Elizabeth Samuels

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United States
Torrance, CA
Elizabeth Samuels

REALTOR® | DRE #01500122 | Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices California Properties. Licensed since 2005. start.lizsamuelsproperty.com

I handle the moves nobody plans for across Southern California: probate, Prop 19, senior moves, short sales and VA.

10/21/2026

Thinking about downsizing, or wondering if Mom and Dad should?

Start with where you want to live.

Who do you want close by? Family, church, old friends.
What do you need nearby? Doctors, groceries, a bus line.
What will your body thank you for? One level, fewer stairs, a smaller yard.

Answer those first. The right home, and the right time to sell, get much clearer after that.

I have a free guide that walks through each step. Send me a message and I'll send it to you.

10/19/2026

Did your parents sign a living trust? Ask one more question. Is the house in it?

This is Estate Planning Awareness Week, so here is a quick check worth doing.

A trust controls only what it holds. If the deed still shows Mom and Dad by name, the house can end up in probate anyway. That can mean court and months of waiting.

Get a copy of the deed and read the owner line. It should name them as trustees of their trust. If they refinanced, look again. Some lenders take the house out of the trust for the loan, and it does not always go back in.

This is much easier to fix while your parents can still sign. Send me a message and I'll help you read the deed.

General information, not legal advice. Ask your estate planning attorney to confirm.

09/28/2026

The typical first-time home buyer in America is now 40 years old.

That number comes from NAR's 2025 Profile of Home Buyers and Sellers. First-time buyers made up 21% of all purchases, the lowest share on record. The typical repeat buyer is 62. Sellers stayed in their homes a record 11 years before they sold.

In other words, homes change hands less often, and the people who buy them are older.

Part of the reason in California is the property tax. Many owners 55 and older would move to a smaller home, or closer to family. They stay because they fear losing a low tax base. Prop 19 lets many of them take that base with them. When they move, a home opens up for a younger family.

These are national figures. Local numbers differ from county to county.

How old were you when you bought your first home? Tell me in the comments.

Tomorrow I will show how Prop 19 works for owners who want to move up in price.

09/16/2026

Your property tax bill isn't the only number changing this fall.

California's FAIR Plan rates go up 29% on October 15. If you're 55 or older and weighing whether to sell, insurance has quietly become part of that math too.

Full breakdown below. Want a second set of eyes on your own numbers? Send me a message.

09/03/2026

Everyone is watching mortgage rates right now. Fewer people are watching the calendar, and the calendar might matter more this fall.

Realtor.com's data shows something that repeats almost every year. Home listings peak in September through November, not in spring like most buyers assume. Homes that list in summer don't all close right away, and new listings keep arriving through fall, so the pool of homes for sale is largest right when the weather turns cool.

Asking prices tend to soften too. HousingWire tracks this every year. Sellers price high when spring demand is strong. By fall, buyer traffic slows, so sellers price to compete for the buyers still looking.

Price cuts also peak in fall, according to Realtor.com. Fewer buyers are shopping, and many sellers want a deal done before the holidays. That combination gives you more room to negotiate than you'll likely have for months.

Run the math on what that means. A 5% price cut on a $500,000 home is $25,000. That's a smaller loan, or more room in your budget after you move in.

Realtor.com's own senior economist, Hannah Jones, put it plainly: the best window to buy usually falls in early fall, around October.

If you've been waiting for the market to feel more workable, this is worth a real conversation, not just a rate check. Message me and let's look at what's happening in your specific area right now.

09/02/2026

A new home costing less than an existing one sounds backwards. Right now, in a lot of markets, it is true.

Census Bureau and National Association of Realtors data put the gap at about $40,000. Builders can't wait for the right offer the way a homeowner can. Every month a house sits empty costs them money, so they cut prices and add incentives to move it.

The National Association of Home Builders reports that in August, 35% of builders cut prices by an average of 6%, and 63% offered incentives, like covering closing costs or buying down your mortgage rate. A rate buydown lowers your rate for a period, sometimes for the whole loan. That can beat a flat discount over time.

None of this is guaranteed at every builder or every community. The deals vary, so it pays to compare before you sign anything.

One more thing worth knowing: the rep in the builder's sales office works for the builder, not you. Bring your own agent to check the price against the local market and negotiate on your behalf.

If you want the list of new construction communities near you offering price cuts or incentives right now, send me a message.

08/31/2026

"Can I just pull the down payment out of my 401(k)?" The headlines this year have a lot of people asking that question, so here's the part they leave out.

If you're under 59½, an early withdrawal costs you a 10% federal penalty. California then adds its own 2.5% additional tax on early distributions. That's 12.5% in penalties, and income tax on the full amount comes after. Pull $50,000 at 45, and you're out $6,250 before the tax bill even starts.

In other words, the money that was supposed to make the house affordable makes your tax year harder, right when you're picking up a mortgage payment.

Here's what I'd look at first. FHA lets qualified buyers put down 3.5%, which on the $888,120 LA County median is about $31,084, not the six figures most people picture. CalHFA's MyHome program can cover that down payment for first-time buyers through a loan you don't pay back right away. If you served, VA financing needs nothing down.

Fair warning on the other side: a 401(k) loan is gentler than a withdrawal- no penalty and no immediate tax, but if you leave your job, the balance usually comes due fast. It's a real option, not a free one.

08/12/2026

A Compton house bought in the 1970s is worth something very different today.

That number is what the probate court uses to apply its fee schedule. On a median Compton home, it works out to roughly $15,500 in statutory attorney fees, before anyone lists the property.

California opened a shorter route in April 2025. Four things must be true for a family to qualify, and one of them is a date most people never think to check.

One page. The arithmetic and the qualifying rules. If your parents are still living, a trust beats every route on this page. Ask them about it this week.

Address

600 Deep Valley Drive
Torrance, CA
90274

Website

http://start.lizsamuelsproperty.com/

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