Home

Can tenant break lease because of illness?

By Janet Portman, Wednesday, October 31, 2007.

Q: We rent a single-family house and have a two-year lease. A month into the lease, the owners told us they'll be selling the property, and sure enough, we've had droves of real estate agents and potential buyers traipsing through our home. My wife has a serious medical condition (she's in a wheelchair and uses a ventilator) and needs peace and quiet so she can rest, but with this commotion it's impossible. The landlord refuses to be reasonable. We want to leave, but do we have grounds to break our lease? --Steve F.  more...

Restore brick fireplace the safe, easy way

By Bill and Kevin Burnett, Wednesday, October 31, 2007.

Q: We are remodeling a 35-year-old home that has a nice brick fireplace. The previous owner used it to burn paper and other low-temperature items that produced a lot of smoke, resulting in a very heavy and unattractive buildup of carbon and soot. Worse, the owner used off-white, wall-color-matching, latex paint on the outside part (yes, right on the bricks) of the fireplace.  more...

Stained vinyl floor brings bad news

By Paul Bianchina, Tuesday, October 30, 2007.

Q: I have some dark, blotchy areas appearing on my white vinyl flooring. The flooring is 18 years old, and I've been told that the glue is turning dark. Can I clean it, or is it time for a new floor? --Barbara D.  more...

Home inspectors wise to err on side of caution

By Barry Stone, Tuesday, October 30, 2007.

Dear Barry,  more...

Let's make a deal: loan mod for 50% of price appreciation

By Jack Guttentag, Monday, October 29, 2007.

(This is Part 2 of a two-part series. Read Part 1, "Too much equity can deny homeowners loan mods.")

The first article in this series pointed out that when a mortgage borrower is unable to make the required payments, the servicing agent has an obligation to the owner of the mortgage to resolve the problem in the way that is least costly to the owner. The usual method is foreclosure, but an alternative is to modify the loan contract to make the payment more affordable.  more...

Is improving home's basement wise during soft market?

By Dian Hymer, Monday, October 29, 2007.

Should you invest a good sum of money in your home if housing prices in your area are flat or declining? When home prices are escalating, adding more money to an asset that's increasing rapidly in value is a no-brainer. But given current market conditions, it's more important to consider the financial ramification of a renovation before giving your contractor the green light.  more...

Neighbor shouldn't share well without legal contract

By Benny Kass, Monday, October 29, 2007.

DEAR BENNY: Our neighbor is planning on drilling a well and putting in an irrigation system. They have asked us if we would like to install an irrigation system and if so, would we like to tap into their well and help pay for it. Our neighbors across the street have a similar arrangement. The neighbors that have the well on their property pay for the electricity, and any repairs are paid for by the others that use the well. That sounds fine, but what needs to be done to make sure this agreement and our ability to use the well continues if our neighbor decides to sell their house?  more...

Job gains only thing keeping mortgages above 6%

By Lou Barnes, Friday, October 26, 2007.

Mortgage rates are stuck just above 6 percent, but the key indicator of anxiety, the 10-year T-note, fell into the 4.30s. The drop was brisk following news of deepening weakness in housing and credit.

Stocks are holding a key level, in Dow terms, 13,500. That market recovered once this week on the rumor that things were so bad that the Fed would cut its rate before its Halloween meeting. A Fed panic would be good news?  more...

Mortgage insider explains loan rip-offs Premium Content

By Alison Rogers, Friday, October 26, 2007.

I love insiders. Maybe it's because I'm a New Yorker, but I always want to find the "insider connection" who will get me the "best deal."

So I was very excited to interview Carolyn Warren, a former mortgage loan officer who wrote a book explaining the ins and outs of her industry. Warren explains: "I had been working in the industry about 10 years; I think the turning point was when I had lunch with a mortgage broker and he told me he had just closed a loan and made $40,000."  more...

Big referral fees lure agents into second-home market Premium Content

By Bernice Ross, Friday, October 26, 2007.

Would you like to receive $5,000 or more for a single telephone call?  more...

Why isn't U.S. electrical system underground?

By Arrol Gellner, Friday, October 26, 2007.

(This is Part 2 of a two-part series. Read Part 1, "Inventors scramble to electrify America.")

The American landscape was forever changed by the arrival of electricity in the late 1890s. What's surprising, though, is how little it's changed since. To a time traveler from a century ago, our cars, planes and Blackberries would surely border on the miraculous, but the old wooden power poles that march down our streets would look perfectly familiar.  more...

Keep concrete, asphalt safe from water intrusion

By Paul Bianchina, Friday, October 26, 2007.

It seems like something as tough as your concrete or asphalt driveway would be able to easily stand up to something as small as a drop of water. But the effects of rain and snow, especially if that moisture gets into cracks in the surface and then freezes, can do a surprising amount of damage to a driveway, walkway, wall, or other concrete, masonry or asphalt surface.  more...

Tenant loses right to fly foreign flag

By Janet Portman, Thursday, October 25, 2007.

Q: I'm a renter in a condo complex. My neighbor, who is also a renter, has two large American flags flying from his balcony and front entrance area. I'd like to show my support of my native country by flying its flags, but when I put them up, the homeowners association told me to take them down. Why the double standard -- isn't this a violation of my freedom of speech? --Miriam W.  more...

Security deposit too small to cover pet, smoke damage

By Robert Griswold, Thursday, October 25, 2007.

Question: I have a rental unit that I have leased out with only a $200 security deposit. I inadvertently rented to a smoker with a small dog. I was aware of the dog, but not the smoking. The tenant seems to be a chain smoker -- when I enter the unit to do repairs it smells like an ashtray. He never leaves the door open and the windows are always closed. He hardly lets his dog out and I also noticed that his dog pees on the carpet. I feel that by the end of his lease the carpet will be totally trashed and the smell unacceptable.  more...

Damaged gutters: replace or remove?

By Bill and Kevin Burnett, Wednesday, October 24, 2007.

Q: Are gutters on homes necessary? Our last home, built in the 1950s, didn't have gutters and seemed to be fine during the 10-plus years we lived in it. Now we live in a tract home, built in the '70s, and the gutters are in very bad shape.

We're tempted to remove them rather than replace them but don't know if the need for gutters depends upon the style of the home. Both homes are boxes, essentially. We certainly don't want to do anything that would damage the house. What do you think?  more...

12345next ›last »