We have all thought about getting started in real estate investing. Admit it; you’ve rented an apartment from a landlord who owns the property practically as a hobby, or you’ve seen those TV shows where they flip properties and turn a profit and thought, “I could do that.” Well, you can get started in real [...]
Holding an open house is one of the best ways to sell your home, especially if you know a few tips and tricks to help get you started. An open house allows either agents or prospective homebuyers to walk through your home without making a formal appointment. It also allows agents and brokers to determine [...]
Ignoring all the key things to fix when you’re selling your home is the quickest way to scare off prospective buyers. You don’t want cracked tile or leaky faucets to keep you from selling your home at a good price. If you do not fix problems now, they will just come up after the home [...]
Last year, housing prices increased more than they had in seven years, and buyers’ markets turned into sellers’ markets overnight. In many cities and towns across the country, this price jump was a result of inventory shortages that forced buyers to compete over the few homes that were available for sale. Will the housing recovery [...]
Tax-free exchange on rental property, what taxes do I owe when selling? Did you purchase the home as an investment or as a primary residence? Q: We purchased our present home in 2005 for $225,000. It was a tax-free exchange on a rental property we owned previously. We rented the current home for two years right [...]
Hiring a real estate agent to sell your home could be pricey. If you don't want to pay a commission, there are other options. Q: I have a house in the Fayetteville area, south of Atlanta. I am stationed at Fort Bragg NC. I drive home every other weekend and heard part of a radio [...]
Joint mortgage payment problems can stem from one of a few things. Be sure to know who owns what and what percentage of property each owner owns. Q: I hope you can help me out with the following problem: My husband owns 50 percent of this house. The other 50 percent belongs to another couple, [...]
Are you having problems selling your condo? Here's how you should deal with condo association repair issues. Q: I recently read a response you wrote to a reader about her building shaking when big trucks go by. I have a similar issue. I live in condominium building in Chicago and there is a dip in [...]
If you want to perk up a real estate agent, just say, “Spring is here.” Spring is normally the busiest time of year for real estate agents and brokers, and this year looks to be more of the same. As February’s colder-than-average temperatures started to rise, the real estate market also began heating up. Sales [...]
Inventories of homes for sale are so low this spring that bidding wars are breaking out in overheated real estate markets. Rising prices and shrinking supplies are hitting buyers with a double whammy as they anxiously scroll through limited choices to find a house to buy before prices and mortgage rates rise even more. In [...]
