Why Ratowsky Group
When you list with us, you get two agents for the price of one. Craig Ratowsky has closed over a thousand Huntington Beach deals since 1977, and Justin is a third-generation local Realtor® who runs the modern marketing. Two sets of eyes on every contract, a direct line to both of us, and a proven process built to protect your interests and your bottom line. Coastal expertise, generational experience.
Two agents, one direct line
Hire a big 12-agent team and you often end up working with team members, not the agent whose name is on the sign. With us, you work with Craig and Justin directly, from list to close. Two sets of eyes on every contract, two brains on every negotiation, and one direct line to both of us. No layers, no handoffs.
We stay in direct contact with the escrow officer, the title officer, and the buyer’s agent, and we relay everything back to you on the cadence you want, whether that is a check-in once or twice a week or something else. You get the wisdom of Craig’s thousand-plus deals and Justin’s modern marketing, together, on your listing.
Experience for when it is not all sunshine
There are always bumps in a sale. A pipe bursts the week before closing. An inspection turns up something nobody expected. Craig is at his best under pressure. On one sale down the street, a pipe broke and flooded the home. Craig and the team were there the same day with towels, got it fixed, brought in a restoration crew, and the home still closed clean, with no mold. Every one of those thousand-plus deals is a lesson in how to keep your sale on track when things go sideways.
The biggest lesson of all is simple: disclose everything. We have seen sellers get into trouble over things they assumed were obvious. We protect you by making sure every known detail is disclosed up front, so a small surprise never becomes a lawsuit. We take the stress on so you do not have to carry it.
Marketing that reaches the actual buyer
Justin runs the marketing, and right now video is what moves homes. Reels and listing videos pull far more attention than photos alone. We build a targeted campaign across Facebook, Instagram, and Google that puts your home in front of the people most likely to buy it, including the neighbors, who almost always know someone looking.
On a recent listing, our video earned 5,600 organic views with zero dollars spent directly on YouTube, all driven by that targeted social campaign. The buyer came from a neighbor’s family who saw it, and the home sold in eight days, in a stretch where the average was closer to fifty. Every home and market is different, and past results are not a guarantee of future outcomes, but the approach is the same every time: intentional photography, video, and campaigns that find the right buyer.
Justin’s background is built for this. Before real estate he spent sixteen years managing and marketing a Huntington Beach music project, handling the contracts, the venues, and the social media, and growing it past twenty thousand followers. That same hands-on marketing goes into every listing.
How we protect your interests
A few of the specific things we do on every listing to protect your sale, your budget, and your peace of mind.
We put a seller's home warranty in place before your home is listed. From the day it goes on the market through the day escrow closes, if something breaks, the plumbing, the electrical, the heating, the built-in appliances, or the water heater, you pay a small service fee, often around $85, and the warranty company sends someone out to repair or replace it. A seller's policy is not as broad as the buyer's policy that takes effect at closing, but it covers most of what tends to come up while you are on the market, so a surprise repair does not derail your sale or your budget.
Our goal is to create real competition, ideally a multiple-offer situation. Then we vet every buyer before we ever go under contract. If they are financing, we have them cross-qualify with our trusted lender and we contact that lender directly to confirm. If it is cash, we ask to see proof of funds. Show us the money. We will counter to fix any terms that are not in your favor, but we do not tie your home up in a contract until the buyer has proven they can perform. That protects you from the deal that falls apart three weeks in.
We are not tax professionals, but we help you go in with your eyes open. A lot of sellers focus on the sale price and forget that part of the proceeds can go to capital gains, and that California has its own state capital gains on top of the federal amount. The good news is that many sellers of a primary residence can exclude a large part of their gain under current IRS rules. Before you list, we have our escrow company prepare a seller's net sheet so you can see your estimated costs and what you could actually walk away with. Craig is excellent with the numbers and can walk you through the general picture, and we can connect you with a CPA, an attorney, or a lender when you need one. For the current federal and California figures, see the official IRS and Franchise Tax Board resources linked below, and confirm your specific situation with a qualified tax professional.
Something usually does, and that is exactly where experience earns its keep. Across more than a thousand deals we have handled burst pipes, failed inspections, appraisal gaps, and last-minute lender issues. We stay calm, find the solution, and keep your sale moving. You hire us so you do not have to carry that stress. We carry it for you.
Disclosure. The biggest lesson from a thousand-plus deals is that you disclose everything, up front. We have watched sellers get into trouble over things they assumed were obvious, like sprinklers running on a neighboring golf course. We make sure every known detail about your home is disclosed properly, so a small surprise never turns into a lawsuit. Protecting you is the whole point.
You work with us. When you hire Ratowsky Group, you get Craig and Justin directly, not a rotating cast of team members. Two experienced Realtors®, two sets of eyes on every document, and one direct line to both of us from list to close.
Official tax resources
Tax figures change year to year, so rather than post numbers that can go stale, here are the official government pages with the current rules. We are not tax professionals; please use these alongside your own CPA.
The primary-residence gain exclusion and how it works.
Current federal capital gains treatment and rates.
How California taxes capital gains (as ordinary income).
Let's talk before you list
We are happy to put together a quick private home value review and walk you through exactly how we would protect and market your sale. No pressure, just useful information.
Ratowsky Group at Compass. Craig Ratowsky DRE #00608046, Justin Ratowsky DRE #02026158. We are not tax, legal, or accounting professionals; the information here is general and not a substitute for advice from a qualified professional. Equal Housing Opportunity.
