How do you respond when you discover an issue with your home that the seller misrepresented? In the case of this homeowner, the seller may have misrepresented the condition the roof was in when they sold the home. Q: I read your recent article about the buyers who bought a home and subsequently found out [...]
When it comes to finding a real estate agent, you want to make sure you hire the right person who will best represent your interests as a homebuyer. Q: I bought your book 100 Questions Every First-Time Homebuyer Should Ask, and read it from cover to cover. Your book helped me tremendously, and I want [...]
For many people, like this commenter, the "American Dream" has been to own a home. But even with interest rates at near historic lows, affordability is still a serious problem. Q: I’ve been reading your column with all the letters from homeowners who have all kinds of problems. They sound as though they’d rather be renting [...]
It’s been a decade since the housing market collapsed, and home prices have finally regained their previous peak. According to the State of the Nation’s Housing 2017 report, released today by the Joint Center for Housing Studies at Harvard University, U.S. home prices rose 5.6 percent in 2016, beating out their pre-recession highs. Across the [...]
When you sign an apartment lease, you agree to uphold the terms of that document. Some municipalities have landlord-tenant ordinances that give additional rights to tenants, but a tenant can't decide to terminate their lease without taking the proper steps to do so. Q: I have a small question, I'm from Cleveland, Ohio. I had [...]
Is there a good way to define a rental unit as long-term or temporary? As this correspondent finds, there can be several different definitions. Q: This question may seem odd, it has been hard for me to research it and I hope you can help. I am trying to determine a realistic and reasonable definition [...]
Wondering what threats await real estate this year (and in the future)? Scott Muldavin, Chair of the Counselors of Real Estate (CRE), ran down his annual list at this year's National Association of Real Estate Editors (NAREE) conference, in Denver. This story features the first 5 threats to real estate. Real Estate Threat #1 - [...]
What is your “forever” home? And, how old will you be when you buy it? Turns out, the magic age to buy forever homes, the home in which you will ostensibly spend the rest of your life, is anytime after you turn 52, according to the 2017 Home Buyer and Seller Generational Trends Report, published [...]
What is a lot line adjustment? Is this an easy way to transfer property between neighbors? What goes into a lot line adjustment? Q: My neighbor owns his property with no liens and no disputes. We have reached an agreement for me to purchase part of it with cash. I have heard that a lot [...]
