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There are two sides of every real estate transaction, buying and selling. Learn both.
Everyone who has bought or sold a home can remember that one moment when it seemed like there was too much to consider, worry about, remember, and respond to. It’s true that the purchasing of a home is a significant investment and you probably should give it time and attention. Equally as important for those looking to sell your home, you want to everything within your educated power to get the most fair value out of what is probably your largest asset. To help make the process more reasonable, DearMonty organizes both the home buying and home selling experience into twelve distinct steps, or stages.
The best thing that you can do is to equip yourself with knowledge and information. A home sale transaction is a big deal! This website is intended to be a straightforward resource to help shine some light on one of the most important times in many people’s lives. But we are just one voice of many and we at DearMonty.com strongly support learning as much as you. Good luck and let us know if you have a question you couldn’t find answered LINK or if we can help you find a local agent LINK
Reader Question: Why do so many states not regulate home inspectors? Monty’s Answer: Your question about why do so many states not regulate home inspectors is an excellent question. To answer this question accurately requires academic research that is beyond the scope of this column. I will reach out to the James A. Graaskamp […]
Reader Question: You have written numerous articles over time about the problems with home inspections. We are near our savings goal and preparing to buy a home. What is your current opinion of home inspections? Monty’s Answer: Home inspection laws came into existence because home sellers were unaware of the defects, hid, or made […]
Reader Question: Is America in a housing bubble? We think today’s out-of-control real estate market is crazy. We are attempting to downsize our lifestyle with a smaller home. In two instances, we made an offer, and someone outbid us. Our home is free and clear, so we are cash buyers. We don’t want to […]
Reader Question: We looked at an open house a couple of days ago. A completed home inspection concluded there were no defects or material adverse facts in the house. It also contained a list of items that required attention that were common maintenance issues. The seller had repaired or had a contractor inspect all the […]
Reader Question: We are preparing to sell our home by owner and had it pre-inspected. The inspector flagged a potential $2,000 problem with the plumbing and suggested we have a plumber investigate. We did so. The plumber was quite emphatic that the issue is not a problem. He also had some outside advice on how […]
Reader Question: Is America in a housing bubble? We are attempting to downsize our lifestyle with a smaller home. In both instances we made an offer, someone outbid us. Our home is free and clear, so we are cash buyers. We don’t want to sell until we know we’ve got a place to go. […]
Reader Question: We want to try a do-it-yourself home search, as we have been out-bid twice already. Agents say few homes are coming on the market, which is a big reason for the high prices. Do you have any suggestions about how we could find a home on our own? Monty’s Answer: Here is what […]
Reader Question: Are there eight common for-sale-by-owner mistakes? We are planning on selling our home this year. When we see how fast homes are selling in our neighborhood, the idea of just hanging our sign in the yard is something we are considering. If we go ahead with this, what are the significant mistakes for-sale-by-owners […]
Reader Question: We are selling our home on our own. We have had little activity for over two months, and now we are expecting multiple offers on our for sale by owner home. Please help! Monty’s Answer: When you are selling your home without a real estate agent, the possibility of two or more parties […]
Reader Question: I own my current home. I am having trouble selling it. iBuyers say that they will pay fair market value for a home and take care of all the issues that give me problems. Should I consider selling my house to an iBuyer? Monty’s Answer: Whether or not it is feasible or a […]
Reader Question: Is a do-it-yourself major remodel a good idea? We have outgrown our home as our children are growing up and need more room. We want to add about a twelve-hundred square foot addition and a full bath, plus update the kitchen and bathrooms with cabinets, plumber, and flooring. My husband worked construction in […]
Reader Question: Is 2021 a good time to sell our home? We are in our late fifties. Our kids are grown and on their own. Our health is good, and we have no mortgage. We are thinking of downsizing into a smaller home in a newer subdivision not far from our current home. There are […]
Reader Question: We are making an offer on a home. The inspection contingency has a right-to-cure clause where we give the Seller the right-to-cure any defects found or deny the Seller the right to cure. We asked the agent for advice and were told, “It’s up to you.” How would you answer? Monty’s Answer: If […]
Reader Question: An appraisal killed our home sale. We accepted an offer on our home 45 days ago. The lender just turned down the buyer’s loan because the appraisal was $35,000 lower than the contract price. The buyer had a twenty percent down payment but no extra cash to make up the difference. We […]
Reader Question: How can we check if our home is overpriced? Our home has been for sale on-and-off for some time. We have tried it ourselves, and hired real estate agents to no avail. This time we are going on four months now. In the past, we felt that our house didn’t sell because it’s […]