Zoning: Splitting Lots Q: I have a zoning question. My daughter and son-in-law bought a cabin as their second/vacation home near Seattle a couple of years ago. The property is actually two lots (with two separate tax parcels). And, the cabin on one of the lots. But there is only one deed and one mortgage. [...]
Buyer Agency Gives Home Buyers Pause Q: My young adult children are thinking about buying a house. And, they're confused about some of the new rules and regulations concerning buyers agents. We're all a bit befuddled by the new rules regarding commissions for buyers agents. I am giving Ilyce’s "100 Questions Every First-Time Home Buyer [...]
Life Estates and Lady Bird Deeds Q: My lawyer can’t seem to get the title cleared on my Florida condominium. My mom and stepdad received title to my grandmother’s condominium as tenants-in-common from my grandmother back in 1995. My stepdad died without a will about 20 years ago. His estate was never probated as my [...]
Square Footage: Sizing Up a House Correctly Comment: I read your article on how people buy homes and use the square footage of the home to compare one home with the other. I wanted to let you know there is an ANSI standard for measuring square footage of a residential unit though few in our [...]
Timeshares: How Difficult Are Timeshares To Sell? Before buying a timeshare think about how tough it will be to sell it We get many questions from readers on timeshares. By far, the most common issue is how owners can get rid of their timeshare. There are many reasons why an owner would want to sell [...]
Reverse Mortgages After Death What happens to a house that has a reverse mortgage after the owner passes away? Q: I took out a reverse mortgage back in 2009. The Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) holds the mortgage and they have a different company that services the loan. I have approximately $100,000 in [...]
Home Sale Tax Exclusion: Residency Requirements What does the IRS really say about the home sale tax exclusion? Q: I read your column regularly and now I have a question for you. We own two houses. One is in Chicago, which we purchased in 2010. The other is in Arizona, which we purchased in 2012. We [...]
Home Inspections: Mold A home buyer found mold in a foreclosed condo. Later, the ceiling fell in. Q: I was given your article on home inspections. The most important thing was not mentioned in your article! If you think something may be wrong, it probably is! In 2011, an agent who works with the Veteran’s [...]
Home Inspection Uncovers Serious Issue Q: We signed a contract to purchase a home. It seemed to have an issue with moisture in the crawl space. So, we had a home inspection. The inspector couldn’t gain access to the crawl space as the access was too small and he was too big. He noted in [...]
Selling a Home in an Irrevocable Trust Q: I read your article on living trusts recently. You detail the workings of property in a revocable trust and what one should do with the funds upon the sale of the property. Would the same things apply to an irrevocable trust? I am the creator of a [...]
