Tutorials
Buying a home in Monterey County
Straight, no-fluff answers to the questions that actually come up, from your first offer to the walk-through before closing.
Start here: buying a home in Monterey County
Who this guide is for, how it's organized, and where to start depending on whether you're a first-time buyer, new to the area, or both.
4 min readThe areas of Monterey County at a glance
A quick orientation to the parts of Monterey County where people buy homes: the Monterey Peninsula, Carmel Valley, the Highway 68 corridor, Salinas and the Salinas Valley, North County, and the Big Sur coast.
7 min readHow buying a home works in California, step by step
The 11 steps from getting pre-approved to getting your keys, who's on your team, how long it takes, and what happens at each stage when you buy a home in Monterey County.
8 min readGetting financed to buy a home in Monterey County
What lenders look at, the main loan types, how much to put down, Monterey County's 2026 loan limits, down payment help, and the mistakes that keep people from qualifying.
11 min readWhat buying a home in Monterey County really costs
Your down payment, closing costs, who usually pays what here, how property taxes work in California, the supplemental tax bill, special assessments like Mello-Roos, and the ongoing costs of owning.
8 min readWater, permits, and local rules that surprise buyers in Monterey County
Water limits, the fixture rule at every sale, city reports before closing, historic homes, trees, coastal permits, and rental rules, city by city.
15 min readInsurance, fire, and flood when buying in Monterey County
Why homeowners insurance is harder to get in California right now, what the FAIR Plan is, the new fire hazard maps, the defensible space rule at sale, and where flooding has actually happened here.
10 min readMaking an offer and closing on a home in Monterey County
What goes into an offer, how deposits and contingencies work in California, what gets inspected, the local reports that come up during escrow, and what happens the week you close.
13 min read