The title to a piece of real estate is the actual ownership document. There are both physical papers that you sign and keep for your records as well as recorded documentation of those papers that stays with the county. Keeping public records of title rights and real...
Residential Real Estate Transactions
What happens if someone has a title claim against your home?
It may have been years since you purchased your home when you hear from someone who claims to have title rights to the property. Perhaps they are a person who didn't authorize the sale of the property by their estranged spouse who was their co-owner. Maybe they are an...
Can you put a piece of real estate you inherit on the market?
As a child, you may have received gifts you had no use for from relatives. The same can happen when they die. They may leave you a piece of real estate that you have no interest in. However, unlike those lurid Christmas jumpers that you hid and never wore, you can...
How can a quiet title action help when buying real estate?
The right piece of commercial real estate can increase the chance your business succeeds. Location counts for a lot. Before you part with money, it is crucial to ensure there are no hidden surprises. While it will not cost much to fix a leaking water pipe, title...
Contracts for real estate purchases
Before someone can move forward with a real estate transaction, he or she needs to negotiate and sign a real estate contract. This document will govern the rights and responsibilities of all parties to the agreement and will ensure that there are fewer ambiguities...
Real estate investment: thinking big
There are many ways to invest in residential property, accessible at basically all levels. Perhaps the most familiar is traditional purchase of a single-family home using a mortgage. One could buy homes at foreclosure auction, purchase interests in loans, speculate...
Make a down payment with sweat equity
When a family begins searching for a new home, they will come across more than a few surprises. Prices are never what they seem, and houses are never as well-maintained as the pictures show. However, a creative and flexible mindset can help many potential homeowners...
5 disclosure mistakes to avoid in a real estate transaction
Whether it is your first home purchase or your fifth, real estate transactions can quickly feel overwhelming. Selling a home, however, contains an intimidating document called the “disclosure statement.” The disclosure statement has essentially become a question and...
3 Big homebuyer mistakes to avoid
House hunting can be an exciting but overwhelming process. Buying a home involves many big decisions, which means that there’s potential for many big mistakes. Whether you are in the market to purchase your first home or you haven’t bought a house in years, avoiding...
Homebuyers should look out for predatory mortgage lenders
Buying a home can be both an exciting and frightening financial decision. That’s because consumers often have several factors to consider when doing so. Those can include how long buyers plan to live there, job security, various market indicators and more. According...