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2010: year of the turnaround?
A spurt in home sales in 2009, aided by low interest rates and the first-time homebuyer tax credit, has led some economists to forecast a turnaround in the housing market this year. Other forecasters feel this is too optimistic a projection.
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Contingencies frustrate buyers, sellers
There are many frustrating aspects associated with buying or selling a home today. One is that contract contingencies -- such as inspections, financing or the sale of another property -- often aren't removed on time. It's not uncommon for closings to be delayed, usually due to the buyer's lender.
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Find property problems before you buy
To avoid a bad experience that could end up in a legal battle with the sellers over property problems, make sure your purchase agreement includes an inspection contingency.
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Pay attention to home inspection
For just about anyone, a home is the single-most expensive and single-most complex thing that you'll ever own. So when making that purchase, you certainly want to do everything possible to be an informed buyer and to protect yourself and your investment.
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Sellers face new dilemma in timing the market
Some sellers have been biding their time for three years and now wonder if they should continue to wait or bite the bullet and sell now.
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Window trim: from boring to bold
If you look closely at homes with beautiful windows, you'll typically find one thing in common: wood trim. No matter what the style of the window is or what material it's made out of, a painted or stained wood surround enhances the beauty of the window far more than the inexpensive "drywall wrap" that's common on a lot of today's homes.
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Is security sign advertising?
DEAR BENNY: I am an 81-year-old widow who bought a townhouse four years ago. There were some odd things going on here so I installed a security system. I have been told that the security sign I have in front of the townhouse is considered advertising and I have to take it down. There are three other areas in town that have townhouses and none of them have a problem with this. What happens if I refuse to take the sign down? --Lillian
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Want to conserve water but still have a lawn? Go native.
Before the advent of lawnmowers, there was a time when lawns were meant only for the wealthy, since they could afford to hire a crew of workers to manually cut and maintain their sprawling gardens with scythes. The rest of the folks used what land they had to grow vegetables, medicinal herbs, and flowers in cottage gardens.
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