A reader wonders how to calculate the square footage of a home Developers calculate the square footage of a home in different ways. Which can be confusing. Q: I read your column regularly and have a question. I recently attended an open house for a 2-bedroom, 2-bath condo in a south suburb of Chicago. [...]
Electronic Vehicle (EV) Charging Concerns Readers are concerned about electric vehicle (EV) charging in condominium buildings. Reader Comment on Electronic Vehicle Charging Concern - Fire You missed a very real concern with the questions of EVs charging – fire. Standard sprinklers will not extinguish a battery-based fire. Water can't smother it and even if it [...]
Getting Rid of an HOA Homeowners wonder if turning over control of retention ponds and eliminating their HOA is a good idea Q: We recently read a reply you gave to a question about a homeowners association (HOA) in Maryland, that is having trouble getting people to run for the board. We live in a [...]
Minimizing taxes on inheritance Buyer wants to know how to minimize taxes on a rental property he inherited. Q: I inherited my mother’s home. That part went well, but boy was I uninformed. As I’ve now learned, and Ilyce’s site (ThinkGlink.com) made this clearer, when one inherits a house: (i) You can benefit by paying [...]
Do Lease Obligations Follow a Home Sale? What do solar panel and liquid propane gas service contracts say about buyer who purchase homes with these contracts in place? Q: We purchased a home with liquid propane (LP) gas service to heat the pool. We did not heat the pool and did not use the LP [...]
Calculating capital gains. You'll want to keep receipts to make sure keep your capital gains as low as possible. Q: I read your recent article on capital gains and how to calculate them. Here’s my issue. I thought I could shred a whole bunch of receipts accumulated during my ownership of my home. I see [...]
Do I need a quit claim deed? Reader wonders if she needs a quit claim deed if living trust is in place Q: Is there any risk, concern or benefit to simply adding a child to title through a quit claim deed (not replacing homeowner on title, but adding)? This child is the beneficiary and [...]
Home Appraisals: electronic or in-person? Lenders often choose an electronic home appraisals vs. in-person appraisals because of cost Q: I really like and appreciate your "Real Estate Matters" column. About a week ago, you had a column about how to protect your home from someone trying to take out a fraudulent mortgage against it. In [...]
Solar Panel Roof Replacement Costs Should you replace the roof before you add solar panels? Q: Five years ago we contracted with a solar panel company to install a system on our house. We now find out we will need a new roof in about two years, after getting three opinions. We’re surprised by this. [...]
Real Estate Matters: Readers Comment Readers weigh in on some of our recent Real Estate Matters columns Real Estate Matters: Realtor who wants to end lease early Comment: I do read with interest your column, having worked in legal aid for about twenty years – mostly representing tenants being evicted. This is to comment about [...]
