-
Five Options to Downsize in Turbulent Times
What should a home seller when changing homes in turbulent times
-
When the Occupancy Date Kills the Negotiation
Dear Monty: We just lost the home we wanted. We have been looking for over a year, and finally, a house came up for sale where we want to live. We met with the seller and agreed on the price, but they wanted six months after closing to move out. Our lease was due, school…
-
The Five-Year Rule Risk for First Time Homebuyers
Dear Monty: I am writing to tell you my story. Please share it in your column to warn others. I learned about The Five-Year Rule after I lost my entire down payment. When we bought our home about three years ago, no one we dealt with mentioned the Five-Year Rule. Our real estate agent, the…
-
An Appraisal Killed Our Home Sale
Dear Monty: An appraisal killed our home sale. We accepted an offer on our home 45 days ago. The lender just turned down the buyer’s loan because the appraisal was $35,000 lower than the contract price. The buyer had a twenty percent down payment but no extra cash to make up the difference. We had…
-
How First Time Home Buyers Best Learn to Make an Offer
Dear Monty: We are first-time home buyers. We didn’t plan on buying a home for several years. We recently learned that we will soon receive a substantial gift. Our benefactor conditioned the present on a home purchase. We both have satisfying careers and secure positions but need more knowledge or experience in buying a home. We…
-
Five Different Home Pricing Strategies When Selling a Home
Reader Question: We want to know about different home pricing strategies when selling. We will be selling our home in the spring. We have had an appraisal, two agent opinions, and done research ourselves. There is a range between the highest and the lowest estimate of 40K. We do not have a deadline for occupancy.…
-
Eight Tips to Conduct a FSBO Open House
Dear Monty: How do we conduct an FSBO open house? We are first-time home sellers. Our friend just sold their home FSBO and told us it was not complicated. We want to start the process with an open house, but we want to avoid mistakes without having done this before. How would you conduct an open…
-
Four Steps For Every First-time Home Seller
Dear Monty: We have outgrown our first home. I searched for “the best way to sell my house” online. The responses were so different I realized how little I knew. The best way isn’t evident. They all sounded good. Here is what each ad stated: They all can’t be the best way. What is the…
-
How to Get Help on The Internet
Dear Monty: My wife and I are new to computers and the Internet. We are interested in all the real estate sites because we are considering downsizing. When we have questions about navigating, searching, and getting help, we fumble around. Some of these sites seem difficult to get help. Can you give us some pointers?…
