According to Torrance realtor Keith Kyle, “It’s clear that the market is cooling off as there has been an increase in new listings coupled with fewer sales and homes going into escrow since summer.”  The chart above shows that the number of active listings has held pretty steady between 150 and 170 since summer, but the number of sold homes as well as new escrows has continued to decrease.  If this trend continues the market will shift more in favor of buyers and less in favor of sellers.  It’s clearly been a sellers market over the past few years.

The chart below shows the upward trend over the past few months with avarage “months of inventory” of unsold homes on the rise.

Filed Under: Buyers, Escrow Process, First Time Buyers, Home Prices, Homes for Sale, Interest rates, Old Torrance, Torrance CA real estate market, Torrance Real Estate, Torrance real estate trends Tagged With: home prices in torrance, home sales in torrance, homes for sale in torrance, torrance real estate 2020, torrance real estate trends

What Exactly Is Debt To Income Ratio

February 3, 2020 by Keith Kyle

One of the key items that a lender takes into consideration when you’re getting pre approved for a loan and during the underwriting process is your debt to income ratio. This tells the lender how much money you owe each month compared with your monthly income to come up with a ratio to determine how much of a risk you are to them.  This ratio comes from adding up all of your debts including mortgages, auto laons, student loans, credit card balances and any other debt you pay off each month to your pre-tax income each month. Lenders have different thresholds that they’ll allow so it’s always good to talk with several lenders.  If you’re not comfortable getting the process started we would be happy to give you several lenders that we’ve worked with and that have earned our trust.

Filed Under: Buyers, Escrow Process, First Time Buyers, home loan process, Interest rates Tagged With: debt to income ratio, first time buyers, getting the loan process started, home loan process, home loans, lending process

How Buyers and Sellers Handle Home Inspection Challenges

November 9, 2019 by Keith Kyle

One of the more treacherous parts of an escrow is the home inspection and request for repairs.  Often times the buyer thinks that the home inspection is a “checklist” of what needs to be fixed while the seller either thinks their home is perfect or “it was just fine for us so why does the buyer need things that work fine upgraded or repaired”.  Finding middle ground isn’t always easy.

As the graphic below shows, 80% of home inspection reports show at least something needing to be fixed.  We always recommend to both our buyers and sellers to be reasonable.  On the buyer side stick to actual problems or repairs.  If it’s an issue that the buyer will have to immediately pay for to have repaired…it’s a reasonable request.  The biggest challenge items are either those called out as not up to current code, or items towards the end of their service life.  Buyers need to understand that the statement “not up to current building code” does not mean it’s necessarily problematic.  Codes change all of the time and unless it’s a clear safety issue, it’s usually best to stick with actual repairs.  Items at the end of their service life really depend on the item, the cost and how extensive the rest of the repair list.  We’ve found that asking for everything usually ends with the seller dismissing any repairs….even the reasonable ones.

Keith Kyle is a top producing realtor and Torrance real estate specialist with Vista Sotheby’s International Realty in the South Bay.  Contact Keith for more information on how the home inspection and escrow process works in Torrance real estate.

Filed Under: Buyers, Escrow Process, First Time Buyers, Home inspections, Torrance Real Estate, Torrance Realtors, Vista Sotheby's International Realty Tagged With: home inspections, home inspectors, keith kyle, torrance real estate, torrance realtor, vista sotheby's

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