Q: I recently terminated a listing agreement with a real estate sales office. One week after terminating, they presented me with a contract from a buyer to buy my home. How long do I have to wait before I can do a for-sale-by-owner without having to pay a commission to that agency? A: The answer [...]
Q: My parents died and had a will in place. I would like to know what option we have to sell the assets of my parents’ estate and dividing the money among the siblings. They died over two years ago, but one of my siblings is living in the home rent free while the other [...]
Q: My father passed away a year and a half ago with few assets other than his home. I am executor of his will. He left me his house and all his personal effects but the will stipulated that his current wife would be permitted to live in the house until she dies or moves. [...]
Q: The lawyers my boss hired got together with a defense lawyer and started making "concessions" with each other on the cases they were working. To me, that is throwing the case for their own benefit and charging the clients anyway. The defense lawyer is a lawyer working for free. I also pointed out that [...]
Q: A friend told me that her employer mistakenly overpaid her in 2010, so they set up a payroll deduction for her to repay the money. Accounting mistakenly keyed in $500 instead of the $50-putting her in a financial hole, as her rent check then bounced. Now she is facing penalties/fees from her landlord. Does [...]
Q: Will my mortgage company set the price for the amount they will accept for a short sale? And, will that number include the fee for a Realtor to help sell it? A: You have asked an interesting question and the answer will depend on various factors. For starters, if you are going through a [...]
Q: I’m in trouble with my house. I’m heading to foreclosure, unless I can complete short sale quickly. Once we’re done with the property (either due to foreclosure or in a short sale), can the mortgage company require me to use my retirement savings towards reducing the amount of their loss? I have about $200,000 [...]
Q: I live in San Antonio, Texas and looking to buy a condo. If there is a foundation problem with the property, who is responsible for repairing the problem? It's a small condo complex of about 8 to 10 units, and I’m worried about buying into a small complex with a very expensive problem. A: [...]
Q: I am a Realtor and my husband was recently laid off. Our lender, which is one of the big box lenders, put us on a forbearance plan until July 2011. I’m not sure why they did not give us a trial plan or a permanent loan modification. We need a permanent loan modification as [...]
Q: My husband and I purchased our first home about six years ago. A short time after we closed, we noticed that the back yard would always flood no matter how little or how much rain fell. The flooding was never disclosed to us. It gets to the point where we have ducks swimming on [...]
