Dear Barry,

Since buying our home, we've learned that another buyer nearly bought it about six months ago. That person hired a home inspector, and copies of the report were given to the sellers and their agent. But nothing was mentioned about the report when we bought the property, and we want to know if they were required to disclose the information in that report. –Betty

Dear Betty,  more...

If you are a homeowner who wants to be aware of virtually every possible tax saving break, "J.K. Lasser's Homeowner's Tax Breaks" by Gerald J. Robinson Esq. is a good guidebook. It highlights almost every home ownership tax benefit, usually making the explanations easily understandable.

However, the book should contain a warning on the front cover stating, "Information in this book should be verified with your personal tax adviser because the author failed to include documentation to support his statements."  more...

DEAR BOB: When I die, I want to leave my house to one of my sisters. But I wish to avoid probate costs and delays. Rather than spend the money on a living trust, which you often recommend, I want to fill out a quit claim deed and sign my house over to my sister. However, she won't learn of this until my death (I will keep a copy with my will, which I will give to a trusted brother). Will my sister still be able to record my quit claim deed years from now (after my death) or is there a statute of limitation? She is an attorney and very bright – Gloria Z.  more...

I recently took an ecological footprint quiz and learned that it would take 21 biologically productive acres to support my lifestyle. If everyone on Earth lived like me, we would need 4.7 planets, and I was 12 percent below average for an American!

The only saving grace here is that so far most of the world has yet to achieve my middle-class American lifestyle.  more...

"If you dare to file a claim on your homeowner's insurance policy, we'll cancel your policy no matter how long you've been our customer." That seems to have become the motto of the homeowner's insurance industry.

Just a few days ago, I received an e-mail from a homeowner who was insured with the same major national insurance company for more than 30 years. Last year she filed a $457 claim. The insurer paid because the loss was covered under the policy. But when her policy came up for annual renewal, the insurer refused to renew.  more...

Benjamin, age 5, and his brother Joshua, age 9, were enrolled at a summer day camp. Their parents dropped them off where they were then picked up by a bus and taken to the camp.

Buford, an individual with publicly avowed anti-Semitic views, entered the day camp area and began shooting. His bullet hit Benjamin. Joshua was not shot, but he "perceived" Benjamin's shooting.

Purchase Bob Bruss reports online.  more...

Dear Barry,

My neighbor has a brick shed built against the side of my garage. It encroaches onto my property and prevents me from painting the garage wall. I'd like him to remove it, but he refuses because it was there before I purchased the property two years ago. The city building department sent him a notice, but he won't tear the shed down. What should I do? – Yve

Dear Yve,  more...

Unless you have no sense of humor, never smile, never laugh, and wear a pocket protector for your pens (indicating you are overly cautious), you will thoroughly enjoy Frank Cook's latest real estate disclosure book, "You're not Buying That House are You?" In addition to being a semi-serious real estate "how to buy a home book," bookstores and libraries should also shelve it in the humor section.  more...