Total Number of News: 5314
- 8/1/2008 - Real Estate News
GFCI electrical outlets are lifesavers
Q: What is a GFCI electrical outlet? Are outlets of this type required in all homes, and if so, where? --Allen D. A: GFCI stands for ground-fault circuit interrupter. A GFCI outlet reacts much more quickly to the presence of an electrical short circuit... - 8/1/2008 - Real Estate News
Double-hung windows on a Normandy?
Can't distinguish a double-hung from a double-boiler? Then here in a nutshell are the most common window types, along with the architectural styles they're usually associated with: Casement windows are hinged at the side and open like a door, usually t... - 8/1/2008 - Real Estate News
Car accident may wipe out home equity
Q: If we quitclaim our home to my sister, can someone place a lien against the property if the creditors are chasing us? Second, we have a private lender who has a second mortgage on the property. Does this affect us when we quitclaim the house? We ... - 7/31/2008 - Real Estate News
Facing foreclosure? Hound lender weekly
Q: Please answer my questions: What is the average time in months a family is involved with loss mitigation? And what suggestions can you please give me to help me maintain my home over the next 12 months? I am single parent with two special-needs chi... - 7/29/2008 - Real Estate News
Should homeowners remove asbestos ceiling?
Dear Barry, Our home was built in 1970 and has a textured ceiling and paneled walls in the living room. We started to remove the paneling, which caused some of the ceiling texture to be scraped off. It then dawned on us that the ceiling texture migh... - 7/29/2008 - Real Estate News
How to cancel a listing when service is subpar
Q: I read your reply to one reader who asked about breaking a contract with a Realtor and you suggested she get with the brokering agency and ask for a new agent. Well, in my case, my Realtor owns the agency. So how would I go about breaking my contra... - 7/28/2008 - Real Estate News
Written home inspection report is gold
A homeowner in Oakland, Calif., recently decided to put his older home on the market. At the recommendation of his real estate agents, he ordered presale inspection reports on the property. The home inspector noticed sloping in the floors and out-of-... - 7/28/2008 - Real Estate News
Pitfalls of buying foreclosures
DEAR BENNY: My mother was under contract to buy a foreclosed house from the bank. Before closing, she had the house inspected. During the time the house was being inspected, the heat and water system was shut off (I guess the former owners weren't pay... - 7/28/2008 - Real Estate News
Kill mortgage broker deception
(This is Part 3 of a three-part series. Read Part 1, "Why good faith estimate needs overhaul," and Part 2, "HUD aims to crack down on loan overcharges.") This series of articles explains recent proposals by HUD to make the good faith... - 7/25/2008 - Real Estate News
Excavation's the first step in deck building
Summer is a great time to add a new deck to your outdoor living space. And large or small, attached to the house or standing alone, it's a sure bet that before you starting cutting lumber and laying deck boards, you'll need to do some excavating to ge...