Buying & Selling a Mid-Century Modern Home

How to sort an inspection report on a mid-century house, when to ask for repairs or a credit, the California and EPA rules that apply to the work, and how to write a request a seller can answer.

When a long-held mid-century house passes to a child, Prop 19 decides whether the low tax base survives. The conditions, the value cap, filing deadlines and common heir situations.

Why a California home purchase triggers a separate supplemental tax bill, how the county calculates it, when it arrives and what to file after closing.

Selling as is changes what you repair, not what you disclose. The California rules that apply to 1950s and 1960s houses, and a simple way to sort fix, credit and leave.

A method for pricing a mid-century or architect-designed home when comparable sales don't line up, built on Fannie Mae's appraisal rules, quality ratings and the reconsideration of value process.

What California sellers must disclose about unpermitted work, how to choose between disclosing, legalizing or removing it, the state's path for unpermitted ADUs, and how lenders view it.

How to stage a mid-century modern home around its floor plan: furniture scale, clear sightlines through glass, atrium and yard staging, and California's disclosure rule for altered photos.

Which repairs to handle before selling a mid-century modern home, which original features to keep, the gray zone in between, and the California disclosure items that shape the list.

How FHA 203(k), Fannie Mae HomeStyle and Freddie Mac CHOICERenovation loans work for a mid-century house that needs a roof, glass or heat, plus home equity options for current owners.

The federal lead paint disclosure steps for pre-1978 homes, how California's disclosure form treats hazards, where asbestos may be in a mid-century house, and renovation rules.

What Section 1, Section 2 and further inspection mean on a California pest report, where post-and-beam homes tend to show wood damage, and how buyers and sellers use the report.

Where permit records for Bay Area mid-century homes live, how to search them step by step, how to request original plans, and what to do when the house and the records don't match.

How to insure a 1950s or 1960s post-and-beam home in California: rebuild limits, code upgrade coverage, wildfire mitigation discounts, the FAIR Plan and nonrenewal notice rules.

Which inspections to order for a 1950s or 1960s post-and-beam home, and what to check on the roof, slab, wiring, glass and original materials before your contingency ends.