Not too long ago, a neighbor asked if I knew where our sewer and storm drains are located. He apparently wants to adjust the drainage on his property to drain into the public storm sewer drain, which I knew adjoins our lots.

After that brief conversation, I checked the legal description for my property. All it says is the city has a public utility easement along the northerly 5 feet of my property.  more...

Many homeowners have been known to lay awake at night, obsessing about the cabinet door styles, countertop materials and floor coverings for their new kitchen. Almost no one looses sleep over the drawer and cabinet door pulls, but this small detail can add a touch of magic, subtle nuance, playfulness or sass, as I discovered at the Kitchen and Bath Industry Show last April in Chicago.

The most unusual drawer and cabinet hardware was Gado Gado International's.  more...

DEAR BOB: I own a two-acre lot in an area of mostly one-acre lots. A neighbor wants to buy a half acre from me so he can build what I call a "McMansion." He needs a larger lot to accommodate the size home he and his wife want to build. We don't mind because it won't be close to our house and having a highly valued house next to ours should enhance our home's market value. However, we don't know how to value a half-acre lot where there are no lots for sale. Also, what legal steps must be followed to deed a half acre?  more...

There are three types of real estate investment opportunities that should be avoided if profits are your main goal. Here they are:

1. AVOID BUYING HOUSES IN EXCELLENT CONDITION. Fortunately, the long-term trend for sound, well-located U.S. houses has always been up. But along the way, there are peaks, valleys and plateaus. "Are we in a real estate bubble?" is a question I am frequently asked.  more...

David and Suzanne McKenna own their home on Maybell Way in Palo Alto, Calif. Their residence suffered serious damage as the result of two backups of the city sewer serving their home.

After the first backup, their homeowner's insurance company paid to install a new lateral sewer pipe from the house to the sewer located in the street.

Purchase Bob Bruss reports online.

But about a month later, the sewer again backed up into the McKenna home.  more...

DEAR BOB: Recently you had an item about how husband and wife should hold title to their home and other real estate. It motivated me to go to our safe deposit box to check our home title deed. It says we own our home in the name of "Mark or Victoria Lastname." No method of holding title, such as joint tenancy or tenancy in common, is specified. Do we have a problem? --Victoria W.

DEAR VICTORIA: Yes. As a real estate attorney, I can see many potential problems with the way you hold title to your home.  more...

Dear Barry,

I need to know if home inspections are required for cooperative living units such as condominiums and townhouses. As a buyer, home inspection is listed as an option in my purchase contract, but my Realtor and the listing agent both say that a home inspection is unnecessary. They assure me that the property management company performed a thorough inspection before the property was listed for sale and that there were no problems with any of the appliances. Should I rely on this advice?  more...