Total Number of News: 6276
- 10/14/2008 - Real Estate News
Home inspection fee was a waste
DEAR BARRY: We just closed escrow on a home, and the day we moved in we found a flooded basement because the water heater had failed. But four weeks ago, our home inspector said the water heater would be good for many more years. Our plumber disagreed.... - 10/14/2008 - Real Estate News
Five months and no offers? Time to stage
Q: What do you think of a Realtor who told me in the beginning of the listing that my house shows well but now says I should pack up my clutter and get it out of the house? I've had my house on the market for five months and haven't had an offer. She a... - 10/13/2008 - Real Estate News
New title insurer undercuts competitors
In the midst of the worst financial crisis since the 1930s, one that originated in and owes its severity to developments in the home mortgage market, it is nice to be able to report some good news about this market. The newly chartered EnTitle Insuranc... - 10/13/2008 - Real Estate News
Mortgage approval is no easy task
It wasn't too long ago that home buyers made offers without financing contingencies and closed the deal in as short as 14 days following acceptance. Quick closes are virtually impossible today if you're buying a home with the aid of a mortgage. And, it... - 10/13/2008 - Real Estate News
Timing the market: Refi or keep ARM loan?
DEAR BENNY: I have a hybrid mortgage that is fixed for the first five years at 4.25 percent, and is tied to U.S. Treasury securities. The loan document notes that the index value is 2.1 and the margin is 2.75. The first "change date" on the ... - 10/10/2008 - Real Estate News
Sellers wise to replace exterior door
Q: We are trying to replace a plain, solid-wood, paint-grade, 8-foot outside door on a home we are trying to sell. The old hinges are different from what's common today. I am not sure if this could be changed or not. Do you know what we should do? --Ji... - 10/10/2008 - Real Estate News
It takes a forest to build a house
Back in the not-so-Jolly Old England of the Middle Ages, where many American building traditions originated, no one knew anything about structural engineering. Instead, carpenters used common knowledge gleaned from trial and error and handed down over ... - 10/10/2008 - Real Estate News
Upside-down on mortgage: Now what?
Q: My husband and I live in a house that I own on my own. I paid $500,000 for the house in 2005. I took out a 100 percent loan with a 5-year fixed-rate first mortgage for $400,000 and an adjustable $100,000 home equity line of credit as the second loa... - 10/9/2008 - Real Estate News
Golf-course living has its drawbacks
Q: We rent a single-family home that's adjacent to a municipal golf course. Unfortunately, along with the views we get a daily barrage of golf balls. They fall in our yard, have dented our car and broken two windows, and I'm afraid to use the pool bef... - 10/9/2008 - Real Estate News
How stubborn tenants kill sales
Q: My rental home has been for sale for more than a year. During this time, I have given my tenant a rent discount for allowing me to show the home and for the fact that he will have to move on a 30-day notice when it sells. I have now sold the home...