Orange County Real Estate Blog

Big House vs. Simple Life in Newport Beach: The Real Annual Cost of Each

Most downsizing conversations start with feelings. As a CPA, I usually start somewhere else: what does each home actually cost you to own for 1 year? When you put a large Newport Beach house and a smaller condo or townhome side by side, line by line, the answer is often not what people expect. Somet

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Step-Up in Basis on an Inherited California Home: Why You May Owe $0 in Tax

Watch the full breakdown in the video above. Do you pay capital gains tax when you sell an inherited house in California?Usually little or none. Under the step-up in basis, your tax basis resets to the home's value on the date of death, so only growth after that date is taxed. If your parents bought

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Clearing Out the Family Home Before You Sell in Orange County

How long does it take to clear out a family home before selling it in Orange County? For a home a family has lived in for 20 years or more, plan on 8 to 12 weeks from the first sorting session to an empty, list-ready house. The work itself is not complicated. What takes time is the decisions: what e

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