Archive of All Posts

All categories:

• Home Buying
  • Applying for a Mortgage
  • Choosing a Broker
  • Closing
  • Determining Preferences
  • Gathering Information
  • Inspecting the Home
  • Making an Offer
  • Moving Day
  • Negotiating
  • Pre-Qualifying for a Mortgage
  • Satisfying Contingencies
  • Viewing Homes
• Home Owning
  • Home Finances
  • Home Improvement
  • Home Maintenance
  • Income Properties
  • Neighbor Relations
• Home Selling
  • Accepting an Offer
  • Choosing a Selling Broker
  • Closing as the Seller
  • Determining Price
  • Inspecting the Home as a Seller
  • Marketing and Showing
  • Moving Day for the Seller
  • Negotiating for Sellers
  • Planning with Experts
  • Preparing Your Home
  • Receiving Offers
  • Satisfying Seller Contingencies
• Miscellaneous
  • Home Inspector's Q&A Page

All posts:

• Appraisal vs. Agent Sets Home Price?
• Treat family like outsiders with real estate deals
• Can a For-Sale-By-Owner pay a commission to an agent for finding the buyer?
• Are online value estimates harmful?
• Home seller questions agent motives
• Is there a superior method to evaluate homes?
• Do unkempt neighborhood homes affect my home’s value?
• Four Suggestions to Protest Your Tax Assessment
• Four reasons to track home improvements
• Is a renovation mortgage right for you?
• The home seller wants out; the buyer says, “NO!”
• Who pays the real estate commission?
• How A Pre-Owned Home Can Win Against New Construction
• Six options to consider when the house appraised low 
• Mom stiffs son-in-law in real estate deal
• Annexation foils a move to the outskirts
• Eight extra due diligence tips when buying condominium units
• Pros and cons of owning a second home
• Three home inspection practices to scrutinize
• Can I use real estate equity to fund a startup?
• Seven tips to identify a flipped home
• 10 facts to find the best mortgage loan
• Five Tips Avoiding a Bidding War
• How to gain real estate investing experience
• Do real estate agents negotiate fees on dual transactions?
• Eleven reasons to interview real estate agents when buying a home
• Is a Verbal Offer binding?
• When you engage an incompetent real estate agent
• Is your real estate transaction failing?
• What is value range pricing?
• Can an agent add extra commission in an offer?
• Get outside help when dealing direct in real estate
• Will a geothermal system increase the value of my home?
• Real estate owners die with no will
• Neighbor’s waterfall is destroying our fence
• 15 tips to find a buried fuel oil tank
• Pros and Cons of Buying from the Listing Agent
• Home improvements can create an unintended consequence
• Buyers unknowingly paid $20K more than the appraisal. Who should have warned them?
• You can’t fight city hall – or can you?
• My real estate taxes doubled. Is this legal?
• Not Knowing Your Property Line When Buying a Home Can Be Expensive
• Marital Property Law vs. Common Law: a Financial Factor in Real Estate
• All real estate referrals require due diligence
• Avoiding bombshells over permits when remodeling, buying, or selling a home
• Investing In Blacktopping Can Be Tricky
• Protect Yourself When a Tenant Dies In Your Building
• Buying Landlocked Property Carries Significant Risks
• Fixing a leaky basement can be tricky
• Is earnest money returned when real estate transactions fail?
• Three Tips For A Potential Real Estate Investor
• Will a zoning change cause our property value to drop?
• Set financial transactions in writing with family members
• Who pays the real estate commission?
• Must a home be listed in the MLS to be “for sale?”
• Our offer was accepted. How do we get out?
• Household waste disposal gone wild
• Three Ways to Buy a Home with No Down-Payment and Marginal Credit
• Can a Seller Contact a Prospective Buyer Directly?
• Rebuilding A Damaged Historic 18th Century Home
• Trust Our Real Estate Agent?
• We have an offer for a million dollars over appraisal
• To Own Your Home, or Not
• Five tips when researching for a housing cooperative
• Retirement Home Search Requires Effort
• Who invests in commercial real estate in America?
• Homeowner Seeks To Nullify An Easement
• My partners won’t buy my share. What can I do?
• Four Tips To Find Lost Closing Statements
• Deciding If A Home Improvement Is Worthwhile
• Dealing With A Municipality Issue
• Landlord confused by agent’s rent-up procedures
• Novice investor needs help with where to start
• Home Seller Seeks Negotiation Advice
• Should a Homeowner Allow Others to Use Property
• Are real estate appraisals flawed?
• Unsold home frustrating – should we give up?
• Four money traps with home additions or remodeling
• Nine high-odd flashpoints for home condition issues
• Ten Money-Saving Tips Many Homeowners Overlook
• Is Our House A Lemon?
• Are there any disadvantages to selling a home and renting?
• Homebuyer finds foundation problem after closing
• Five critical components for investing in real estate
• Family dog discovers building defect – gets into hot water
• You need a tragedy plan when you have real estate in case an owner died unexpectedly.
• Six questions to ask yourself when changing houses
• Listing agent fumbles – can I cancel the contract?
• Tips for dealing with real estate developers
• Has the real estate market fully recovered?
• Is real estate agency law working?
• Ten flashpoints in real estate contracts
• Are real estate agents allowed to share our offer with other buyers?
• Two appraisals miles apart; What should I do?
• In real estate, what is procuring cause?
• Flip or hold real estate? A comparison
•  A partnership agreement needed with inherited property
• Buy an existing new home vs. build from scratch?
• Selling packaged real estate investment vs. individual pricing
• Six tips when buying a home warranty
• Picking a real estate agent for the wrong reasons
• Should I buy a home with a standing water problem? 


• Neighborhood Due Diligence Checklist
• Inheritance creates multiple choice decision
• Buyer lost a dream home and seller loses equity
• Home seller left items behind at move-out
• Variable Rate Commission Must Be Disclosed in MLS
• Do listing tactics bring the best price?
• Home seller finds buyer; who gets or keeps the commmission?
• Seller asks buyer to occupy early – a switcheroo
• Tips for testing real estate agents
• Sample Agent Deliverables
• The Impact of the New Tax Bill on Homeownership
• Five tips for dealing with an unrealistic seller
• Need to buy a vacant lot to build a house?
• Nine tips for real estate investing
• Eight Helpful Actions Homebuyers Overlook
• Five tips to buying and sharing a personal residence
• Off market listings are a bad idea
• Will the real estate market crash?
• Emotion trumps logic in home purchase dispute
• Eight tips for a relocation company executive
• buying with a buyer agent
• Pay attention to post closing occupancy when you make your offer
• Can we knock on doors near a home we like?
• Do we have to fix up the house to sell in a hot market?
• Six big real estate mistakes to avoid when listing your home
• Five tips a new real estate agent can use
• Ten Common Real Estate Scams
• Should we sell our home without an agent?
• Six tips to negotiate a brand new home purchase
• Home buyer wants to offer more than full price
• Zoning change upsets neighbors
• Five reasons it is tough to evaluate a home
• Avoiding emotional relocation turmoil
• Should we have a fifteen-year loan versus a 30-year term?
• Ten kinds of real estate agents
• One of real estate’s biggest myths
• Four steps to fill vacant retail space
• Eight tips when selecting a house sitter
• Six tips to resurrect a failed negotiation
• Three explanations for shocking HOA exit fee
• How to pick the best real estate agent from three finalists
• Thirteen tasks to check a well and septic system
• Ten costly homeowner mistakes
• Six tips to establish your home’s listing price
• Will adding solar panels affect the value of my home?
• How to predict the costs of home maintenance
• Should we sell to a home flipper?
• Should I be paying cash for a home?
• Four simple tips to improve home inspection outcomes
• Agent tells home seller not to attend the home inspection
• Anxiety plagues first-time home buyers
• What should a home seller disclose in the condition report?
• Homebuyer questions the value of a home inspection
• Our agent’s home pricing is confusing
• Seller refuses to sign a mutual release
• Four tips to find a new church location
• Eight important considerations with termite fumigation
• Four steps to a tough negotiating stance
• Four steps to handle a broken trust
• Four tips to reduce home seller anxiety
• Defeating the vague home inspection comment
• Seven answers to a home inspector’s question
• Do homebuyers have a septic tank problem?
• Is the home sellers offer real?
• Four tips to find the perfect real estate agent
• Five steps unmarried home buyers should take
• A condominium buyer alert
• Six steps to take with a low-ball offer on your home
• Eight red flags in a real estate listing presentation
• Is a dome home a risky project?
• 8 Most Common Questions About Home Inspectors
• Three options for homeowners in a weak homeowners association
• Two big reasons why home sellers shop agents
• Ten advantages for considering Aging In Place
• Real estate agent hassles home inspector
• Home seller wants to cancel the home sale
• Ten open house tips for home sellers
• Ten questions to ask when hiring a home inspector
• Ten questions to ask before hiring an HOA property management company
• Pre-closing occupancy can work
• Three relief sources with a real estate complaint
• A home inspection is not always enough
• 3 tips for a great kitchen remodel
• Make certain to include a contingency in the real estate contract
• Six tips for out-of-state landlords with a trashed home
• Five tips for a good buy on a home
• How do I convince agents my home is worth $292,000?
• Question your motives buying investment property
• Dad’s broken promise sours home renovation
• The best way to sell your share of inherited property
• Three most common home inspection misses
• Six questions to ask when choosing a mortgage counselor
• Five tips to protect your home from chipmunk damage
• Six tips to improve your real estate outcomes
• Save big frustrations, time and money – read the contract
• Are small additions to a home practical?
• The best way to sell a church property
• Are online reviews of real estate agents credible?
• Ten pros and cons of a reverse mortgage
• A ” right of first refusal ” threatens a million-dollar sale
• Put all real estate agreements in writing
• 5 myths when selling or buying a home “ As-is “
• 21 good answers to your agent interview questions
• One big reason to make a duplex your first home
• Do home sellers benefit from a tech savvy agent?
• Cash buyer seeks to hide the real purchase price
• Refinancing homeowner hobbled by appraisal issues
• Six new home inspection points costly to fix later
• Four ways to attain relief from Private Mortgage Insurance (PMI)
• Six essential elements to look for inside a house
• Five tips to spot harmful sales tactics
• Six energy cost tips to save money when buying a home
• Cash kickback on a home sale. Is it legal?
• Five common neighborhood characteristics
• Five cost cutting tips for relocation companies
• Home seller should decide list price
• Seven helpful tips for home improvements
• Four advantages of a pre-offer inspection
• Fair Housing Act and the non-payment of rent
• Four simple tax considerations for new homeowners
• Six essential qualities of a real estate agent
• Listing agent flip-flops on price
• Six essential prescriptions for a healthy real estate transaction
• Six huge real estate transaction errors. Can you spot them?
• Should my real estate agent also represent a buyer?
• Deal with inherited property issues quickly
• Eight tips for a relocated employee incurring a $90,000 loss
• Five important home condition disclosure points
• Home inspector pressured by a real estate agent
• What makes a condo warrantable vs. non-warrantable?
• Seven tips when selling partial property interests
• Appraisers evaluate appraisal management companies
• Right-of-first-refusal complicates negotiations
• Why can’t I pick my home appraiser?
• Can a home seller have two prices?
• Seven tips for buying in overheated market
• Ten facts mortgage shoppers should know
• Bully real estate agent and RESPA
• Low appraisal not disclosed to homebuyer
• Tree trimming thorny issue between neighbors
• Multiple choices improve consumer experience
• I want out of the sales contract
• Six tips on when to restore, or replace vintage home components
• Fallen tree concerns next-door neighbor
• Can an agent legally work for both parties and earn both commissions?
• Eight tips for rent-to-own homebuyers
• Staging a successful real estate proposal
• Home seller agrees to pre-closing occupancy
• Property owner questions eminent domain offer
• Neighbors look to sue a sloppy neighbor
• Which real estate agent to choose?
• Five tips to evaluate income property
• Five tips to vet a shared driveway
• Should home sellers consider an auction sale?
• Listing tactics of real estate agent under fire
• When do home sellers disclose a murder?
• Young homebuyers torn between relatives
• Are “get rich in real estate” seminars worth the money?
• Repercussions of the real estate meltdown still with us
• Does a gaggle of hobos affect property values?
• Ten tips to find and keep a good handyman
• Is shadow inventory a problem for investors?
• Help a family conflict with mediation and data
• Have a plan when selling a home
• Novice homebuyer first attempt disappointing
• Five tips for companies to reduce relocation costs
• Water rights for property owners
• Ten tips to avoid tenant complaints
• Seven costly mistakes of new real estate investors
• Profit with adaptive reuse
• How real estate relocation companies work
• Relocation brings a pay raise, and challenges.
• Producing the best real estate agent referrals
• Ten tips for checking out a septic system
• Successful rezoning property requires a plan
• Home bidding war is homeseller’s dream
• Home seller questions agent ethics
• Nine downsizing tips for seniors
• Hot market changes agent behavior
• Pros and cons with different housing lifestyles
• Is a home trade-in a good idea?
• Sell our home now? Or wait until summer?
• Consider mediation in real estate disputes
• Before you become a real estate investor
• Best start for first-time homebuyers
• Can a rookie real estate agent be a good choice?
• Siblings dispute inherited real estate
• When a lawyer’s fee is four times higher than quoted
• Ten helpful listing contract tips
• 8 tips to find a good real estate attorney
• Violation of HOA rules creates conflict
• How to pick the right custom home builder
• When a condominium is not a condominium
• Ten tips toward a quality offer on a home
• Rent-back clause prevents financial disaster
• Agency concept in law. Is your real estate agent a secret agent?
• 7 prepping tips for home showings
• 7 reasons loan pre-approval is smart strategy
• Home seller seeks move-out advice
• Ten great tips to start your home search
• 7 critical home condition items
• Is homeownership right for us?
• Knowing how real estate works
• Police calls are interfering with our home sale
• How to pick a real estate agent to sell your home
• Four great tips to negotiate home offer
• Home buyers question error in agent thinking
• 8 good tips to renew older apartments
• The best tips to prepare your home “for sale”
• Tips for picking a good home inspector
• Can seller counter a full-price offer?
• Is radon gas harmful, or not?
• 13 “red flags” that affect home values
• 5 important tips when considering cooperative housing
• Timing your retirement home purchase
• Get the facts before deeding your house to the bank
• Senior housing options offer challenges
• 9 tactics not found on a due diligence list
• Full service real estate vs. FSBO
• Understanding the real estate “buyers agent” fee
• 7 tips for discovering the best use for property
• Selling a nice home in a distressed neighborhood
• Building a real estate investment team
• Elderly seller avoids remodeling
• The benefits of owning small apartment buildings
• Contractual error costly for real estate agent
• Passing time can change property usage
• Utility bill increase squeezes tenants
• Using the same agent when downsizing
• Can a real estate transaction be illegal?
• How to raise rents
• To move or not to move… the house?
• Real estate rehab gone wild – the options?
• How can one tell which run-down area is best?
• Multi-area home search requires work
• Compare building a new home to buying a pre-owned home
• Sleuthing a real estate issue – your personal reality game
• Developer track record important in housing projects
• Converting the garage to living space
• Water management issues can be dicey with neighbors
• Occupancy at closing is risky for home seller
• A senior housing dilemma
• Presto! Change a one family home into a two family home
• A perfect storm – How to create poor real estate decisions
• A home seller’s checklist
• Who should own rental property?
• Mortgage loan approvals can be confusing
• Dealing with “condition issues” when selling your home
• Considerations in remodeling an old farm house
• A smart way to pick a neighborhood
• How to deal with a dirt basement floor
• To sue, or not to sue? A prickly decision
• How to protect your home equity in a divorce
• How to handle occupancy after closing a home sale
• Home inspections go wrong in more ways than one
• How to determine which items to leave when selling a home
• Overcoming a real estate inspection defect
• The best place to make a real estate investment
• “Madder than a wet hen”
• 5 tips for singles buying first home
• Are your hands tied trying to close your real estate transaction?
• 6 good tips to prepare for an offer on your home
• Selling your home? Be certain to check out the competition.
• Real estate agent puts commission at risk
• Buying a home? Avoid risking your earnest money deposit.
• 5 “pick a broker” tips for new agents.
• Beware of loan modification scams
• Why the “Home Lookers List” is hard to obtain.
• The best method to value small business property.
• Why some commercial real estate ends up like this?
• Selling church property requires expertise.
• Moving into your home day!
• The risk of borrowing money from your parents.
• 5 best tips for newbie roommates renting.
• Making adjustments indispensable when valuating property.
• Todays three choices to find your real estate agent.
• 5 best home buying tips in a sellers market.
• Expertise required in evaluating investment property.
• Get foreclosure facts before going ahead.
• 4 smart tips about home price reductions.
• Buying commercial property for use as personal storage.
• Calculating the risk of owning two homes.
• Evaluating an unsolicited proposal requires work.
• Is your neighbor committing mortgage fraud?
• Challenging real estate tax assessment can be risky.
• “For Sale” sign installed without permission.
• Pay attention when planning concrete driveways
• Solving a real estate “Cold Case”.
• Making a home offer right the first time.
• Land Contracts are a viable home financing option
• 3 Tips To Master Evaluating A Home
• Tips To Make Finishing Your Basement Pay
• Tips For Evaluating Vacant Land
• The Mystery Of The Defective Dryer Vent
• Home Seller Not Obligated To Home Buyer Offer
• Reaffirming A Mortgage After Bankruptcy
• Strategies On Choosing A General Contractor
• The Respectable Outcome For Homeowners In The Real Estate Meltdown
• The Downside To Tough Negotiations
• A Remodel Can Create An Undesirable Floor Plan
• New Home Buyer Frustrated With Sewer Problems
• Buying Homes With Prices This Low
• 5 Renovating Tips In Rundown Neighborhoods
• Are Savings Possible Combining Adjoining Tax Parcels
• Participating In The Foreclosure Market
• What To Expect From Your Agent As A Buyer
• Homeowner Mulls Trading Part Of Lot With Neighbor
• Home Buyer’s Offer Always Beaten
• Five Secrets To Improve Results Before You List Your Home
• Checking Out Private Mortgage Insurance Fraud
• Dumping Private Mortgage Insurance In This Market
• Homebuilder Puts Screws To Customer
• Ten Best Tips For Home Sellers
• Ten Best Homebuyer Tips
• Appraising Your Home’s Offer
• Parties In Realty Contract Dispute
• Terminate a listing agreement
• Throwing The Bathtub Out With The Bathwater
• Hidden Property Value Found In Homes Large Lot
• Can A Home Be Too Clean?
• Renting Rooms To Friends: Pros and Cons
• Value Of Property In Foreclosure
• The Future In Realty Brokerage
• How To Challenge Home Appraisers
• Real Estate Agent Refuses To Cooperate
• Real Estate Short Sales Can Be Confusing
• Our Home Is Underwater – What Should We Do?
• Is Buying A Foreclosure Risky?
• Top 10 Real Estate Myths
• How Real Estate Works
• How To manage buying or selling a home
• Should I Own A Home?
• Timing Your Real Estate Move
• Real estate agency – What is it?
• Evaluating the risk of owning two homes
• The real estate agent working environment
• Tax Considerations When You Buy Or Sell A Home
• How To Choose A Home Builder
• What Is A Real Estate Transferee?
• So, you’ve been transferred
• For Real Estate Relocation Counselors
• Satisfying contract contingencies
• Mortgage loan pre-approval
• The accepted offer
• The best method to receive an offer on your home
• Negotiating for home sellers
• 8 tips to find the right home mortgage
• Determining a home’s value
• Finding the right real estate agent
• The listing agreement
• Showing Your Home To A Buyer
• Viewing a potential new home, smartly…
• Real estate negotiation for home buyers
• The offer to purchase
• The Rules Of The Real Estate Game
• Well and Septic Systems In Your Home
• A home’s condition is critical
• The pros and cons of housing lifestyles
• Fair Housing Law
• Home Buying Contingencies
• When To Clean up, Paint up, Fix up Your Home
• Home Inspections
• The “Red Flags” Of Real Estate
• A successful home seller closing
• A successful buyer closing
• How to get good referrals in real estate
• Moving out of your home
• Radon Gas In Your Home?

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