When you’re selling your home, it is natural to assume that anything you can safely remove is yours to keep—like the light fixtures you painstakingly cleaned and repaired, or the appliances you bought last year—but the buyer may want some of those items, too. Rather than keep everything, you should… read more →
You’ve sold your home – congratulations! You’ve found another home to buy – congratulations again! Unfortunately, coordinating the settlement dates on your current home and your new home isn’t working out quite as you planned. Rather than putting your belongings in storage and staying with relatives or in a hotel… read more →
Would you go to a friend’s dinner party, nibble every course, drink a glass or two of wine, and then leave—without ever speaking to the host? I hope not. And I hope you wouldn’t treat open houses the same way. And yet home buyers often do, refusing to sign in… read more →
“Foreclosure” is a frightening word for a number of reasons. Topping the list? If you’re unable to make your mortgage payments, you’ll lose your home. However, the misery doesn’t end there. Foreclosure ripples out and affects your credit score, which can hurt your chances of qualifying for a new loan—or another home—in the… read more →
Normally when you buy a house, you don’t want a home with any outstanding liens against it (that’s also why you pay for a title company). But what happens to those houses with outstanding taxes? You can buy those, too. Or you can just buy the lien and profit from that.… read more →
With spring being the busiest time for real estate, homeowners planning to put their homes on the market shouldn’t wait for flowers to bloom before getting ready to sell. Having a few months to prepare can make for a much smoother selling experience. If you’re a prospective home seller, here… read more →
Timing really is everything when it comes to home sales. Getting your asking price, and even attracting multiple buyers, can simply be a factor of the time of year when the home is sold. Spring and Summer Spring brings rain and flowers—and possibly extra green in the final sales price… read more →
Holding an open house is an act of faith. You clean, declutter, and prepare your home to look its best, hoping at least one of the visitors will fall in love enough to make an offer, preferably all-cash. At the same time, open houses are invitations to strangers to walk among your… read more →
Think you’re a savvy mortgage shopper? You might not be. A study by the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau found that only about half of home buyers shopped around for a mortgage, meaning the other half considered only one lender or broker. That’s great—if you’re a lender. But you’re a borrower, which means… read more →
When you’re searching for your perfect home, you have different types of houses to choose from. Each has its upsides and downsides. Depending on your needs, you might prefer one of the following: A single-family home A multifamily house A condo A duplex There are various things to consider when… read more →