Total Number of News: 5408
- 10/10/2008 - Real Estate News
Sellers wise to replace exterior door
Q: We are trying to replace a plain, solid-wood, paint-grade, 8-foot outside door on a home we are trying to sell. The old hinges are different from what's common today. I am not sure if this could be changed or not. Do you know what we should do? --Ji... - 10/10/2008 - Real Estate News
It takes a forest to build a house
Back in the not-so-Jolly Old England of the Middle Ages, where many American building traditions originated, no one knew anything about structural engineering. Instead, carpenters used common knowledge gleaned from trial and error and handed down over ... - 10/10/2008 - Real Estate News
Upside-down on mortgage: Now what?
Q: My husband and I live in a house that I own on my own. I paid $500,000 for the house in 2005. I took out a 100 percent loan with a 5-year fixed-rate first mortgage for $400,000 and an adjustable $100,000 home equity line of credit as the second loa... - 10/9/2008 - Real Estate News
Golf-course living has its drawbacks
Q: We rent a single-family home that's adjacent to a municipal golf course. Unfortunately, along with the views we get a daily barrage of golf balls. They fall in our yard, have dented our car and broken two windows, and I'm afraid to use the pool bef... - 10/9/2008 - Real Estate News
How stubborn tenants kill sales
Q: My rental home has been for sale for more than a year. During this time, I have given my tenant a rent discount for allowing me to show the home and for the fact that he will have to move on a 30-day notice when it sells. I have now sold the home... - 10/9/2008 - Real Estate News
Better off inheriting home through trust?
Q: My mother-in-law is 93 years old. In her will, she is leaving her home to her three sons. Her home is in need of major repairs, probably to the tune of $15,000. My husband and I are the geographically closest to her residence and will have the resp... - 10/9/2008 - Real Estate News
Buying, selling or refi? New laws will help
Q: It seems like every month the federal government passes a new housing bill that's supposed to help the real estate market crisis. I'm a homeowner, and nothing has gotten easier for me -- my mortgage payment is still about to adjust, the interest on ... - 10/8/2008 - Real Estate News
Glass painting tips from the pros
Q: Sometime in the past 50 or so years, someone thought it would be nice to remodel my entire entrance hall with glass blocks. And since it was never maintained, I am sure the wall below will have some water damage. Anyway, because of the glass, the h... - 10/8/2008 - Real Estate News
Homeowners make tradeoffs as costs soar
What percentage of your family budget is your mortgage or rent check? According to recently released 2007 Census figures, 7.5 million Americans spend at least half their income on their housing expenses. That's 15 percent of all Americans, up some 400,... - 10/8/2008 - Real Estate News
WaMu failed to heed lesson learned in '80s
(This is Part 1 of a two-part series.) Twelve years ago, Washington Mutual was on a can't-miss roll. The Seattle-based thrift had made 22 bank buys since 1983 and increased its lead over the competition in mortgage lending in all Northwest states. It ...