Dear Barry,

Our home is very old but was renovated in 1977. The people who are buying it hired a home inspector. The inspector said that our gas furnace violates the building code because it is installed in a bedroom closet. We had the home inspected before we bought it, and we've had it serviced every year since. But no one has ever told us that you can't have a gas furnace in a bedroom closet. Is this really in violation of code? --Justine

Dear Justine,  more...

If you enjoy speculating in real estate, you will like "Making Hard Cash in a Soft Real Estate Market" by Wendy Patton and Justin Ryan. The reason this is a book for speculators is the authors suggest real estate buyers should purchase in "emerging markets" rather than in their hometowns, as most realty investors do.  more...

DEAR BOB: I have frequently heard if your mortgage calls for monthly payments, you can make a significant interest savings if you pay twice monthly. For example, my mortgage payment is due on the first day of each month. I would like to pay half of my monthly payment 15 days before the due date and the remainder on the due date. But my lender says the only way I can do this is through a third-party company, which will then charge me a sign-up fee of several hundred dollars plus a monthly fee.  more...