Is an unrecorded deed valid? This reader transferred ownership of the home but is receiving tax bills, are they still the legal owner of the property? Q: My wife and I had a lakehouse. The home originally belonged to her ex-husband before he went to prison. We had an agreement with him that while he [...]
How capital gains tax on the sale of a property held in a trust works. This reader wants to know if they can claim a capital loss on the sale. Q: I enjoyed your column in the Washington Post. I am trustee of my father's trust. Upon his death, his 50 percent interest in the [...]
How do I get rid of PMI on my mortgage? What can you do if you don’t want to pay private mortgage insurance on your mortgage loan? Q: I appreciate your articles and landed on your site after reading your article on prepaying your mortgage. I have a question for you about mortgage loans, private [...]
How do I avoid paying taxes when I sell my rental property? This reader wants to know if they can avoid capital gains taxes without doing a 1031 exchange. Q: My wife and I are about to sell a Chicago rental property we purchased together. The house was our first home and when we moved [...]
What happens when a seller lies on a disclosure? This home buyer discovered damage they believe the sellers’ purposely failed to disclose. Q: When Do You Have Enough Evidence to Pursue a Seller Disclosure Case? We purchased a "remodeled" home early last year. We have recently discovered after doing some deep property cleaning that the [...]
Five common holiday scams to avoid in 2019. Don’t be fooled by these popular holiday scams threatening to steal your information and then your identity. Anyone can be a victim of a scam. Just ask the 35,000 people who lost $10 million to an ongoing phone scam where scammers pretend to be from the Social [...]
3 holiday spending stress relief tips for gift giving in 2019. It is possible to show appreciation for your loved ones without overspending this holiday season. My favorite part about the holidays is gathering with the people I love most to celebrate the end of another year. Exchanging gifts and visiting with family is a [...]
How is real estate commission split? How real estate agents split commissions with brokerages and use it to cover expenses like Realtor association dues. Q: I’m a real fan of your column, but this article on how much commission real agents make is extremely misleading. From the way I read the column, it looks like [...]
Are exclusive buyer agents better than traditional real estate brokers? Weighing the pros and cons of each and how to decide which to use when homebuying. Q: My wife and I have been reading Ilyce’s book, 100 Questions Every First-Time Home Buyer Should Ask, and one of the big things we took from the book [...]
How do you protect yourself when selling a house? This home seller thinks a buyer might be taking advantage of them after a home inspection. Q: I would appreciate your advice on how a seller can protect themselves from being taken advantage of by a buyer. When I put my house up for sale, a [...]
