Buying on the coast

I bought my own first home in Long Beach in 2017. Start with the full cost of owning, and talk with a lender before you look at prices. A sale generally resets the home's tax value to market value, so the tax figure on a listing can reflect the seller's years of ownership.

We can work out which comes first, selling or buying. Selling first tells you what you have to spend, but you may have to move twice. Buying first can mean you only move once, so ask a lender early whether you can pay for both at the same time.

If you can only make one trip, compare the area guides and pick two places. I can talk you through both before you visit. Then see each place in the morning and the evening.

Check the rules on short-term stays first, because rental income is only real if the rules allow it. Newport Beach and Laguna Beach both limit short-term stays. Then run the rent numbers with your CPA, using the property tax at your purchase price.

Before you make an offer, line up a tax adviser and a lawyer, and ask them how the home should be held. Owners who count as foreign persons under U.S. tax rules can face their own withholding when they sell, so ask about that before you buy.

Since 2025, California has required a written agreement between you and your buyer's agent, signed no later than your offer. An MLS rule also means your agent will usually need it signed before you tour a home with them. You don't need it to ask an agent about their services.

Your agent's pay is negotiable, and no law sets it. Before you sign, read the agreement for its length, how the agent is paid, whether you could owe the fee yourself and how it can end.

Ask an insurance agent or broker early, while the conditions in your offer still let you cancel. Homeowners policies usually leave out flood and earthquake.