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Free Los Angeles Home Guides
Five practical guides I give my own clients, free as PDF downloads. Buying your first home, fixing your credit, finding down payment assistance, adding an ADU, or selling for top dollar. Enter your details and the download unlocks right away. No spam, and I will only reach out if you want help with your next move.
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For sellers
Los Angeles Home Seller’s Checklist: Everything You Need to Know
Everything between deciding to sell and handing over the keys, in the order it happens, with the Los Angeles costs and paperwork that catch owners off guard.
- Pricing strategy that fits the current Los Angeles market
- The LA paperwork nobody warns you about: 9A report, retrofits and the new 2026 disclosures
- Offers, escrow and what it really costs to sell, including Measure ULA
- A tear out master checklist so nothing gets missed from listing to keys
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For future buyers
Credit Comeback: How to Raise Your Credit Score for a Home Loan
A plain plan to get your score where lenders need it. What to fix first, what barely moves the needle, and what to do if you are starting with no credit file at all.
- Which score lenders actually use and the minimums for FHA, conventional and LA assistance programs
- How to fix report errors, cut utilization and clear collections in the right order
- How to build credit from scratch, including without a Social Security number
- A 90 day mortgage ready plan you can start this week
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For first-time buyers
The First-Time Buyer’s Roadmap to Buying a Home in Los Angeles
Never bought a home before, or first in your family to try. This is every step in order, from working out what you can really afford to the day you get the keys.
- What a payment really costs in LA once taxes, insurance and HOA are added
- Pre-approval, the documents to gather, and how to pick a lender
- Writing an offer that wins without waiving the protections you need
- Surviving escrow, closing costs and the supplemental tax bill nobody warns you about
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For buyers short on cash
Down Payment Assistance in Los Angeles: Up to $161,000
Most buyers who qualify for this money never apply. Here are the 2026 amounts, the income limits, the funding round dates, and the rule that decides which program is yours.
- LIPA and MIPA amounts, price cap and income limits by household size
- LA County HOP and the CalHFA programs, and who each one fits
- Why city money and CalHFA do not stack, and how to pick the right route
- A 60 day plan so your file is ready on the next funding round date
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For homeowners
The LA ADU and SB 9 Owner’s Guide
If you own a single family lot in Los Angeles you can almost certainly add a rental unit, and you may be able to split the lot in two. Here is what you can build, what it costs, and what it returns.
- What you can build in 2026: sizes, heights, setbacks and garage conversions
- Real all-in costs, typical LA rents, and the math that says whether it pays
- Permits and the 60 day approval clock, plus where projects stall
- SB 9 lot splits, and how an ADU changes what your home is worth
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Whether you are months away from buying or thinking about selling this year, one honest conversation usually answers more than a dozen articles.
Alex Maldonado Miranda, DRE #02196988 · Circle Real Estate, DRE #02051216