Home

More Fed rate hikes may not damage economy

By Lou Barnes, Friday, March 31, 2006.

Mortgage rates are in the process of crossing above 6.5 percent in panicky trading, and new economic reports are not the cause. Rates are going up because the Fed is pushing them up in unison with the Bank of Japan and the European Central Bank, which raises three questions: why are they going higher, how far are they going, and when are they going to do visible damage to the (global) economy?  more...

Real estate class again

By Alison Rogers, Friday, March 31, 2006.

I'm waiting to present to a bunch of real estate agents in New Jersey – my one last hope – but after a lot of consideration I've decided to get my license in New York. To say that I'm plagued with doubt would be an understatement. In five months, I haven't generated any real estate activity whatsoever – so I'm going to throw good money after bad?

The positive case, the one I talk myself into, is that straight selling is probably easier than flipping because some of the properties start out in good shape in the first place.  more...

How to roll with the luxury real estate crowd Premium Content

By Bernice Ross, Friday, March 31, 2006.

(This is Part 2 of a four-part series. See Part 1.)

What can you learn from the agents who sell the ultra high-end?  more...

5 questions real estate buyers use to their advantage

By Robert Bruss, Friday, March 31, 2006.

Thanks to abnormally low mortgage interest rates, home sellers had an extremely favorable "seller's market" for the last few years. That means there were more qualified home buyers in the market than there were homes available for sale.

Homes often sold in just a few days or weeks. Typical home sale prices appreciated 10 percent or more annually for the last few years in many communities. Since 2000, the average U.S.  more...

Four wheels good, two legs bad

By Arrol Gellner, Friday, March 31, 2006.

We Americans are a puzzling bunch. We travel to Italy, France or Spain and come back smitten with the charmingly walk-able streets, close-knit houses, and humanly scaled public spaces we find there.  more...

Tips for keeping floor insulation dry

By Paul Bianchina, Friday, March 31, 2006.

Q: I have 2-by-12 floor joists, and I plan to use R-38 batts to insulate my floor. Is it OK to go with un-faced batts, or do I need faced insulation with the Kraft paper face-up towards the floor? I do have 6-millimeter black plastic on the ground.  more...

Can tenant legally rescind 30-day notice to vacate?

By Robert Griswold, Thursday, March 30, 2006.

Question: I live in an apartment on a month-to-month rental agreement and plan to move to another apartment if I find a better deal elsewhere. My question is about the 30-day notice to vacate. If I give my notice but don't find another apartment, would it be possible to legally withdraw my notice? My friend says that it can be done as long as it is at least a few days before the 30 days are over. In other words, the apartment management cannot force me to move if I change my mind.  more...

Can home seller get out of a 4-month listing?

By Robert Bruss, Thursday, March 30, 2006.

DEAR BOB: I signed a contract with a real estate agent for a four-month listing to sell my home. But he has not done much. I decided not to sell my home; but is there any other way to get out of this listing contract legally and hire a better agent?  more...

Real estate tax break not likely if living in 2 states

By Robert Bruss, Wednesday, March 29, 2006.

DEAR BOB: I own two houses in trust. One is in West Virginia. When my husband moved out of that house, he signed the papers to transfer title to me. I now live there for several months each year, but it is not my permanent residence. I cannot claim a homestead exemption there because I claim a Florida homestead. Can I use the tax-free $250,000 exemption on the West Virginia house if I lived there 24 months during the past five years? --Elinor T.

DEAR ELINOR: I presume by holding title "in trust," you mean in a revocable living trust.  more...

Can borrower rescind real estate loan within 3 years?

By Robert Bruss, Wednesday, March 29, 2006.

In early August 2000, homeowner Nancy O'Brien received a marketing call from Aames Funding Corp. She expressed interest in refinancing her home and paying off $15,000 in credit card debt.

Aames then arranged two mortgage loans for her to pay off the $83,492 first mortgage, consumer debt, property taxes, and transaction charges, for a total of $104,662.

Purchase Bob Bruss reports online.

On Aug. 31, 2000, O'Brien received a first mortgage loan for $79,500 from Aames.  more...

Hardwood floors in bathroom generally a bad idea

By Bill and Kevin Burnett, Wednesday, March 29, 2006.

Q: We are planning a bathroom remodel. We like the hardwood floors in the rest of our house very much and are considering hardwood in the bathroom too.

Contractors who are bidding the job have given us mixed responses. One said he thinks hardwood would be great, but two others strongly recommend against it because of potential water damage.

We are pretty neat and tidy people--no wet towels on the floor, etc. What are your thoughts? Are hardwood floors a good idea for the bathroom?

A: To put it bluntly, no.  more...

When it comes to new homes, size really does matter

By Tom Kelly, Wednesday, March 29, 2006.

The size of America's most popular home of the future will continue to grow. The reason provided by one of the nation's most respected analysts, sounds like a popular country-western song:

"I like it. I love it. I can afford it, so I'll buy it."

That's the explanation offered by Gopal Ahluwalia, research specialist in the National Association of Home Builder's economics department, when asked about the growing size of single-family homes, given the dwindling number of individuals living in U.S.  more...

Bathroom wallpaper hides more than just bare walls

By Barry Stone, Tuesday, March 28, 2006.

Dear Barry,

We recently sold our home and made full disclosure of every defect we could think of. The buyers hired a home inspector, and we repaired all of the defects listed in the inspection report. We wanted the buyers to be satisfied with the home and felt that we had dealt fairly and honestly with them. But after the sale, they remodeled the interior, and that's when an unknown problem was revealed. When they stripped the wallpaper in the master bathroom, the entire back side of the paper was covered with mold.  more...

Can home seller cancel sale if buyer doesn't perform?

By Robert Bruss, Tuesday, March 28, 2006.

DEAR BOB: I had a contract to sell my home. I gave the buyer seven days to bring me an acceptable mortgage letter from a bank, but he presented a letter from a mortgage broker indicating final approval of his loan was subject to "underwriting." His bank returned his $1,000 deposit check for insufficient funds. Can I legally terminate his contract? --Jorge S.

DEAR JORGE: From your description, it sounds like your buyer is in breach of the sales contract. That letter from a mortgage broker indicating his mortgage approval is subject to "underwriting" is worthless.  more...

Real estate investment benefits revealed

By Robert Bruss, Tuesday, March 28, 2006.

If you are just starting your real estate investment career, and want to learn all the benefits realty investments offer, first read "Real Estate Investor's Checklist" by longtime investor Robert Irwin.  more...

123456next ›last »