Selling a house in disrepair: tax implications. This reader wants to know how selling a rundown family home will affect their income taxes. Q: I recently received title to a home from my brother by quitclaim deed. He purchased the home in 1982 from my parents who at the time were in financial trouble. My [...]
Can a surviving spouse sell the house? This reader wants to know if they can sell the property if they’re on the house deed but not the mortgage. Q: My wife passed away last year and she was on the mortgage to the home and on the title to the house deed. I’m not on [...]
Is a land swap a good way to clear up boundary line issues? This reader wants help figuring out how to resolve boundary line issues from an old land survey. Is a Land Swap a Good Way to Clear Up Boundary Line Issues from a Land Survey? Q: We own a large lot in Massachusetts [...]
What are my rights if my name is on a deed? My father put my name on the deed to his home but when he died his widow sold the house without me, now what? Q: Before my father died he added my name to the deed on his house which was mortgage free. He [...]
I bought a house with problems not disclosed, now what? This new homeowner found out about a major insurance claim for tornado damage after closing. Q: My husband and I bought a home two years ago and we had a multitude of problems. First, the real estate agent forgot to offer us a walk-thru until [...]
What does a home inspector do? This home seller thinks the requests a buyer made after the home inspection are unreasonable. Q: I enjoyed your column today in the Sunday Chicago Tribune. In your experience, have you come across buyers trying to use their home inspector to assert that there are many problems with a [...]
Is my real estate agent doing a good job? This reader feels like their agent didn't fully explain the process of selling their home and all their options. Q: I sold my dad’s house late last year and feel like I was taken advantage of by my agent and my real estate attorney, who was [...]
What are the tax implications of joint property ownership? This reader is on their mother’s home title and wants to know how their taxes will be affected. Q: When my mother purchased her home 10 years ago she put me on the title with her. I do not live in the home. She did this [...]
How to transfer utilities from seller to buyer. What happens when a buyer fails to transfer leased utilities like solar panels into their own name? Q: I’m confused about when sellers are supposed to shut off utilities and how these get transferred. I thought that typically, within a day or two post-settlement, the buyers would [...]
Real estate market 2019: Where are homes selling fast? Realtor.com looked at areas where homes had the most page views and the fewest days on the market. We’re in the middle of the 2019 real estate market and homes in these neighborhoods are selling much faster than the national median of 56 days on the [...]
