It all seems so simple on the surface. You buy property to rent, build up equity and even ownership based on the rent paid and presto, you own an income generating property. But the reality is just a little more complicated. It can still be done, no doubt, but you need to be smart and…

In the 1960s, there were about 500 homeowners associations. Today that number is over 300,000. Chances are you or someone you know live in a community with an HOA. On the good side, HOA rules prevent neighbors from parking their ‘projects’ on the front lawn, and on the other side, they may limit your freedom…

Home inspectors have a job to do; how big that job is might depend on you.  If you are preparing your home for sale, you might want to put in some time and effort before the inspection to improve the results. If the inspector has less to report, the odds are that the report he…

With Spring on the way (in most parts of the country) and winter behind us, the home shopping season is just starting to warm up. And as usual, one question gets asked more than most, will mortgage rates go up or down? 2014 wasn’t as brisk as some had hoped with weak activity for both…

When you are preparing to sell your home, you need to look at your ‘home’ as a house. A home is something you love, warts and all. But to a potential buyer, those warts aren’t as endearing. The good news is, you don’t have to have unlimited resources to get your home looking like the…

With the return of low down-payment mortgages, there is a lot of buzz on the merits and the risks of these types of loans. Based on many recent articles and commentary, one might be convinced that these types of loans are a harbinger of tragedy. However, the truth may be far different. For starters the…

What you own and what you are responsible for may often be the same thing, but that sidewalk out in front of your house is a tricky proposition. Many cities and municipalities own the sidewalk, but the responsibility for their upkeep may fall to you, the homeowner. The decision on who owns the sidewalk and…

What you own and what you are responsible for may often be the same thing, but that sidewalk out in front of your house is a tricky proposition. Many cities and municipalities own the sidewalk, but the responsibility for their upkeep may fall to you, the homeowner. The decision on who owns the sidewalk and…

After a brutal winter, spring is finally in the air. As the clothes get lighter and windows open up to let in the fresh air, you probably notice that there are a lot of things that could use a good cleaning and organizing. Winter clothes need to get stored away, and those windows could use…

In July of last year, the now completed merger of Zillow and Trulia was in the early stages. Questions on how the new company would look were plentiful. Well, the wait is over, and the future of the Zillow Group is direct connections between brokerages and MLSs. The Zillow Group is losing some listings due…