Total Number of News: 6376
- 12/2/2008 - Real Estate News
Heavy lifting help for do-it-yourselfers
No matter what type of home improvement project you're undertaking, one thing is pretty consistent -- building materials are heavy! From sheets of plywood to wooden beams, lifting and moving these materials can be a real backbreaker, especially when yo... - 12/2/2008 - Real Estate News
Back-up offers cause sellers trouble
Q: I am a listing agent on a property under contract. The buyers' mortgage company declined the buyers, but they still want to buy the house by seeking other lending options. The buyers still have seven days on their financing contingency. If another o... - 12/2/2008 - Real Estate News
What's with this funky bathroom soot?
DEAR BARRY: Our laundry is located on the second floor, directly adjacent to the bathroom. Whenever I run the dryer, the bathroom becomes very humid if the door is shut. I've also noticed something like black soot on the bathroom walls. I wash it off, ... - 12/2/2008 - Real Estate News
Stiffed by contractor, then foreclosure
Q: I hired a contractor to remodel two bathrooms, and paint and plaster the entire interior of our 1,200-square-foot home. We agreed to buy all the fixtures, including the bathtub, toilets, plumbing materials, etc. We signed the contract agreeing to ... - 12/1/2008 - Real Estate News
Religious family complicates life for tenants
Q: I live in a large apartment complex, and have as neighbors a family that takes their religion, and its mandate that they spread their faith, very seriously. I'm constantly greeted with blessings and inquiries as to my spiritual condition, and writte... - 12/1/2008 - Real Estate News
Are HELOCs doomed?
Q: Do you think banks will cut off all equity lines of credit? We have an established equity line set with a major bank. The bank also holds our mortgage. With the economic uncertainty and most of my income coming in the form of a commission, we may h... - 12/1/2008 - Real Estate News
Tax lien surprise disrupts escrow
Q: We got preapproved for a loan and started house hunting in June of this year. In August, we made an offer on a bank-owned home (REO), and the bank accepted. Three days before we were supposed to close, the mortgage broker told us that the loan was i... - 12/1/2008 - Real Estate News
The escrow headache
DEAR BENNY: Why does one have to pay monthly insurance payments in escrow to the lender? Also, after having paid this payment in escrow for five to six years, why can't this be cancelled? --Marcelle DEAR MARCELLE: First, let me express my personal view... - 12/1/2008 - Real Estate News
Financing closing costs may be unwise
Many mortgage borrowers are tempted to finance their closing costs, that is, adding the costs to the loan amount. This could be attractive to borrowers who can earn high returns on their free cash, or those who don't have any free cash. Financing closi... - 12/1/2008 - Real Estate News
Credit crisis delaying home purchases
Changes in the housing market can change the nature of home-sale transactions. For instance, before the boom in the home-sale market that began in the second half of the 1990s, the California Association of Realtors (CAR) purchase agreement used by mos...