In this email we received last week, an abusive mother is fighting with her disabled daughter, threatening to throw her out of the home they both own. The daughter wants to know if she can legally be thrown out of a home when she is on title and has helped maintain it and pay for [...]
When you live in a home owned by a family member, transferring the home title from owner to tenant can be complicated. Just because you've been living in a home for an extended period of time and paying the expenses (as in this case), that doesn't make you the homeowner. Q: How do we get the [...]
Resolving a title conflict between joint homeowners can be difficult and often emotional. This is especially true when one homeowner relies on the other for support. Q: My mother and I are both on the title to our house. The house is paid off. My mother is also abusive and I am disabled. She has [...]
Seller disclosure issues often cause headaches for buyers. In this case, a homeowner (who purchased a home with a sunroom addition three years ago) feels that the seller of the property didn't disclose problems with the addition. The lack of seller disclosure means the homeowner could be facing a huge bill to fix the problem. Q: [...]
My father died and had a mortgage. Can I keep it? This reader wants to know if they can assume an existing mortgage loan after a parent's death. Q: My father and I were joint tenants with right of survivorship on our home. He recently died and I would like to stay in my house. [...]
Should you refinance your home with HARP? Although the housing crisis and Great Recession is nearly 10 years old, we still receive questions from homeowners who don't qualify (or think they don't qualify) for a conventional refinance. While the Home Affordable Refinance Program (HARP) has some specific qualifications, it may still help some borrowers who [...]
How much home can you afford to buy? Not as much as last year, it turns out, as existing home sales fall due to affordability and lack of inventory. The National Association of Realtors reported that existing home sales declined 3.7 percent in February to a seasonally adjusted rate of 5.48 million units. Economists polled [...]
4 things real estate investors should know at tax time. Insights from a principal federal tax analyst on potential tax breaks for real estate investors. Real estate investors often have a lot of questions once tax time rolls around — especially if they're new to the game. That's because while there are a number of [...]
Q: I am a 55 and own a house in Chicago. I decided to change my career and to pursue a PhD beginning in the fall of 2018. Meanwhile, I just accepted a 1-year position in Seattle, and am not sure after my year away whether I will return to Chicago, stay in Seattle, or potentially [...]
"Good afternoon. Today, the Federal Open Market Committee decided to raise the target range for the federal funds rate by 1/4 percentage point, bringing it to 3/4 to 1 percent. Our decision to make another gradual reduction in the amount of policy accommodation reflects the economy’s continued progress toward the employment and price stability objectives [...]
