Total Number of News: 5311
- 8/18/2008 - Real Estate News
When mortgage is sold, strange things can happen
"I bought my house in June. In October, I made my mortgage payment to XYZ Mortgage as usual. A few weeks later, the payment was returned with a note saying that my mortgage had been sold to ABC Mortgage. However, when I contacted ABC, they said th... - 8/18/2008 - Real Estate News
Don't wait until selling to make repairs
Home maintenance ranks low on many homeowners' priority lists. When the washing machine breaks, you might fix it to keep from having to go to the Laundromat. But, if there's no pressing need, home maintenance chores are often put off. In the current so... - 8/18/2008 - Real Estate News
With buyer lined up, who needs an agent?
DEAR BENNY: I plan to sell my house and have already found a buyer and believe we can come to agreeable terms. Do I need a real estate agent or should I just retain an attorney? --Katherine DEAR KATHERINE: I know that the real estate industry will send... - 8/15/2008 - Real Estate News
Better ROI: real estate or stocks?
Q: I have decided that if I am to invest in real estate, it will be single-family ranch-style houses with the goal of breaking even on a monthly basis. I'll either hold the property long term (if it looks like I'll make money by increasing the rent ove... - 8/14/2008 - Real Estate News
Sellers, don't skimp on price reduction
Q: My house just won't sell. It's been on the market for six months. I've reduced the price several times, and my Realtor keeps trying to get me to bring the price down much more, but I think it will make me look desperate to buyers. Should I get a ne... - 8/13/2008 - Real Estate News
Failed drywall tape common on new homes
Q: Although my house was built only five years ago, some of the tape has pulled away from the wall. It looks like it is just peeling at the seams. I had a contractor come in with a price and he wanted $950 to fix the problem. He said the original Shee... - 8/13/2008 - Real Estate News
Make your vacation home a boat
It seems boat traffic has slowed this summer on local lakes. Higher fuel costs clearly are pinching the busiest leisure time of the year. However, a significant blow to the masses is not even a light tap to the rich. Astonishingly, it could not be a bet... - 8/13/2008 - Real Estate News
1031 exchange scams can devastate investors
A recent report in the Wall Street Journal highlighted yet another 1031 exchange company that had stolen investors' funds and used them to fund an expensive lifestyle. Thousands of real estate investors have used 1031 exchanges to defer capital gains a... - 8/12/2008 - Real Estate News
90 days to sell a home? Good luck
Q: In a recent column about listing agreements, you wrote that you never advise sellers to sign a listing agreement longer than 90 days. This poses a problem for me. As a Realtor who sells in an area with average days on market of 151 days, it would no... - 8/12/2008 - Real Estate News
You're 'too scary for my buyers'
Dear Barry, As a real estate broker, I read your column regularly and with great interest. But some of your articles trouble me. They suggest that Realtors routinely avoid the most thorough home inspectors and that they even label good inspectors as &q...