California is dominated by detached homes, many of which have their own land. In the centers of San Diego, Los Angeles and San Francisco, you can also find multi-story buildings, but in these cities this type of housing is not as common as, for example, in New York.
New buildings today attract the most buyers, although in California there are many older houses that have historical value and are also in high demand.
In California, it is difficult to find a type of house that would be worth avoiding. Every time a property is purchased, a thorough home inspection is carried out – for this purpose, an experienced specialist is hired who will check all the nuances and necessary compliance. In particular, houses on hilly terrain require a more thorough inspection, and houses on the first line near the ocean (for example, in Malibu) also need to be checked for corrosion and load-bearing piles. It is important to avoid especially old properties (without historical value), where there may be hidden problems that even specialists are not always able to detect immediately during the inspection of the property.
It is also important to pay attention to the price of the property and how it compares to the average market value, for example, to avoid potentially problematic properties that are selling for a low price. The US market is currently going through a price correction, and California is just entering this part of the cycle – March 2019 was the first month since 2012 that prices fell. Therefore, buyers now have a good opportunity to negotiate with sellers of homes. It is also worth noting that stories with dirty titles are very rare in the US due to the presence of title insurance in the country. It is customary for the property right to be insured by the seller during the purchase and sale transaction, although this is not mandatory.
