Financing Your Forever Home What's the best way to finance a newly constructed house that will become your forever home? Q: I’ve been reading your book 100 Questions Every First Time Homebuyer Should Ask. As my wife and I approach retirement age around two years from now, we’re wondering if we’ll ever be able to [...]
More Homeowner Association (HOA) Problems Readers are complaining about the issues they're facing with HOAs nationwide. To judge the contents of our inbox, people are having a lot of problems with their homeowner associations (HOAs). They’re also having trouble living in developments run by HOAs and by the lack of interest in serving on association [...]
Trust Distribution Held Up Q: I was told I am a beneficiary of my sister's trust. She owned a home and other assets. Her son is the trustee but we don’t have a good relationship. I have been waiting for my distribution for several months. I have called several times and each time I [...]
Trusts Need Their Own Checking Accounts Q: I read your recent article about how to put a home with a mortgage into a trust. I agree with your advice, but as the daughter who had to deal with the sale of my mother’s home that was held in her trust, there is one further [...]
Timeshares 2025: Buying, Selling, Trading Up During the winter, our readers are more interested in buying, selling, or trading timeshares. It’s been a cold winter in much of the country. Snow in Jacksonville, Florida, anyone? If you’re considering one, you’ll want to read this before you go to the so-called “free” lunch. How Difficult Are [...]
Foreclosure Sale Cuts Off Homeownership Prospects Q: I’m ignorant of real estate law so this may be off base. Maybe you can tell us if we’re correct to be angry. My son moved back to Virginia last year. He was pre-approved for a loan, got a real estate agent, and began looking at homes. Over [...]
Neighbor Problems: Renovation Noise Q: I enjoy reading your column. I’d like your input. A new owner bought an upstairs condo. Their unit is right above my condo. They’ve been renovating their unit every day, Monday through Friday from 8:00am until 5:00pm. It’s been like this for four months. There is no end in sight. [...]
Gift Letter: Why You Write it Q: When I gave my son some money to buy a house, I had to submit a letter to his lender stating that the money I gave him was a gift and not a loan. Why did the lender require that? A: As housing has become more expensive and [...]
Neighbor Problems: Fences Followup If your neighbor's fence is dirty and you clean it, are you inviting a lawsuit? Rotten Neighbor Disagrees About Fence Q: I came across one of your articles where you discussed a fence problem where a neighbor was unhappy about his side of the fence being dirty. You suggested maybe he [...]
What are your 2025 Home Buyer Resolutions? Every year, Ilyce and Sam offer their readers New Year’s resolutions for home buyers, home sellers and their personal finances. This year, they've also added their 2025 Housing Trends. These are their 2025 Home Buyer Resolutions. Despite high hopes for lower interest rates, 2024 continued to be a [...]
