What happens to the good faith deposit when the homebuyer backs out? If the buyer doesn’t ask for it back, the seller needs to take control of the situation. Q: We accepted an offer on our house a year ago. Unfortunately, the buyer walked away at the eleventh hour – the night before the moving [...]
Is it a good time to buy a home in 2019? It just might be. It might also be a good time to sell. This morning, Fannie Mae released its March 2019 Home Purchase Sentiment Index, which is a composite index designed to track consumers’ housing-related attitudes, intentions and perceptions, using six questions from the [...]
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 happens to real estate when the government is shut down? Fannie Mae released temporary guidelines for loan processors to assist federal workers and contractors during the government shutdown. Homebuyers, lenders and real estate agents might experience closing delays as the U.S. partial government shutdown continues. And, there’s nothing that increases personal and financial stress [...]
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 [...]
Who pays for title insurance when selling a home: the buyer or the seller? The answer depends on the customs and practices of each individual state. Q: Is it mandatory for a seller to pay for title insurance in Oregon especially if they were sole owner of home from the day it was constructed? A: [...]
Can a home buyer sue these sellers for leaving their stuff behind? Despite their best efforts to reschedule the closing date and complete a quick move, the sellers left some valuables in the house. Now they’re worried the buyers will sue them. Q: The buyer for our home insisted on a closing date that was [...]
Parents, children, estates and house titles: how does property title pass after death. What happens when a parent adds you to the title for estate planning. Q: My dad died quite some time ago and I have three siblings. We all get along but we all have different ideas on how to handle money. When [...]
Real estate is always on my mind and in this article, I take a look at the current state of the US real estate market and what factors may be contributing to odd selling behaviors in certain markets. As we drove around the North Shore of Chicago this weekend, home to some of the most [...]
