First Time Home Buyers Archives - Southbay Homes and Real Estate

Renters Missed Out on $51,500 This Past Year

By Gerry Athas-Vazquez | November 1, 2021 |

Rents have increased significantly this year. The latest National Rent Report from Apartmentlist.com shows rents are rising at a rate much higher than the three years leading up to the pandemic: “Since January of this year, the national median rent has increased by a staggering 16.4 percent. To put that in context, rent growth from January […]

The Mortgage Process Doesn’t Have To Be Scary [INFOGRAPHIC]

By Gerry Athas-Vazquez | October 29, 2021 |

Some Highlights

Applying for a mortgage is a big step towards homeownership, but it doesn’t need to be one you fear. Here are some tips to help you prepare.
Know your credit score and work to build strong credit. When you’re ready, lean on your agen…

Knowledge Is Power When It Comes to Appraisals and Inspections

By Gerry Athas-Vazquez | October 25, 2021 |

Buyers in today’s market often have questions about the importance of getting a home appraisal and an inspection. That’s because high buyer demand and low housing supply are driving intense competition and leading some buyers to consider waiving those contingencies to stand out in the crowded market. But is that the best move? Buying a […]

Important Distinction: Homes Are Less Affordable, Not Unaffordable

By Gerry Athas-Vazquez | October 21, 2021 |

It’s impossible to research the subject of buying a home without coming across a headline declaring that the fall in home affordability is a crisis. However, when we add context to the most recent affordability statistics, we soon realize that, though homes are less affordable than they have been over the last few years, they […]

Homebuyer Tips for Finding the One [INFOGRAPHIC]

By Gerry Athas-Vazquez | October 15, 2021 |

Some Highlights

The best advice carries across multiple areas of life. When it comes to homebuying, a few simple tips can help you stay on track.
Because of increased demand, you’ll need to be patient and embrace compromises during your search. Then…

Don’t Wait for a Lower Mortgage Rate – It Could Cost You

By Gerry Athas-Vazquez | October 12, 2021 |

Today’s housing market is truly one for the record books. Over the past year, we’ve seen the lowest mortgage rates in history. And while those rates seemed to bottom out in January of this year, the golden window of opportunity for buyers isn’t over just yet. If you’re one of the buyers who worry they’ve […]

Experts Agree: Homeownership Provides a Path to Long-Term Wealth

By Gerry Athas-Vazquez | October 11, 2021 |

A recent survey from LendingTree.com found there are multiple reasons why Americans would choose to purchase a home instead of renting. Some of the most popular non-financial reasons given include: The flexibility to make the space your own The pride homeownership offers The sense of stability In the same survey, 41% of respondents say they’d […]

111,285 Reasons You Should Buy a Home This Year

By Gerry Athas-Vazquez | October 7, 2021 |

The financial benefits of buying a home versus renting one are always up for debate. However, one element of the equation is often ignored – the ability to build wealth as a homeowner. According to the latest research from the National Association of Realtors (NAR): “Homeownership is a key pathway to building wealth and narrowing […]

What Do Supply and Demand Tell Us About Today’s Housing Market?

By Gerry Athas-Vazquez | October 6, 2021 |

There’s a well-known economic theory – the law of supply and demand – that explains what’s happening with prices in the current real estate market. Put simply, when demand for an item is high, prices rise. When the supply of the item increases, prices fall. Of course, when demand is very high and supply is […]

The Main Key To Understanding the Rise in Mortgage Rates

By Gerry Athas-Vazquez | October 5, 2021 |

Every Thursday, Freddie Mac releases the results of their Primary Mortgage Market Survey which reveals the most recent movement in the 30-year fixed mortgage rate. Last week, the rate was announced as 3.01%. It was the first time in three months that the mortgage rate surpassed 3%. In a press release accompanying the survey, Sam […]

Bought a Townhouse home in Hawthorne, CA
Gerry helped us purchase our first home in a hot market at South Bay area. We met Gerry at an open house and we felt extremely comfortable talking to her and eventually decided to hire her as our buying agent.
The market was very hot and home prices kept going up while we were house hunting, but Gerry went extra miles and helped us secure a home before it was even listed on the market so that we were able to buy our dream home with our limited budget.
We were very impressed by Gerry's knowledge, experience, and professionalism. Throughout the buying process, Gerry was super responsive to our questions and concerns. She patiently explained the procedure and paperwork to us at each step and always made her available to us even during holidays and after hours. With the help and guide from Gerry, we were very comfortable when making decisions. After our offer was accepted, Gerry has came to our new home numerous times to insure the seller fix everything before we removed the contingencies.
Overall, we are extremely happy with our first home purchase thanks to Gerry. We will recommend Gerry to our family and friends without any reservations.
Bought a Condo home in Playa Vista, CA.
Gerry was an outstanding agent. When we first contacted her about our relocation, she went above and beyond at providing us information on the area and listings. She met with us on our time both week nights and weekends to sign paperwork or view listings. I would highly recommend Gerry to anyone who is looking for a home, condo, or apartment in the Southern California Area (especially South Bay/Playa Vista)
Bought a Townhouse home in Olde Torrance, Torrance, CA
You can never go wrong when you have Gerry on your side. Gerry not only helped me find a beautiful house for my son and I but she has given us a place we can call home. She is very knowledgeable and has always been available when I had any questions regarding the home buying process. Gerry has made the entire experience as smooth as possible and I highly recommend Gerry to my family and friends.
Gerry made the sale process very easy for me…
I have to say, Gerry made the sale process very easy for me. I barely had to do anything throughout the process - she took care of it all and I REALLY appreciated that as I was preoccupied with other things in my life at the time. I HIGHLY recommend Gerry if you are looking to buy or sell.
Gerry provided great service to us…
My wife and I first obtained Gerry’s services in Oct 2010 in order to rent our home. Gerry provided great service to us. Not only did she find excellent, trustworthy renters for, but she also communicated to us any maintenance problems that needed to be addressed and had them fixed right away after consulting us.

When it was time to sell our condo the Summer of 2015, Gerry was very thorough in communicating the process of selling our home and made sure we understood all of the steps necessarily to sell our home as quickly as possible. She ensured we were aware of the current situation throughout the process. She was very professional and gave us fair advice on condo’s selling price and on the potential buyers’ situations.
Bought a Condo home in Torrance, CA
I needed to assist a family member with the purchase of a condo. Gerry saved me from doing tons of legwork. She listened to what I was looking for and narrowed down my search tremendously, helping me find the perfect condo for my family member at the right price. Once we made the offer, the process went extremely smoothly, even though it was a short sale purchase. I strongly recommend Gerry. She is skilled, knowledgeable, a real professional and a true pleasure to work with.
Sold a Single Family home in East Side, Long Beach, CA
Our experience with our Realtor, Gerry Athas-Vazquez was stellar. She discussed with us all our option regarding the sale of our home. After reviewing all that information and deciding on a course for the sale, Gerry expertly steered us through the process. When we put our home on the market we received 3 offers the very first weekend it was listed. The one we accepted was $26K over our asking price! I convinced it was the confidence and advice of our Realtor, Gerry as to why we did so well!
Sold a Townhouse home in Hermosa Beach, CA
I am a good friend of Gerry’s and I was both her client/seller and client/buyer. She is a great friend and realtor. She knows the real estate market and she knows what it takes to take care of her clients. She is professional, honest, trustworthy, kind, considerate, affectionate, bright, flexible but most of a great person – beautiful inside and out. She was with me every step in the process I was well informed throughout the process. I put my house in Hermosa Beach on the market the week before Thanksgiving week and I had an offer that weekend. It was amazing! If it wasn’t for her I don’t think I would’ve been able to sell my house the way I did. I am thankful that Gerry is my friend and I was fortunate and lucky that she helped me out with one of my biggest financial transactions in my life.
Bought a Single Family home in Lomita, CA
I met Gerry when I was searching for my first home. She was everything I needed and more. Gerry helped me understand the requirements all throughout the buying process and made sure that I was prepared each step of the way. Her experience, knowledge and professionalism combined with her negotiation skills enabled me to purchase my first home with confidence. I have recommended her to my friends and co-workers and will always turn to her for all of my future real estate needs. Gerry is awesome.
I would highly recommend Gerry
Gerry provided great service. She worked with us on several offers and we eventually purchased a great property. She is very professionals and always gets back to you quickly. I would highly recommend Gerry.
Suzy T.
Gerry helped us buy our current home and she did a great job. She is very professional and always had our best interest in mind. We think she’s awesome.
Lucy G.
We did a cross country move and Gerry was there every step of the way. She works very hard for her clients and always takes the time to listen. I highly recommend her.
I cannot recommend Gerry strongly enough…
I recommend Gerry without hesitation and if you are reading this recommendation you need to talk to her. I was the Trustee of my brother's estate and needed to sell his home. She had a buyer for the home within 5 days of its listing. While selling the home is the way all realtors are ultimately judged selling a home is not an easy process and does not reflect all the work Gerry coordinated and supervised to get the home ready for sale. The fact that I live in Colorado and the home needed to be spruced up prior to being put on the market increased the difficulty of this process.

Fortunately for me Gerry was my realtor. She handled everything exceedingly well like the true professional that she is and what I thought would be nightmare turned out to be a straight forward relatively easy experience despite me being in Colorado. She provided guidance on what aspects and features on the home we heeded to modernize or replace and help us pick out the best colors and styles to present the home at its best. In addition, she had a lengthy list of contractors who did quality work at a reasonable price.

Communication is also a strong point with Gerry. She followed up with me and with the contractors to ensure that the home was ready to be put on the market prior to schools opening.

I cannot recommend Gerry strongly enough.
Bought a Single Family home in Seaside, Torrance, CA
Gerry was a really great asset for us when buying our first house! She worked very hard to help us find what we wanted, and then to see everything through. Lots of agents can organize and arrange paperwork -- what set Gerry out above and beyond the usual was her commitment to see everything through. Even after escrow closed she helped us out tremendously. When we had a pipe issue come up after escrow closed, she came out and saw to it that the utility company corrected the problem properly. And then when a year later another problem arose from the initial home inspection, she helped us remedy that too! She's truly in it for the long haul. I'd recommend her to anyone looking for a realtor! She will definitely be the agent we use the next time we have a real estate need.
Bought a home in Hermosa Beach, CA
Gerry is awesome. We met Gerry when we were looking for investment property in the South Bay. Gerry found us several properties that met our specifications and we were able to find just the right property. Gerry helped negotiate a great price for us and we were extremely pleased with her professionalism. Gerry was very attentive to our needs, always quick to followup and keep us in the loop during the entire process. I would highly recommend her for all your real estate needs.
Sold a Single Family home in Torrance, CA
Beginning in early October 2014, we sold our home within 2 months at a fair price. Within 2 showings we had three fair offers to consider. She helped us with repairs, upgrades, staging, showing, selling, contract negotiations, and provided a status for us on the buyer's lender. We will use Gerry again when we buy or sell.
Bought a Single Family home in Hermosa Beach, CA
Gerry was timely, conscientious and friendly. Her work was thorough, so thorough that we did not have a thing to worry about. Her professionalism and knowledge made us feel secure every step of the way.
Bought a home in Rimlon, Cathedral City, CA
I recently purchased a home near Palm Springs. This was about a 2 hour drive from Gerry's typical sales area. She made herself readily available to travel from the Los Angeles area. She was prepared with comps on all trips. Once we found a home, the process became stressful for myself and my partner. Gerry, along with her team, created an environment that lessened the stress by basically doing a lot of "hand holding" through a roller coaster of emotions, which ultimately resulted in a warm place to call home. Gerry worked hard for us and did it with heart and integrity.
Bought a Single Family home in Lawndale, CA
Gerry was extremely helpful while I was searching for my first house. The market was crazy while we were looking and kept running into houses that had 10+ offers on them. Even though my budget didn't allow for purchasing a home that would generate her a huge commission, she personally took me to over a dozen different listings (and showed me several dozen more online) and finally were able to snag a place that hadn't even gone to market yet! She was incredibly kind, patient, and informative throughout the entire process and I don't think I would have been half as happy with any other agent.
Bought a Condo home in Playa Del Rey, CA
Gerry negotiated a very difficult all cash, 14 day close to help me acquire my first choice home, beating out six other offers. The deal involved buyers and sellers in three states. Gerry was extremely focused and responsive insuring my demands were met before contingencies were removed and contributing a host of professionals to include inspectors, appraisers, movers, handymen, etc. to smooth the the buying and moving process. Though I closed escrow months ago, I know I can still call Gerry if I have any questions or concerns. Most importantly, I am very happy in my new home.
Bought a Single Family home in Cathedral City, CA
Gerry is a very thorough and experienced real estate agent. Although we purchased a home in a location outside of Gerry's core area, she made herself available to travel numerous times to the area we were interested in and was always available "after hours" when we had questions. This willingness to go the extra mile for us was very much appreciated. I would recommend Gerry without hesitation.
Bought a Townhouse home in Redondo Beach, CA
Gerry was our realtor for eight months and assisted my husband and I in purchasing our first home in Redondo Beach. She is now a dear friend. From the first encounter we had with Gerry at an open house, we knew she would be our realtor. At the open house Gerry was more interested in getting to know us and understanding our needs, than showing us a house we were not ready to purchase. As soon as we mentioned potential for a family, she directed us to a map and started explaining the districts and schools in the Torrance and Redondo Beach areas. Several weeks later Gerry gave us a whirlwind tour of Torrance, an area we were not as familiar with, scheduling a handful of home visits for us. Throughout the eight months, Gerry was with us every step of the way. Early on she not only explained the entire home-buying process, but also provided an in-depth review of the offer paperwork. Gerry was very knowledgeable and experienced, and gladly explained the information multiple times. She checked in with us regularly, and would use potential homes and open houses as educational opportunities. One of the greatest features of Gerry is that she was always very patient, and wanted us to be happy with our purchase. Upon our offer being accepted, Gerry stayed in constant communication with us – always keeping us abreast of the short and long-term deadlines. In addition to pre-arranging our physical inspection to ensure she could lock-in a preferred inspector, she arranged a roof inspection with a well-known roofer and was present for both inspections. Gerry was strategic in managing the flow of information between the seller’s realtor and us. While we knew Gerry had other sales going on during this time, we felt like we were her only clients. Gerry was a true advocate, even attending our final walk-through. She also came to the rescue during our move-in, recommending plumbers and scheduling a handyman at the last minute upon our request. We are very fortunate to have worked with Gerry, and would undoubtedly recommend her to friends and family. Her patience, attentiveness, and thoroughness were key to a well-executed home purchase. But above all else, her friendly personality made her a pleasure to work with. We are now in a wonderful home, and know Gerry will assist many others in finding their perfect home. Happy house hunting!
Lorie and Larry Bates
We met Gerry representing the seller of the home that we bought, then later in the selling of our old home. Gerry guided us through all the processes needed, while clearly explaining all documentation and paperwork. She listened to our concerns, and found avenues of solving them, while answering all our questions. Gerry expedited quickly and efficiently, while keeping us informed daily. She is an ethical professional and a credit to the real estate community. Very satisfied buyers and sellers.