Category: General

The Register of Deeds does essential work. It’s the office of the county deed recorder (some counties call it the Register and Recorders Office), where vital records are filed. Title transfers and home loans can’t happen without the Register of Deeds. Have you ever thought about becoming a recorder of deeds?

Buyers are frustrated. Many have worked hard for years to get into the position to buy a home, only to find absolutely nothing that’s accessibly priced, or to lose a nice find to better-funded bidders. Now, the vast majority of listings are above the $200K mark. Would-be buyers must keep paying ever costlier rent, rather…

What’s the Status? In 2020, the Biden administration announced an intention to limit the 1031 Exchange, which helps investors save on real estate taxes. Two years later, has there been any follow-through? If the limit occurs, 2022 could be the last year for investors to use a 1031 exchange for all it’s worth. Here’s our…

Prices Up, Mortgage Rates Up… It’s tough to find a home these days. Some hopeful buyers just won’t give up. Some are buying with housemates; others are searching online for REO homes. (Foreclosed homes go into auction and become real-estate owned, or REO, if the bank hasn’t managed to sell them at auction.) Looking for…

What is going on? Property values might level off, but the mortgage rate is the latest thing to soar. The typical rate is up by 2% over December 2021. So the hopeful home buyer continues to face difficult decisions. Many people are wondering how long it will take for a normal market to return. Here’s…

Buy With Cash and Borrow Later Some buyers wonder if they should stretch themselves and make all-cash offers to get homes in this seller’s market. When cash buying is a necessary strain, there is a solution: buy with cash, and borrow soon after. Delayed financing can make it happen in the right circumstances.  Delayed financing is a…

The Non-Arm’s Length Transaction Most home purchases are arm’s-length transactions. That is, they normally happen between people who didn’t know each other before the house sale. When strangers sell and buy, each side is motivated to negotiate in a self-interested way. This tends to result in a price (and mortgage) that reflects the home’s fair…

Rising Profile Ahead for Eminent Domain When you think of eminent domain, what comes to mind? Perhaps you think of land that suffered some kind of toxic dumping or spilling, so that the government has to take it in order to restore it, if possible, to a non-hazardous state. And that does happen. But sometimes,…

A Closer Look at Closing Documents In each county a recorder of deeds keeps documents that show the makeup of the neighborhoods and the individual properties in the county, and the history of the titles. In addition to the real estate deed and creditors’ liens, there are plat maps. Plat maps are created under the…

Left Unoccupied? Clever crooks in Ohio, Maine, and many other regions are swindling people out of their homes by recording fraudulent quitclaim deeds. They’re doing it now, and they’ve been doing it for years. But now, property values have exploded. The stakes in real estate are higher than ever before. That makes the abuse of…

You Might Be Eligible for Tax Breaks If you’re a homeowner, or you’re in the market to buy a home, the last thing you want to hear about is rising property taxes. But check those bills. Even though we expect a slowdown throughout the rest of the year and beyond, the 2022 real estate market…

Finding Mortgage Relief Options A homeowner’s hardship affidavit or hardship letter is a formal request to modify a home loan, to assist the mortgage borrower through financial problems. Some lenders don’t require the document. Their websites guide the borrower through the loan change request without asking for a form or letter. But many lenders, including…

Floating Towns and Flying Cars? We’ve witnessed astounding high-tech changes in our lifetimes so far. The internet, and then the phones and apps people have invented for it, all jump to mind. Indeed, technology is considered the main growth sector powering today’s financial systems. What’s next? Here are some fantastic — and reportedly possible —…

As the Economy Gets More Complicated… We’re not going to hide the ball — the short answer is yes. Buying a home is a very good way to build a store of potentially lifetime value and stay a step ahead of inflation. Inflation refers to the way a dollar buys less as time goes on.…

What Home Sellers and Buyers Should Know If you’re getting whiplash from the headlines about the economy, no wonder. Why are we now hearing about a looming recession? First, the keyword is looming — not immediate. This is not expected to happen for another year and a half or so. Second, it’s not expected to…