Can you sell your home if it’s held in a living trust? It all depends on how you set up the trust and what happened with the quitclaim deed. Q: In 2012, I set up a living trust, and at that time signed a quitclaim deed to my house and property over to my daughter. [...]
Should a family member be your Realtor and charge commission for selling your home? Before you ask your family member for a commission discount, think of what it really takes to get a home sold. Q: Should my brother-in-law charge commission for selling my mother's house? Should a Family Member Acting As Your Realtor Charge [...]
Selling your home after your spouse dies doesn't mean you have to change the title. What really matters is if you own it under joint tenancy or tenants in common. Many homeowners whose spouses have died think they need to change title into their own name as sole owner if they are going to sell, [...]
How to decide if you should fix up a home or sell “as is” depends on these 8 issues that sellers should consider before putting the home on the market. We recently received a letter from a woman who was selling her late sister’s home. She said the home was in bad shape, in a [...]
What to do when you have home buyers remorse. Should you go ahead and sell the home or consider being a landlord? Q: Four years ago, as a first-time homeowner, I bought a single family home in the D.C. metro area. I hate to admit this, but I failed at the due diligence portion of [...]
Home improvement: what’s most valuable for resale? Exterior renovations, like siding replacements, recoup a higher percentage of homeowner costs. Did our last post on kitchen trends get you thinking about renovation projects for your home? Homeowners who are planning to make home improvements this year will want to want to consider how much their investment [...]
What you need to know about paying taxes on a home sold after a spouse’s death. Q: Just finished your awesome article on computing tax due on the sale of the primary home when a spouse passes. I just had a quick question. Let’s say a spouse passes on March 01, 2017. The first thought [...]
What resolutions should home sellers make this year? If they want to get the most out of their investment, starting with these four resolutions can help. As 2019 gets going, it’s worth looking back at another year in which home sellers did well, but often at the expense of home buyers. First, in much of [...]
What you need to know about using an installment contract for deed. From closing on the sale to monthly interest payments, here’s what you can expect. Q: I am selling a commercial building and giving the buyer financing through a contract for deed. In the purchase agreement, the buyer asked about a prepayment penalty, but [...]
Housing forecast highlights you need to know. Whether you’re buying a home, selling a home, or investing in real estate here’s what you need to know about the housing market in 2019. It’s that time of year again. In addition to unwrapping packages and stuffing yourself with sweets, real estate industry observers have been at [...]
