Category: General
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Can Hackers Take the Title to Your Home?
Know the Signs. Prevent Identity Fraud. The title to your home is a precious document. It proves that you own your home and that you may borrow money against your home equity. Can internet hackers take it from you? Cybercriminals are highly sophisticated. In 2020, they were able to hack into top cybersecurity firms that…
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Social Media Influence and Real Estate
About three quarters of the U.S. population — some 225 million adults — make regular use of social media. Real estate companies and agents, as well as sellers and buyers, are contributing to this energy, and exploring the opportunities it brings. Here, we take a look at some major ways in which the real estate…
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Guide to Buying an Estate Sale Home
Heirlooms and yard tools aren’t the only things you can get at estate sales. Sometimes, the houses themselves are for sale. And sometimes they’re great choices. The local probate court oversees estate sales when homeowners die intestate (without leaving a will). And where there is a will, the executor may sell the late homeowner’s property…
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Guide to Selling an Inherited Home
The roof is old. The house costs a fortune to heat. Over the years, tree roots have insinuated themselves into the sewer line. The property taxes and insurance costs are high. You’re handy at certain do-it-yourself home renovation tasks. But this home needs an owner who’s dedicated to home improvement. The time has come to sell…
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Six Trends That Will Define Real Estate in 2021
What does the future hold in store for real estate? After an unimaginable 2020, dare we guess? There’s one thing we can say. People want to sell and buy houses. A few key facts and trends can give us some idea of what they might encounter in the coming year.
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What Is a Short Sale — And What Does It Mean for Home Buyers?
When you’re browsing the listings, you might encounter the terms pre-foreclosure or short sale. What’s the scoop on these homes? It all starts when homeowners with mortgages find themselves under water — property values drop, and a homeowner owes more on the loan than the house is worth. Further, the owner has fallen on difficult…
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Concierge Services for Home Sellers
Today’s Real Estate Pros Let You Renovate Now and Pay Later Concierge services are making a big splash in the real estate world. Chances are, you’ve received postcards from local agents showing before-and-after images of recently spruced-up homes. Text on the postcards explains how a local agent just sold a comparable home to yours at…
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Maintaining Your Home’s Value: Upgrades, Upkeep… And a Few Flourishes
Are you watching the value of your home over time, and seeing your equity rise? Are you planning to have your home appraised so you can set an asking price for it, or borrow against its value? A few simple fixes, upgrades and flourishes can help you sustain your home equity over time, or help…
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Applying for a Mortgage? Get the Facts on Credit Scores—and How to Improve Yours
A credit score is part of each home buyer’s whole debt and income picture. Lenders consider it a key factor when deciding to approve a loan application. To put the score in context, a lender’s top questions are: Whether the borrower can repay the loan, and Whether past credit history suggests that the borrower will…
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What to Know Before You Buy a Foreclosed Home
Thinking of buying a foreclosed home? The lower prices for foreclosures among the listings are certainly tempting! Even better, a lower price translates to lower property taxes. But given the potential pitfalls, will the deal be worthwhile? Buyers’ experiences vary widely. States vary, too, in laws and policies related to the way foreclosures are handled.…
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Can Filing for Bankruptcy Save a Home From Foreclosure?
It’s not the easiest topic we cover, but we know foreclosure sales will be on the uptrend as the U.S. works for financial recovery from a global public health crisis. Many readers are currently stretched thin by their mortgage obligations combined with other debts. For some, the financial stress will be overwhelming. If any helpful…
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You’re Married. You’re Not on the House Title. What Are Your Rights?
If your house is titled in your spouse’s name, what are your rights in the home? The answer depends on several factors, starting with the law and customs of your home state. Let’s take a look.
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How Not to Overpay Your Property Taxes
Homeowners pay taxes on their real estate to fund local services. Renters, too, pay property taxes, as they’re rolled into monthly rent charges. The property taxes we all pay go to sustain libraries and schools, emergency services, environmental projects, sewer work and road maintenance. How much is one property’s share? To determine this amount, an…
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Fraud Watch: Real Estate Scams and the Millennial Home Shopper
According to the Federal Trade Commission, tech-savvy folks aged 40 and under are far from immune to scams and frauds. And most scams that hook them begin in an email. And the coronavirus economy is creating even more opportunities for fraud risk. A bogus email can appear to be a message from an ecommerce or business…
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DIY Renovations? Everything You Wanted to Know (or Not) About Permits
Bought a fixer-upper? Sprucing up your house to sell? Yes, a building permit (and the fee that comes with it) might be mandatory for that new fence, deck, or electrical work. Small faucet or disposal fixes, interior painting and minor stucco repair, as well as ordinary air conditioning maintenance, will probably need no permit. Once…