Category: General

Many homes have fences to mark their property’s boundaries. Fences can be helpful reference points for owners on both sides. Or not! Do you have a fence? Thinking about adding one? Here’s a collection of owners’ questions about fences — from the common to the bizarre.

For various reasons, some homeowners wish to leave their home or condo to a friend. Whether you want your friend to have the title during your life, or after you’re gone, here’s how it’s done.

Throughout 2022, the Federal Reserve (the U.S. central bank) has been raising interest rates. The reason? To suppress inflation, and avoid a recession if we can. At this point, we’re supposedly headed for a “growth recession.” That’s a financial slowdown rather than a full-blown recession. Fortune magazine tells us the term growth recession was coined…

In these digital times, homeowners have endless ways to monetize their houses and start new income streams. Some have discovered apps that channel peer-to-peer transactions. Here are some income generators that might already be on your radar, and a few odd ones you might not have heard about yet.

The Bruce family finally got their deed back. In July 2022, Dean Logan, the register of deeds in L.A. County, handed members of the Bruce family the deed to two parcels of California Manhattan Beach property. The Bruces are all descendants of Charles and Willa Bruce, a Black couple from whom the land was seized…

If you’re like most homeowners, you itemize deductions on your tax return each year and claim your deductible mortgage interest. Did you know there’s an alternative? It’s called the mortgage credit certificate (MCC). The IRS calls it the “Federal Mortgage Subsidy.” Sounds like a good thing for those who happen to know what it is,…

Mortgages backed by the Federal Housing Administration are known as FHA mortgages. Many people seek them because they can be relatively easy to get with low down payments. For fixer-upper home buyers, the FHA also offers good options to finance a home plus renovations with down payments as low as 3.5%. Now, what if you’re…

How City Planning Models Are Changing The single-family home is losing its cool. Some homebuyers now see multi-unit properties the way they see electric bikes or solar roofs — as part of a climate-aware lifestyle. We already know single-unit residential zoning limits supply in a time of tremendous housing demand and overpriced real estate. We…

Can developers take a property with a shuttered restaurant, or a school, and turn it into housing for people who need it? Of course they can. Here are two projects going on right now that could inspire affordability in the priciest of U.S. cities.

It’s rare. But inflation might be making it more common. And when it happens, we can see the stories as the Justice Department and the FBI report them on their websites. What happens when real estate agents turn to crime? What do their schemes look like? Here are just a few recent examples of residential…

Late summer is the Goldilocks season for buying a home. During winter, the real estate market can get a little like cold porridge. It’s harder to predict open house weather, and there are fewer houses being shown. Gardens go dormant, and home sale activity chills. So inventory can be limited in the cold months of…

On July 28, 2022, Joshua Browder tweeted: Today, we are announcing a new DoNotPay product to fight institutional racism, by removing racist language from millions of original housing deeds and HOA documents… Joshua Browder is founder and CEO of DoNotPay, the “robot lawyer” company putting computers to work for consumer rights. DoNotPay is urging Californians…

Is the Seller’s Market Winding Down? Some home sellers had to reduce their asking prices this summer — even in areas that were last season’s sizzling hot markets. By May, said Redfin.com, home buying competition was “plateauing.” And by June, according to data from Realtor.com®, there were sure signs of a market returning to Earth.…

Whether the Economy’s Booming or Busting… It’s home sweet home, but it’s also one of the most powerful investments a person can make. Buying a house has key financial advantages, compared against investments like a portfolio of stocks and bonds, or a wallet of digital currencies. Whether it’s about planning for retirement, leaving the rent…

The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) has just settled an unprecedented lawsuit against a mortgage-only lender, Trident Mortgage Company. The DOJ is targeting “modern-day redlining” — practices which put mortgages off-limits to minority applicants. Trident admitted no wrongdoing. The subsidiary of Chester County, Pennsylvania-based Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Fox & Roach did agree to set aside…