Home prices are on the rise with fewer foreclosures. Ilyce Glink talks about the fall of underwater homes on today's Real Estate Minute. Over the past five years, your home probably lost at least a third of its value. The good news is that the bleeding has stopped and home prices are starting to turn [...]
A look into the real estate history and changes that have taken place in the real estate industry in terms of buying and selling your home. For the past twenty years, we’ve been chronicling the developments in the real estate industry in this weekly column. Boy, have times changed. Twenty years ago, the Internet didn’t [...]
When buying a vacation property in Florida for retirement, now may not be the best time to buy a home. Q: We're thinking of buying a property in Florida as a vacation home. Since we won't be able to use it a lot until my wife retires in 3 years, would it be better to [...]
When problems pop up in your new home, first figure out if those issues will be covered under your new home builder warranty. Q: I moved into my new home about two years ago. The house had been built about one year earlier and had never been lived in so I did not think I [...]
While becoming a homeowner has long been a cornerstone of the American Dream, the recent recession has caused many Americans to question if buying a home is still the right move. For some, renting a home and saving the money that would have been spent on a mortgage has become the new American Dream, and [...]
While we all have seen shows on dream homes, we may not be able to afford those homes and may not want to actually live in those dream homes. You need to know how much you can afford when buying a house. When you know the amount, you still need to feel comfortable spending that amount on a monthly basis. A big mistake home buyers make is thinking they can afford a home and then realizing that they are spending too much of their money trying to keep their home. It's a common home buying mistake to buy more than you can comfortably afford. Make sure you are comfortable with your monthly home budget.
If you are making the largest investment of your life, wouldn't you want to make sure you are protected by obtaining and buying title insurance? When you buy title insurance on a house, a title company gives you certain guarantees that you are the rightful owner of the home and certain other title protections. Title insurance does not protect you against future title problems that might develop nor does it protect you from fire or other casualties. But if you are paying cash to a seller are you certain the seller will give you good title to the home?
Now more than ever, buyers need to be aware of buyer closing costs on the purchase of a home. Here's an updated detailed look at many of the closing costs you might have to pay as a buyer when you buy a home. If you are charged a closing cost that isn't on this list, please add it in the comments section.
Is tearing down a home and beginning new construction, or building an addition to a home owner's current home on 32 acres of property better for the value of the home? New construction on a large piece of property could increase the value of the property itself as opposed to building an addition. Getting a home equity loan can help you with a home improvement project, whether its building an addition to the current home or deciding to go with new construction.
If homeowners don't pay your real estate taxes, the tax collector can seize your house and sell it for the back taxes that are owed. In most places, the taxes have to have been unpaid for at least a year or two and the homeowner has the right to catch up on the taxes by paying the interest that has accumulated plus any penalties or fees. The catch is, there is a period of time where the homeowner has the right to catch up with the back taxes payments and pay you back your investment plus interest.
