Reader Question: We bought a home a year ago built in the 80s. A problem has surfaced with the back block fence. The neighbors have a water feature and waterfall that abuts their side of the wall. The neighbor’s waterfall is destroying our fence. The soil on our side of the wall is continually […]
Reader Question: I blacktopped my driveway and turnaround area to my garage. My house was for sale, and several people objected to the gravel drive. The house went under contract as soon as the work was completed. It looked great, and the buyers loved it. No issues. A month after closing the new owners contacted […]
Reader Question: Can we fight city hall? We live in a 75 lot development completed in the early nineties. We do not have an HOA. Our problem is we are on our own for upkeep and repair to communal areas. We have garage sales and take up collections and pitch in when the need arises. […]
Reader Question: My real estate taxes went up over 100% this year. Is it legal to raise taxes so high in one year? Monty’s Answer: For real estate taxes to double in one year would be extremely rare. One has to wonder if any community in the United States has ever experienced such a […]
Reader Question: My name is not on the deed of our home. My spouse put the house up for sale after 22 years. Am I entitled to half the profits of the deal? Monty’s Answer: Ten states embrace marital property law. During a marriage in these states, all assets and debts acquired are “community property.” […]
Reader Question: Back in 2001-2002, we remodeled our home without a permit. We didn’t know it was required. Now we want to sell, and the question is on the seller condition report. Is there any way to overcome that issue now? Monty’s Answer: Permits can be a challenge for several reasons; ordinances change over time, […]
Reader Question: We are not selling our home anytime in the foreseeable future. We are wondering how much the value of our property will increase if we invest in blacktopping our gravel driveway? Monty’s Answer: Blacktopping your driveway may or may not increase the value of your property. Because certain variables impact the desired outcome, […]
Reader Question: We own a 24-unit apartment building. We have an eighty-eight-year-old tenant with no next of kin according to him. When he passes on, what are we to do with his belongings? He has nothing of any value; his biggest asset is a twenty-year-old car. Whom do we notify? He seems healthy and active […]
Reader Question: I am a young person who inherited money. I’ve been looking at different career options, and I have decided to invest in real estate, but I have little knowledge about it. Where do I find people with money who are looking for attractive real estate deals with a partner? Monty’s Answer: Real estate […]
Reader Question: We own a small, well cared for, older home in a moderate neighborhood in a small midwestern city of about 30,000. We are one block off off of a feeder street near downtown that has both similar single-family homes plus a few apartments and small medical offices. The zoning allows for a medical […]
Reader Question: I live in a two-family house that my sister and I inherited. It was free and clear of a mortgage. My sister wanted out for her half of the value, so I took a mortgage on the house to pay her. At the time, I was unable to take out the mortgage in […]
Reader Question: I have a neighbor with a house for sale. It’s household waste disposal gone wild. He had another neighbor with a backhoe come into his yard the other day and dig up a portion of the yard to bury a large amount of trash. By trash, I mean lumber, building materials, large metal […]
Reader Question: What happens if a tree falls on my neighbor’s 18th century home and destroys it? Who determines the cost of rebuilding an “antique” like that? Monty’s Answer: Let us assume the tree in question is on your property. If the tree were alive and healthy and fell onto your neighbors home the neighbor’s […]
Reader Question: I am researching commercial real estate. Who invests in commercial real estate in the US? Monty’s Answer: The definition of commercial real estate is buildings owned by an investor or investors to generate income from rent. According to the National Association of Real Estate Investment Trusts (NAREIT), the total size of the commercial […]
Reader Question: I have a question regarding easements. I own a home built in the late 1920s. The original owner created an easement agreement with one neighbor next door. Nearly eighty years later I tried to dissolve the easement and told I could not, that my current neighbors would need to agree to terminate it […]