Total Number of News: 5480
- 10/17/2008 - Real Estate News
Home-equity split turns ugly
Q: My daughter bought a condo with a friend. She put down $40,000 and her friend put down $20,000. They are both on title to the home, but only my daughter is on the mortgage. How much of the property would her friend be entitled to if she wants out ... - 10/16/2008 - Real Estate News
'Roommate agreement' kills fraud
Q: My son and a couple decided to rent a two-bedroom townhouse. Last month, all three signed the lease, and they each put up one-third of the deposit and one-third of the first month's rent. Now the couple (who share a room) are saying that my son has ... - 10/16/2008 - Real Estate News
Choosing the right buyer's broker
Q: I have to decide between two Realtors -- the two finalists of my search. One lives in the area we want to buy and knows everybody, but is a snob and works mostly with sellers in a higher price range than mine. But she says she can show us houses bef... - 10/16/2008 - Real Estate News
Should I tap IRA to pay off mortgage?
Q: I'm 63 and retired. I have a good pension and have $200,000 in an IRA that I did not plan on using until age 70 1/2. But now I'm thinking about withdrawing $100,000 to pay off my mortgage. Is that a good idea or not? A: You have several options, but... - 10/15/2008 - Real Estate News
Best plan for insulating garage
Q: I have an open ceiling in my garage that is insulated with paper-backed R-13 batts with the fiberglass exposed and held in place by metal strips. The ceiling has a lot of pipes and wires running over the ceiling joists. I plan to install poly-encaps... - 10/15/2008 - Real Estate News
How option ARMs killed WaMu
(This is Part 2 of a two-part series. Read Part 1, "WaMu failed to heed lesson learned in '80s.") Kerry Killinger, the former strategist at the brokerage firm Murphey Favre, became Washington Mutual's chief executive in 1990. He made his firs... - 10/15/2008 - Real Estate News
Surviving the crisis: 6 rules to live by
It has been a year since the stock market hit a high in October 2007. Since then, the financial picture has changed drastically. Hundred-year-old investment banks have disappeared. Trillions of dollars of wealth has evaporated. Residential real estate h... - 10/14/2008 - Real Estate News
Home inspection fee was a waste
DEAR BARRY: We just closed escrow on a home, and the day we moved in we found a flooded basement because the water heater had failed. But four weeks ago, our home inspector said the water heater would be good for many more years. Our plumber disagreed.... - 10/14/2008 - Real Estate News
Five months and no offers? Time to stage
Q: What do you think of a Realtor who told me in the beginning of the listing that my house shows well but now says I should pack up my clutter and get it out of the house? I've had my house on the market for five months and haven't had an offer. She a... - 10/13/2008 - Real Estate News
New title insurer undercuts competitors
In the midst of the worst financial crisis since the 1930s, one that originated in and owes its severity to developments in the home mortgage market, it is nice to be able to report some good news about this market. The newly chartered EnTitle Insuranc...