About Me


Robert TaylorA passion for learning, and the heart of a teacher

I’ve always had a passion for learning, and helping others in their own endeavors to learn. I love that moment when I see the light click on when the person understands something that was confusing before. I spent 20 years teaching Information Technology classes in the Silicone Valley for corporate employers like NEC, Hewlett Packard, and Stanford. Because I never felt comfortable teaching something I didn’t also do outside of the classroom, I immersed myself in projects to gain real world experience.

In 2003, I became interested in residential real estate. Simultaneously, I began to wonder about teaching real estate investing.

There was just one problem.

I was completely unqualified.  I had no experience other than my own personal home.

My own financial crisis

My timing couldn’t have been worse. It was the early 2000’s and everyone seemed to be real estate geniuses. And my own personal home’s value had done nothing but increase. I bought my first real estate investment property during this euphoria. And then came the Great Recession of 2008. My rental property’s value dropped to less than one half of what I paid. It was painful.

I owned a house that I didn’t want anymore.

Worse, I couldn’t sell it.

To add to my problems, vultures claiming to want to help me with my problem started showing up.  I was inundated with letters of people offering to buy my house, most at 50% of the current market’s value.  I was determined that I wasn’t going to be that kind of house buyer.

Fast forward several years. I’ve learned a lot of lessons I wish I had known when I first got started. I didn’t stop investing in real estate.  And I’ve never lost my heart for teaching and continue try to pass along what I’ve learned.

Have you ever owned a house you didn’t want anymore?

Obviously, I’ve been there. I know what it’s like to have a property that you don’t want anymore, and you need to get out from under. Your situation may not be the same as mine.  But when I talk with homeowners, they often share feelings that I can identify with.  I can relate because I know what it’s like to need to sell a house you don’t want anymore.

I’ve had the good fortune of helping people solving their real estate headaches. I’ve been able to help newlyweds sell one home, so that they could move into another home. One homeowner had the opportunity of a lifetime to buy his dream home, but needed to sell his existing home quickly in order to buy his dream home. And then there are the landlords who have rented out their former homes to family, or tenants and only to have them destroyed by their tenants or ruin family relationships.

I’m on a mission

I’m on a mission to provide a modern, transparent alternative to the traditional home selling process.  I want to give people total respect , no matter the condition of their home or their situation.  No one likes the traditional, stressful,  real estate sales process. They’re looking for an easy solution to quickly solve an immediate problem. Sometimes, I can help them solve their problems without their having to sell their homes.   Others are completely relieved to get a fresh start without the need for cleaning or repairs.

I love doing what I do, but I don’t have to buy every home to help people. I simply love helping people, and giving them the information they need to solve their real estate problems.  That’s why I created the rental property evaluation calculator.  I wanted to help people evaluate if their rental property was a good investment.

And very often in the process, we become more than buyers and sellers of a house, we become friends.

Robert’s in the news again

Robert is a regular contributor and source for several other writers on the topic of real estate.  Here’s some of the recent articles Robert has contributed to.

Best Company You might be surprised to discover your home loan has probably been sold several times.  In this article, Robert helps explain why lenders sell your loan and why it’s nothing to be alarmed by.
Go Banking Robert gives several recommendations of repairs to make to avoid failing your home inspection.
Fairway Mortgage Corporation Ever wonder what the difference is between the funding date and closing date? Robert helps explain the sequence of events with your lender’s funding the loan and when you will actually get the keys.
Homes & Gardens Robert discusses how a thorough deep cleaning an de cluttering may be the single most important things sellers can do to help sell their home quickly.
Better Homes & Gardens If you have purchased a fixer up, Robert contributes to the discussion of what projects you should tackle first.
Bankrate.com Robert discusses whether refinancing into a 15 year mortgage makes sense or whether it’s better to just make extra principal payments. If you have less than 18 years left on your mortgage, it will be cheaper to just make extra payments than to pay the refinancing fees.
Yahoo Finance This article discusses several real estate agents discuss ways to get your house off of the market faster.   Robert suggests that home sellers professionally stage their home and use professional photographers for pictures.
Money Inc Robert’s article on the best places to live in Sacramento is cited.
Huffington Post When home owners want to improve their home, they often add square footage with room additions.  Robert reminds people to make sure their additions make sense.  It’s way too easy to turn your house into the Winchester Mystery House instead of the Taj Majal.
When looking for a real estate agent, Robert suggests you look for one who is going to protect you legally from lawsuits and small claims court.
Yahoo Finance Robert discusses four rules house flippers should never break. Never ignore your numbers – stick to your budget. When shopping for a house to flip, you’ll see some crazy floor plans. Remember, you can’t fix stupid. Never forget that location is everything. Lastly, always have a contingency fund.
Robert shares some of his early mistakes in home flipping and how he lost $90,000 in cash on his first investment.  He reminds landlords that cash flow is always king and to not assume property values will keep going up.  Seems like common sense now.
Apartment Therapy Robert answers the question, “What should you ask your landlord” when moving in.
Bestlife Robert identifies four common DIY mistakes he encounters with remodeling homes.  He addresses the need to make electrical connections in boxes that can be accessed, using the proper pipe under sinks, using galvanized nails on the exterior of your home, and  evaluating your own expertise before starting a DIY task.
Homelight Robert reminds people that price per foot is just a tool, but should not be relied upon, and is rarely accurate for pricing your home. He explains that the price per foot increases as homes get smaller, and decreases as the square footage get larger.
Readers Digest Did you know that your real estate agent can receive extra money for having you write a full price offer?  Robert discusses a common financial incentive that seller’s agents use to entice your agent to only write full price offers.
Bankrate.com There’s a common assumption that adding a pool to your home will increase it’s value. Robert says that’s not always the case. “If you live in a typical community where some houses have pools but most do not, having a pool built will probably not have any impact on the value of your home,”
Bestlife Robert contributes to this list of 40 signs that there’s something wrong with your house..
Go Banking The article from Yahoo Finance including Robert’s four house flipping rules you should never ignore is syndicated to Go Banking Rates.
Homelight Robert discusses seller net sheets, provided by your title office to help you understand how much money you will receive when you sell your home.
Realtor.com Robert emphasizes the importance of first impressions when listing your home on the Internet and the value of using a professional photographer.
OutwitTrad article There are several things that first time home buyers may not think about when buying their new home – like when you buy a house, you also buy your neighborhood.  Robert gives some suggestions for checking out your neighborhood before buying.
Homelight Robert discusses the current COVID-19 pandemic and why landlords might consider selling their rental properties.

What some of our clients are saying

“I was near the end of my rope! Having lost my job and struggling to make house payments, I was getting nowhere… I was depleting all my savings trying to keep up. When I called Robert, he was confident and reassuring and took care of all the details… Now I can get on with my life! I have peace of mind… Robert was helpful, friendly, took time to answer all my questions, and took care of me and my home respectfully.” – Barry P.

 

“I want to THANK YOU for your prompt response and the painless process that you setup for us. I can testify to the great service that we received from you (I hope you don’t mind that I now do consider you as a personal friend, for that’s how you made me feel).” – Joe Ramos