Orange County Real Estate Blog

Straight answers from Dar Mardan, Realtor® + CPA, on selling, buying, taxes, Prop 19 and downsizing in Newport Beach, Irvine and across Orange County.

Selling Your Home in Retirement? How the Gain Can Raise Your Medicare Premiums and Taxes

Retirees selling a long-held Orange County home usually ask 1 question: how much capital gains tax will I owe? That is only the first domino. A large gain also counts as income, and income is what drives your Medicare premiums, how much of your Social Security gets taxed, whether you can claim newer

View more
How to Keep Your Family's Memories When You Downsize (Without Keeping Everything)

You keep your family's memories when you downsize by separating the memory from the object. Scan the photos, slides, and letters. Record the stories while the people who know them can still tell them. Decide who gets which heirlooms with a fair, written process. Put those decisions in your estate pl

View more
What It Really Costs to Retire in Orange County (and Why So Many Still Choose It)

People who ask me about retiring in Orange County usually skip the lifestyle part. They already know about the weather and the coast. What they want to know is the price. What does it actually cost to live here once the paycheck stops, and what do you get for that money? I'm a CPA as well as a Realt

View more