Earlier this summer, a friend of mine was looking to buy a house and although their Realtor assured them that it was a slam dunk and everything was fine with their paperwork and they had a legitimately significant down payment, there were complications. In fact, their appraisal came in a little over eight percent short.… Continue Reading
When I was in real estate school, one of the concepts we discussed in great depth was the very real way that neighborhoods grow and die — how real estate is more like a living thing than a simple concept. Instead of a straightforward life cycle, neighborhoods go through growth, decline, decay and rebirth as… Continue Reading
It’s the middle of summer, the mercury’s rising and you’re under a lot of stress because you’ve absolutely positively got to find a house before it’s too late to get a closing date before school starts again. You’re not alone, home hunting isn’t an easy job, and as the still, stagnant heat of the… Continue Reading
We’ve talked about all sorts of repairs you might encounter while out looking at houses, but what we’ve not addressed — the real elephant in the room — has been the ugly home. Or, the house that needs some interior work. Interior work is tricky since it can often seem like it’s got to be… Continue Reading
There are times when you’ll find an absolutely beautiful home — one that’s just amazing — and as you look through the photos on Realtor.com you’ll wonder what’s so wrong with this beauty that it’s only $60k or $160k or $360k, whatever’s cheap as dirt for your area. The kitchen’s tiled, the bathrooms are exquisite,… Continue Reading
Before we jump back into this series, I have to apologize for being away. I got a little wrapped up in writing the first part of this and researching it and sort of decided to go crawling around under my own house to deal with an annoying flaw that had been bugging me since we… Continue Reading
A home is more than brick and stone and wood and nails and cement — there’s a spirit to the place that’s unique to each and every property you’ll visit as you shop for the right one. As I’ve told you many, many times before, buying a home is part brain — planning a purchase… Continue Reading
In the first part of this series, we covered the problems you might encounter because of the public record, and in the second, we discussed fixing issues with your credit file — part three is all about the “other” stuff that didn’t quite fit into the first two. There are countless miscellaneous issues you might… Continue Reading
About a month ago, the vacant house two lots north of me finally sold after being on the market for six months and sitting empty for (my neighbor estimates) about 20 years. That little time capsule was in great shape, but it was super outdated — it didn’t even have central heat and air, which… Continue Reading
Last time we had a long talk about the public record and how you can deal with public record items on your credit report. You’re armed to handle things like bankruptcies and judgments, but not everyone actually has to deal with those. These are extreme results of issues in the other main part of your… Continue Reading