The Downsizing Journal
Timing, taxes, preparing to sell, and moving forward — written for longtime homeowners by Alex Padilla. No pitch, just what actually matters.
Sell, buy out, or defer? Here's how to think through the family home in a California divorce, including valuation, taxes, and timing, before anyone signs anything.
Read the article →Named executor and not sure where to start? Here's how a California probate home sale actually works, what the court controls, and where the timeline can stretch.
Read the article →Before you price a Beachwood Canyon or Hollywood Hills home, you need to know what buyers are paying for and what makes them walk. Here's how to read buyer demand so your listing lands right the first time.
Read the article →If you're preparing to sell a longtime home in Studio City or Sherman Oaks, here's what buyers in these neighborhoods value most, and how to make sure your pricing and prep reflect it.
Read the article →Once you sell the family home, the next decision is whether to rent or buy your next place. Here's how the numbers and the tradeoffs actually stack up for empty nesters in 2026.
Read the article →Staying put feels like the free option, but between insurance, maintenance, and aging-in-place modifications, the real cost of staying is often higher than people expect. Here's how to run the numbers.
Read the article →Clearing out a longtime family home before a sale is one of the hardest parts of the process. Here's a practical way to sort through decades of belongings without losing what matters.
Read the article →From Brentwood to Mar Vista to Venice, Westside buyers aren't one market. Here's what's actually driving demand and pricing in each pocket, so you can position your sale correctly.
Read the article →The capital gains exclusion on a home sale sounds simple until your gain is bigger than the limit. Here's how the $250,000/$500,000 rule actually works and what it means for your sale.
Read the article →If you're 55+ and downsizing in California, Proposition 19 can let you keep your low Prop 13 property tax rate on your next home. Here's how it works — and the timing rule that trips people up.
Read the article →Seven quiet signals that a longtime family home has gotten bigger than the life being lived in it — and what to do about each one before it becomes a crisis.
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