Sell the house, or stay and use the equity?
It is the question many long-time San Juan Capistrano owners reach. Doug Betz is licensed to do both jobs: he lists homes for sale and he arranges reverse mortgages. You get both options laid side by side.
Doug has sold here.
The home pictured is a San Juan Capistrano sale that also appears on Doug's home page.
His listing process runs from pricing and preparation through marketing, negotiation and closing, and you work with Doug directly the whole way.
Not sure what yours is worth? Start with a home value estimate.
What each choice involves.
There is no universally right answer. It depends on how long you want to stay, your monthly budget and what you want to leave to family.
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1
Selling
You convert the home to cash and move. It suits you if the house no longer fits, upkeep is a burden, or you want to be nearer family. Doug prices the home, advises on what to fix and what to leave, and negotiates for you.
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2
Staying, with a reverse mortgage
If you are 62 or older, a HECM lets you draw on equity with no required monthly mortgage payment. You complete counseling with a HUD-approved agency first. You keep paying property taxes, insurance and any association dues, and you maintain the home. The balance grows, so less equity is left later.
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3
Selling and buying something that fits better
Doug can list the current home and arrange financing for the next one, so the timing of the two lines up. For buyers 62 and older, a HECM for Purchase is one way to do it; the reverse mortgage page explains how.
What is different about owning here.
San Juan Capistrano is older and more varied than its neighbors, and that affects both paths.
- About 81% owner-occupiedOf roughly 35,000 residents, about 21.5% are 65 or older. The median owner-estimated home value is about $993,800.
- A city since 1961The Mission was founded in 1776, and a small share of homes predate 1940, about half of them in the Historic Los Rios District, Mission Flats, Mission Hills and Spotted Bull.
- Historic listing limits changes, not salesHomes on the City's Inventory of Historic and Cultural Landmarks need Site Plan Review to alter, add onto, relocate or demolish. Selling one needs no City approval.
- Mills Act may applyOwners of listed properties can apply for a Mills Act contract, which can lower the property tax assessment. Ask the City's planning staff whether your home qualifies.
- Hillsides and floodplainThe City applies slope-based standards in its Hillside Residential district, and parts of the city are constrained by floodplain or fire hazard. Both can affect insurance and what a buyer's lender asks for.
Sources: City of San Juan Capistrano: History; City of San Juan Capistrano: Historic Preservation; San Juan Capistrano Housing Element (draft, September 2021); U.S. Census Bureau profile, American Community Survey 2020–2024 5-year estimates (tables B01003, B01001, B25003, B25077, B25035, B25024); Consumer Financial Protection Bureau: What is a reverse mortgage?.
Compare selling and staying, with real numbers.
Tell Doug a little about the home and what you are weighing. He will come back with what a sale could look like and what a reverse mortgage could look like.
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Office
30211 Avenida de las BanderasSuite 200
Rancho Santa Margarita, CA 92688