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 [...]
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 [...]
Home buying, selling and getting a mortgage in retirement. This reader wants to know how to time selling their home and getting financing for a new one. Q: I am single and have an 800+ credit score. I plan to retire in the next year or so and move to a small town in the [...]
Using an LLC to transfer property from parent to child. This reader wants to know how to avoid future gift taxes transferring property to their son’s LLC. Q: We are subscribers to Ilyce’s Expert Real Estate Tips YouTube channel. Thanks so much for sharing such good advice and tips. We jointly bought a rental property [...]
