Total Number of News: 5398
- 9/22/2008 - Real Estate News
Buyers learn of flood problem too late
DEAR BENNY: We bought a house (built in 1965) on Dec. 18, 2006. Six days later, heavy rains flooded a storage-room area on the lower level. We called the real estate agent who claimed that the prior owners had no knowledge of any water problems and su... - 9/22/2008 - Real Estate News
Falling prices can be bad for buyers
The home mortgage market is devilishly difficult to navigate in normal times. During a period in which home prices are declining, the difficulties are compounded. Problems I had never thought about before now pop up regularly in my mailbox. Here are a ... - 9/22/2008 - Real Estate News
Common ways sellers fudge their listings
Some people just don't get it. If you advertise a house as having a San Francisco Bay view, buyers will expect to walk into a public room like the living room and see the bay. They won't be satisfied with a peek of the bay from the master bathroom. Exag... - 9/19/2008 - Real Estate News
Miter saw great for DIY projects
If you're framing a new deck one weekend and then installing some intricate stain-grade crown molding the next, you might be wishing for one saw that could handle both those tasks -- and everything in-between. If so, then you don't need to look any fur... - 9/19/2008 - Real Estate News
Buy at your own risk
Q: My son signed a contract to buy a home and put down $600. The real estate company found a bank who approved him for the loan (over the phone), but he did not sign any paperwork with the bank. Later that night, after he had had time to think about ... - 9/18/2008 - Real Estate News
Selling home to pay for healthcare brings tax bite
Q: My mother built a house in 1960 for about $12,000. She used a quitclaim deed to gift the property to my two siblings and me. But now she needs to go into a nursing home and we need to sell the house to pay for her care. We were told that because we... - 9/18/2008 - Real Estate News
Facing foreclosure? Think before renting out home
Q: Do you feel it is ethical for a landlord to sign a one-year lease when he knows the property may be foreclosed? For that matter, what about signing a month-to-month rental agreement? True, the landlord can always terminate a month-to-month with not... - 9/18/2008 - Real Estate News
Buyers avoid ruin with 'smart ownership'
Q: I just closed escrow on my first home -- a condo. I am so excited, but I'm kind of freaking out, too. I'm pretty sure I should be doing something different, financially speaking, than I did before I became a homeowner, but I have no idea what that i... - 9/17/2008 - Real Estate News
Dual-flush toilet sure to wow
Q: We recently returned from a vacation in France. Many toilets had two flush buttons -- one for a small flush and one for a full flush. I thought they were a great idea, as they save water and, when needed, actually clean the bowl; the lack of cleani... - 9/17/2008 - Real Estate News
Housing bill cuts reverse-mortgage fees
"Some people will say reverse mortgages are absolutely too expensive, while others will tell you they are the greatest deal on earth. What all the years of talking to seniors about reverse mortgages has taught me is that you can show somebody what...