Category: Home Buying
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Pre-closing occupancy can work
Reader Question: We need advice about convincing the seller to give us pre-closing occupancy. The seller’s agent has advised them not to let us move in. There was an unexpected appraisal problem. The problem was resolved, but chewed up weeks and put us in a bind with our current landlord. How can we change the…
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Three relief sources with a real estate complaint
What to do when you have a real estate complaint.
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A home inspection is not always enough
A home inspection does not reveal defects that are not visible. Occasionally, additional testing can provide information you need to proceed.
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Make certain to include a contingency in the real estate contract
Reader Question: We consistently told our Realtor that we wanted a swimming pool or a house where the backyard was big enough to put a swimming pool. We bought a house that had a yard big enough to put a swimming pool, and we find out from the pool company that there’s an easement in…
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Five tips for a good buy on a home
Reader Question: If I make an offer on a home, and don’t bring a Realtor with me, can I ask for a rebate from the agent, and if I did, how much? I live in CA and want to get a good buy here. Monty’s Answer: You are asking if the listing agent will negotiate…
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Question your motives buying investment property
Reader Question: My husband and I have the chance to purchase a second home. We value our home at approximately $265,000. We owe about $130,000 on the mortgage. Our monthly mortgage payment for our house is $1,100. That plus all of our other monthly bills comes to approximately $2,300 to $2,800 per month. We want…
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Dad’s broken promise sours home renovation
Reader Question: My wife and I renovated a home owned by my father under the condition that the house would eventually be signed over to both of us. He does not want to sign the house over to us now that we have completed the project. He only wants it in my name and his.…
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Six tips to improve your real estate outcomes
Reader Question: I signed a contract with a buyer agent. We found a house and made an offer. The house failed the inspection, but the seller had the right to cure. I was not comfortable and walked away. Now my agent wants to enforce the buyer agency agreement. I talked to my attorney, and she…
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Save big frustrations, time and money – read the contract
Reader Question: I signed a contract with a buyer agent. We found a house and made an offer. The house failed the inspection, but the seller had the right to cure. I was not comfortable and walked away. Now my agent wants to enforce the buyer agency agreement. I talked to my attorney, and she…
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One big reason to make a duplex your first home
Reader Question: What are the differences between a one family home and a two family home? We are first time homebuyers and know zero about real estate. We prefer not to involve our families, as we want our successes and failures in life to be our own. Shaun and Josey B. Monty’s Answer: Many of…
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Cash buyer seeks to hide the real purchase price
Reader Question: I want to hide the real purchase price. I want to pay cash for a house in a very cold market. The house will need work to be livable for me, and I’d like to save money to pay for that work. While I have the advantage as a cash buyer, I hate…
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Six new home inspection points costly to fix later
Reader Question: We are nearing a decision on having a new home constructed. Not having built a home, what should we be looking for once the contract is signed, and construction begins? Justin and Allison B. Monty’s Answer: The assumption in answering your question will be that you have engaged in an exercise described in…
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Six essential elements to look for inside a house
Reader Question: I am a single young person who is going to buy a house. I liked the article on your website titled “ What should I look for when viewing a home,” but what, exactly, should I be looking at, or for, inside a house? Sarah Y. Monty’s Answer: Every homebuyer’s past home living…
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Five tips to spot harmful sales tactics
Reader Question: An agent told us at the time we looked at a house that another party was buying the house later that day, so we had to act quickly. We did not like the house that much at the time. That was over two months ago, and the house is still on the market.…
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Cash kickback on a home sale. Is it legal?
Reader Question: A seller and I agree on two-hundred thousand dollars for a home. I want to install a thirty-five hundred dollar heat pump. Is a cash kickback legal? We agree to raise the price a like amount and the seller brings thirty-five hundred dollars to closing? Another option would be the seller installs the…