Sixteen questions first-time buyers ask me. Sixteen straight answers.

The “20% or you're not serious” rule is a myth, and it's keeping good buyers renting. NAR's 2025 data shows first-time buyers put down a median of just 10%, and some Bay Area jumbo programs go as low as 5% with no PMI. On a $2.5M home that's the difference between $500K and $125K. The math is probably better than you think.

加州买房，真的不用付 20% 首付

Everyone's waiting for rates to fall. Forecasters at Fannie Mae and the MBA expect the 30-year to hold in the mid-6% range through 2026, with no dramatic drop on the horizon. The honest reframe: the price and terms of a house are negotiable today; future rates are not. “Marry the house, date the rate” is real, but only qualify if the payment works at today's rate, and treat a refinance as a possible bonus, not a plan.

在等利率下来再买？先看这条

The Bay Area median hit a record $1.45M in May 2026, but affordability is actually at a four-year high (C.A.R.: 24% in Q1 2026 vs. 21% a year earlier), and most target towns are flat to slightly down year over year (Santa Cruz County median about $1.1M, down about 4.5%). That's a cooling, not a crash. The real question isn't “will it crash?” It's “can you comfortably own this for ten years?”

湾区房市要崩了吗？数据说：在降温，不是崩盘

The rules changed and most buyers still don't know. Since the NAR settlement (Aug 17, 2024), any agent working with you needs a written agreement before touring a home, stating the exact fee, and stating plainly that commissions are not set by law and are fully negotiable. California's AB 2992 (Jan 1, 2025) requires a written buyer-representation agreement, capped at 90 days with no auto-renew. In practice most Bay Area buyers still pay nothing out of pocket, but the contract determines who pays.

现在买方经纪的佣金到底怎么算？规则去年变了

The whole process, demystified. Start to keys usually runs two to four months: pre-approval, search, offer with an earnest deposit (about 1 to 3%), escrow opens (30 to 45 days), inspections, appraisal, contingencies (California contracts commonly allow about 17 days), underwriting, then sign, record, and get your keys. Escrow is just a neutral, bonded fund-holder: a smart contract with a person instead of code.

加州买房全流程，9 步 60 秒讲清楚

Waiving your inspection doesn't make the house safer. It just means you find out about the problems after you own them. Around 18% of buyers waived the appraisal contingency, and 8% of 2024 appraisals came in below sale price. The inspection contingency guards against a median of about $11,222 in hidden repairs. There's a smarter way to compete: a pre-offer inspection (keep the information, waive the contingency) and a capped appraisal-gap clause instead of a blanket waiver.

为了抢房放弃验房？先看这条

A house isn't just square footage. It's how light, energy, and life move through it. In a landmark 2015 BHGRE/AREAA survey, 79% of Chinese-American respondents said they'd pay more for good Feng Shui, and about 36% wouldn't work with an agent who doesn't understand it. Much of it is genuinely about light, sightlines, and comfort: a stairway aimed straight at the front door feels unsettling to almost anyone. I read a home through that lens, for buyers who want it.

风水，到底在“测”什么？

On an H-1B and think a mortgage is off the table? It isn't. Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac treat many visa holders like any other borrower, often with as little as 3% down, and gift funds are allowed. Here's what actually matters to a lender.

H-1B 也能买房？可以，而且首付可能只要 3%

Closing costs surprise almost every first-time buyer. In California, plan for roughly 2 to 5% of the purchase price on top of your down payment: lender fees, title, escrow, and prepaids. The good news: Prop 13 caps how fast your property tax can rise, about 2% a year. Here's the honest breakdown.

加州买房，除了首付还要准备 2–5% 的杂费

Tech comp is messy: RSUs, bonuses, a job you started last month. Lenders can absolutely work with it. They typically want about a two-year history for RSUs and use a 200-day average for public stock, and an offer letter can count within roughly 90 days of starting. Structure matters. Here's how to present it.

RSU、奖金、刚跳槽……这种收入贷款算不算？

Layoff headlines make everyone nervous. Buying isn't about timing the market. It's about your reserves and your income stability. Lenders look at reserves for a reason: months of cushion buy you calm. Here's the honest way to think about it.

到处在裁员，现在买房是不是疯了？

In parts of SF, homes can sell around 25% over asking. Up in the Santa Cruz Mountains it's a different rhythm: homes often sell near 99% of list. Same buyer, very different odds. If the frenzy is wearing you down, the mountains might be your answer.

旧金山抢到心累？山里是另一种节奏

“Should I wait?” is the wrong first question. The right one: how long will you stay? For most buyers the break-even versus renting lands around three to five years. Stay longer and buying tends to win; shorter, and renting may. It's about your timeline, not a rate prediction.

该现在买，还是继续租着等？

Skeptical of agents? Fair. But this isn't a sales pitch. It's a legal duty. In California your agent owes you fiduciary duties: loyalty, full disclosure, and putting your interests first, in writing. Know what you're owed before you tour a single home.

凭什么信房产经纪？因为这是法律

Buying isn't always a solo decision, and that's normal. About 1 in 6 buyers (17%) purchase a multigenerational home, and 41% factor in aging parents (NAR 2024). If your family is part of the choice, the search should reflect that: layouts, an ADU, single-level living. Bring everyone to the table.

买房不是一个人的事——全家一起，很正常

In the mountains, insurance, not price, is often the real deal-breaker. Many homes end up on California's FAIR Plan, the state's last-resort insurer, and that's okay if you plan ahead. Hardened homes cost less to insure: fire-resistant vents, a Class-A roof, a five-foot clearance zone. California now requires insurers to discount for these, up to about 16% off wildfire premiums on the FAIR Plan. No home is fireproof. Get quotes early.

山里到底能不能买保险？说实话