Your builder may promise a 10-feet-deep swimming pool and a community playground but if you don’t get that promise in writing, don’t be shocked when it doesn’t materialize. Buying from a builder may be one way to get your dream home but even the savviest homebuyer needs to be cautious, especially if you’re buying without [...]
How to buy your parent's house. When they're ready to move out and you're ready to move back in, here's how to go about buying your parent's house. Your parents are ready to move out of their house. They want to sell it to you for cheap, so they get a little cash and you [...]
My best advice for buying a home, especially if it’s your first home, is this: Don’t do it alone. Consider everything that’s on the line with a home purchase. For most people, a home is the most valuable asset they will ever have and the biggest financial investment they will ever make. While going solo [...]
During your home closing keep a copy of mortgage lender's good faith estimate handy. For home closing tips, check out today's Real Estate Minute. Whether you’re buying or selling, you must keep a paper trail of the transaction, or you could get into big trouble. To keep your mortgage lender honest during your closing, keep [...]
Thinking about co-buying your home? Before buying a home with another family member, consider problems that can occur. Q: My husband, sister, and I are buying a home. My sister would like to pay one-third of the cost of the house and we’d finance the rest of the purchase. My husband and I would pay [...]
It's better to inherit property from your parents or family members rather than receiving it through a quit claim deed. The tax implications of receiving a property through a quit claim deed are much greater than inheriting a property. When estate planning, it's better to put the property in a will or trust, rather than transfer the property through a quit claim deed.
Everybody is looking for a quick sale of their property. If a homeowner can't sell using normal real estate channels, then maybe non-conventional sales can be effective. You can try to use a real estate broker to sell your property, but if you have tenants in the property, you might try to see if they are willing buyers of your home. If they are, you can sell them the home outright or you can decide if you want to sell it to them by other means. One way to entice a tenant to buy the home is to offer them a lease with an option to buy the home. Another way to sell the home to current tenant is to offer them seller financing. The financing can be either by using a mortgage or by selling them the home on an installment basis.
Seller closing costs generally come as a surprise to home sellers, particularly when home sellers find out that they’ll have to pay anywhere between 2 to 7 percent of the sales price in fees and costs. Here's an updated list of closing costs you may incur when you sell a house.
If you decide to buy a house and change your mind just before closing can you get out of your home purchase contract? It depends on the contract and the reason that you want to cancel your home purchase. You may or may not be able to get your earnest money or down payment money back when you cancel a home purchase contract. To understand what to do it's advisable to contact a real estate attorney who can review your contract.
When making a for-sale-by-owner real estate purchase, it's important to have a real estate attorney who can assist you in the process and put together an "offer to purchase" contract. An attorney can ensure that the proper information is included in an offer to purchase contract. The attorney will provide legal advice about the offer to purchase contract and navigate other concerns when purchasing real estate that is for sale by owner.
