Buying a house in another state: How to view the property without visiting. This homebuyer doesn’t want to make the trip if it’s not for an active listing. Q: Can you give me any advice on how to make it easier to look for a house when you live in a different state? I live [...]
Real estate market 2019: Where are homes selling fast? Realtor.com looked at areas where homes had the most page views and the fewest days on the market. We’re in the middle of the 2019 real estate market and homes in these neighborhoods are selling much faster than the national median of 56 days on the [...]
Buying a home is the most stressful event of modern life, but the right real estate agent can alleviate some of that stress and make the home-buying process more exciting than anxiety inducing. When it comes to stressful life events, you might think applying for a job, hosting Thanksgiving dinner, and applying for college are [...]
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 - [...]
It's heartbreaking when we hear stories of homebuyers falling victim to wire transfer fraud. Here are some ways to protect yourself. Q: Thank you for your article in the Chicago Tribune on wire transfer instruction. Three weeks ago we were given wire instructions by our escrow company and had no reason to believe that they [...]
Foreclosure can be a difficult financial hurdle to overcome, but buying a house in your child's name might not be the wisest solution. Q: It's been a year since my foreclosure, I'm renting now but the rent is high in Chicago where I live. If I bought another house and got a mortgage it would [...]
This week, online real estate company Redfin published the astonishing results of a survey. The survey found that 41 percent of millennial home buyers purchased real estate sight unseen. About one-third of all home buyers purchased property sight unseen. If those numbers are true (and we have no reason to doubt Refin’s survey methods), it’s [...]
Seller disclosure laws don't cover every issue you find with a house after you buy it. If a homeseller isn't aware of an issue when they sell, the homebuyer likely can't take legal action. Q: We purchased a home and farm equipment on approximately 20 acres in rural Georgia this past January. The owners told [...]
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 [...]
