Home Value Articles and Videos - Page 3

Does having a pool in a townhouse community raises the value of each townhouse. This depends on whether other local townhouse communities have pools. A pool will cost townhouse residents more in fees and upkeep, but if it's the only pool in the area it can help increase your townhouse's value.

What makes for a good garden design, which then enhances home design? Garden design includes envisioning how the garden will change with time and how it affects your home designt. Garden design should also factor in house or home design. Learn tips from garden design expert Sarah Susanka.

You may have heard all about synthetic stucco, and how many homes with synthetic stucco coverings suffer water damage. But is it worth it to replace synthetic stucco to improve a home's value? Even if your EIFS, or synthetic stucco, has been problem free, there may be a stigma around synthetic…

Mortgage lenders require appraisals before issuing home loans. What happens if the home you want to buy appraises lower than what the seller wants? It depends on the contract. The buyer may lose his earnest money if the home does not appraise out and the seller is unwilling to lower the price. It's…

Will messy neighbors lower your property value? Here's the video from Good Morning America weekend edition!

http://abcnews.go.com/Video/playerIndex?id=5023439

June 8, 2008.

A seller asks about selling his home for a lower home value than its appraisal value. He wonders if selling for a lower home value could be illegal. A wrong home value could lead to mortgage fraud or call the appraisal into question.

Real estate market conditions used to be favorable to home owners. Home values were high and interest rates low, making real estate market conditions favorable to home owners. Now, home owners may feel glum about the real estate market conditions but they should improve after the presidential…

A couple asks if they should tear down their ranch house while they still have a mortgage. They say many of their neighbors tear down their houses so their street has many new brick homes. They think they can rebuild and increase their home value by several hundred thousand. To determine is it's…

When you get divorced you may have to sell your home. Depending on how the home was owned each spouse should receive a fair share of the home sale profits. If during the sale, your former spouse forges your signature on the home sale documents, it may be considered fraud. It's critical that you meet…

When you buy a home with an FHA loan you have to follow their rules, including one where you can't close on a home if it was just sold 90 days earlier. If a seller is eager to sell he may not want to wait that long. Can the seller keep the buyer's deposit if the closing gets delayed or canceled?

Home sellers can't pick appraisers but they can learn how appraisals are calculated and what current market conditions are. It can be tough to appraise a home accurately in a declining real estate market. A good appraiser will dig deep to understand high sales.

After going through a divorce and bankruptcy you may find it difficult to keep making mortgage payments on a property that's not a primary residence, even if it's rented out. To prevent your credit from becoming more bad, you should try to keep making mortgage payments. Perhaps your former spouse…

Refinancing to an interest-only loan could be a good idea for homeowners planning to sell within several years. Having an interest-only loan while you upgrade the home can result in a big payoff when it's time to sell.

Homeowners lived in a home for 2 years and then rented it out for the past two years. They want to continue renting it out, but they will sell now if that's the only way to avoid capital gains tax. The IRS website is a good place to check for the tax implications before making any real estate…

Properties that once cost $100,000 are selling for 10 to 12 times that sum. How do you determine the true value of a home? There are many reasons why properties that seem too good to be true are still on the market.

A home seller accepted an offer on her home when the buyer's mortgage company appraised the property at a lower value. The rising level of foreclosures and defaults is forcing mortgage lenders to be more careful about appraisals and making sure homes are really worth what buyers want to pay. It…

What happens when you inherit a fraction of a property? How can you work with the other heirs in a buyout of the inheritance? Determining a fair price for inherited property can be tricky in an iffy real estate market.

It can be difficult to find the original value of real estate property. Finding a copy of the original deed or other related documents can help you determine the original sales price and value of a piece of real estate. Ilyce and Sam tell you where to look if you're trying to find the original sales…

Investing in real estate is not without risks. Buyers must beware when purchasing investment property -- there's no guarantee your real estate will increase in value. There's no one to blame when investment property doesn't appreciate the way you might have hoped.

Real Estate Minute with Ilyce Glink Fight Your Property tax Assessment and Win -- At least half the time

What constitutes a reasonable offer on a new home? Ilyce explains that it depends how well the house is priced, but a buyer who puts in a bid considered to be 5-10 percent below the list price would be giving a reasonable offer. But if the home seller priced the home to high, a buyer's reasonable…

Once you figure out how the condition of your home compares to other homes that are for sale in your neighborhood, and you decide whether you're willing to fix it up for sale, you can turn your attention to pricing your property. To get the most money for your home, you should make it shine. Fix the…

Having an attorney is one of the best ways for a home buyer to protect himself when purchasing real estate - especially if he is buying from a real estate agent or mortgage lender. The attorney can protect the home buyer from being cheated when purchasing real estate from someone who has a…