We are under contract with a bank owned property. The initial contract is quite egregious putting most of the risk on us. However, we had our inspection this past week and found some pretty large ticket items like mold, water in basement and a non working furnace. Now, we can back out for structural and environmental but my husband and I really like this house. What are the chances the bank will negotiate? Anybody have a similar story? Additionally we didn't get it for cheap. The house was listed for 610k and we offered 590 and they accepted it. Like I said I don't want to back out I'm just hoping that you will give us a credit so we can fix everything. This market is just insane.

Can a non-profit of religion X only Sell non-residential property to the same religion? Or will this fall into some protections from the federal level?

I got approved for 325k Loan and I’m looking for a house in the Dekalb/Gwinnett County Area. To recent homebuyers in the area, how much did you come out of pocket from upfront fees like inspections, appraisal, etc. to closing cost fees. I currently have $2800 put aside.

I'm closing on a house in 2 days. It's one of many around a retention pond. It's rained a few days here and the yard is all mud with puddles everywhere. It's the only yard like this. The seller wants put some money in escrow so i can have a landscaper do something. Should I back out? It was listed on the inspection report from a month ago and they haven't addressed it. I think I could get my earnest money back. I wish I could add a picture. It's all mud in the back and side. No basement

I am buying a property for a negotiated price of 253k. My lender suggested that I could receive 12k at closing by doing a seller assist and purchasing the property for 265k instead. When I mentioned this to the seller they voiced concern over having to pay additional taxes. Would this have any impact to the seller given they will be netting 253k in either scenario?

Hi all,

We’re selling our house in Lynnwood, WA, north of Seattle. We think it will go for about 600k but it’s tricky since there’s basically nothing on the market under $700k. It’s 3 bed, one bath, single family home, but surrounded by apartments and light industrial.

Our realtor agrees that 600k is her best guess but it seems like no one really knows. Anyone have a similar situation? Also, if we get multiple offers, how does that work? Do you just counter off to everyone and start a bidding war?

Not sure if it's worth trying them out, or if it's a waste of time that'll just piss off the tax assessor. I did hit up the assessor recently with a casual ask and told me there was no wiggle room but, then again, I'm not a professional grievance consultant.

First time home buyer. We are buying my mother in laws house. She is selling it to us for $250,000 and it’s worth around 450,000. It does need a good amount of work and we would like to get $100,000 for repairs and remodeling. Anyone know the best way to do this. Currently we are thinking getting a $250,000 loan with 200,000 in gift equity for the house. Then getting a home equity loan for $100,000. I feel like there must be a smarter way to do this. Any help would be much appreciated.

I am in search of good/reputable brokers in the New England area?

Where do I look? Do you now any good ones?

Hey recently just purchased a new build construction property that will be available to move in to in Florida, Orlando.

It will be our first home.

What are the tax breaks/tips and tricks we need to know and utilise to become more savvy

Also if anything else unrelated you might think of that may be useful to us. It would be much appreciated ? Or any where we could save money.

We’re feeling a little overwhelmed & excited with all the information :)

Many houses in our area look great in photos but in person are often crappy flips that still need a lot of work. We are willing to upgrade a house to an extent over time given the right price and location but it's difficult to tell what has good bones. What are clear signs either online or in person that a house has been cared for?

Hi! I was curious on everyone’s thoughts and advice.

I’m currently 20 Years old , 21 next month. Im looking to invest into real estate but wanted to know if now is the right time or if I should wait financially.

Income : 35,000 / yr

I plan to switch careers in 2026 and become a Semi-Truck driver increasing my W-2 Income to 100,000+

Liabilities : Car payment 395/month (13,500 still owed) Credit cards: 0

Savings: 40,000 Roth Ira : 18,000 401k : 2,000

Looking in my local area I would be able get a 3bed 2 bath for less 150,000 (with some work needed)

Estimated rents for 3bed 2bath would be 1350

My biggest question is should I wait until Mid 2026 when I’m making a lot more at my W-2 to have more to invest / reserves.

Or just keep my eye open, if the right deal pops up jump on it.

I also live with my parents still so my expenses are essentially just my car, food, and Phone bill.

Thanks !

What are some common metrics to guide the decision making process in the sell vs rent-out decision?

Moving out of state and would like to retain roots in current location. Also have sub 3% rate on $450k remaining prin bal. Estimated market value of home is $1.1MM.

Anything simpler than calc’ing future value of equity and comparing to future value of discounted cash flows from rental income and estimated future value of home??

Lots of assumptions and estimates in that process when thinking through so wondering if any quick/dirty tricks?

I'm in the planning stages on a project that involves us purchasing a few unimproved acres (4-10). Like a lot of people, I'm hesitant to make a big purchase with the current economic instability. I have the flexibility to hold out a year or two on the land or I could buy next month.

We are looking to buy a new home in an area further away and then list our current home once we move into the new one.

How (can) we get pre-approved for a new home while still paying a mortgage on this one? Does our DTI need to accommodate two mortgage payments if we have money set aside to pay double mortgages for a few months? We have newborn triplets plus a toddler so moving things into storage/renting short term isn’t a feasible or great option.

We have the cash for a down payment and closing costs on the new home, so we don’t need our current equity to purchase. Our current home is also in a hot area and houses sell pretty quickly (the current economic climate may change that but who knows).

I know the short answer is to talk to a broker, which I plan on doing this week, but trying to prepare a little ahead of time on what to expect.

With what’s going on in the world today, how will it affect home prices? If things stay on this trajectory, will prices go up or down, will mortgage rates go crazy? I wanted to take the next step but now my gut says to keep renting for another year at least.

Looking to buy our first home. We found a home on a flag lot that is perched on top of the hill. It’s on the outskirts of the downtown and close to everything! It has its charm and a lot of land to do anything your heart desires down the line. It was cozy and felt like a home our family could grow old in. The issue is the driveway. We won’t the driveway up but there’s a home on the bottom of the hill that has an easement to use to enter their garage. We foresee this to be the main and only reason the house has seen price cuts and been on the market for several months. We love everything about the house and we know owning a home is not only a big commitment but also a hefty investment. We don’t want to be shooting ourselves in the foot getting this home and not being able to see any appreciation in value in the future if it came to needing to sell our home. Does anyone have any insight on the effect or implications this driveway situation truly has on real estate and its value? Thanks in advance for any info.

So my property has had an easement through the corner of my neighbors undeveloped lot. It has been in effect since 1986, they have owned the property since 1996. The husband stopped by about six months ago and said that he was planning on selling his property and that the easement was illegal and we needed to move our driveway. Which if we moved the driveway onto our property it would require putting in about 200' of roadway, removing a lot of trees I don't want to lose to be able to connect with the current driveway once it gets onto my property. Best estimates are about 15-20k to to put the driveway in.

Fast forward to current day, he texted me the actual easement agreement from 1986, which gives me clear right to the easement for ingress, egress, utilities, etc. There is a clause in it though that gives him the right to move the easement as long as it gives me substantially the same reasonable access. Near as I can tell, if he moved the easement to the corner of my property where I would not have a way to access my house that would not be the same reasonable access. During our last phone conversation, he said if we don't move the driveway he is going to just block off the easement to our house and property.

If he blocks our access, we plan on filing a TRO and going through the process that way. However someone I was talking to mentioned title insurance, which we have through Chicago Title. It looks like they cover "You do not have actual vehicle and pedestrian access to and from the land, based upon a legal right".

Has anyone gone through this process or with using title insurance for an easement issue? Besides sending a certified letter, is there anything preemptive that we can do?

Appreciate y'all!

I purchased a condo in a VHCOL area 16 years ago. After living here single, and then married, and now with a toddler, it's time for more space. We want to stay in our neighborhood, and preferably, in our building. A perfect 2 bedroom has come up for sale listed at $1.15M.

Some specifics on my financials:

• my base salary is $229k.
• my average (as it's designed) bonus is 30%. Last year, it was 42%, however this year it's likely closer to 20%.
• I have about $350k in a HYSA
• I have about $400k in an aftertax brokerage account (was closer to $500k last week!)
• I have over $1M in my 401k at the age of 44. I also have a defined benefit pension plan.
• We have about $400k equity in our current condo after the loan at 2.75%. We can likely rent it for about $750/month in net income (+ the $650/month we'll be building in equity). My neighbor rents his, and his vacancy rate has been about 3 months in the last 10 years. He also said it's a very low effort to maintain. He does it himself, even with 4 kids.
• My wife's career is variable, so I've chosen to not include it. In some years, she can make just a little money, but in others, she can make quite a bit (over $100k/y).

I put down about 30% to bring the mortgage to just below the conventional limit, I'm looking at a combined payment of $7400/month or 39% of my gross salary. I've been tracking my budget over the last 12 months, and I can confirm it will be TIGHT, however it is on a conservative basis since this doesn't consider my bonus or any rental income. As well, I've received a relatively significant promotion just over 1 year ago. As a consequence, I still have quite a bit of salary upside over the next 5 years (probably $50k not adjusted for inflation) and I'm enrolled in a long-term, incentive pay that will deliver another 15%(min) to 40%(optimistic) salary deferred by 3 years (so first payout from last year is in 2 years). I also haven't considered the impact of the mortgage deduction that will be well above the standard deduction.

I'm generally risk averse, so each time I get close to buying a bigger place in the same price range, I never go high enough to win. At the same time, you can't live in your bank account! My baby is still sleeping in our room at the age of 18 months, and she would really benefit from her own space (as would we). So, I'm thinking of finally taking the plunge by putting down $350k, selling about $75k of stock to cover the closing costs and replenish my checking + emergency savings accounts. I know it's not the best time to sell equities, but here we are.

I have considered selling my current place and rolling the proceeds into the down payment to reduce the monthly payment, however I would like to try to hold onto it possible. I can always sell in 1 year and recast the mortgage if finances are too tight.

Thanks for your thoughts!

My inspections showed three offsets in the sewer line. Seller and I agreed they would fix the offsets shown in the report. On Friday during the final walk through, I noted that there was no sign of digging where the offsets were. When we contacted the selling agent she provided an invoice from a third party plumbing company saying everything was fine.

After reviewing the sewer line, we found no offsets or separations in the inspected portion of the sewer line that would require any type of remediation per the provided Home Inspection Report. The “offsets” noted in the report are two pipes joined together using a “Mission band” or CT adapter (rubber boot) and is at industry standards.

Here's the relevant image from the report

This feels like a difference in interpretation between the two companies. But the fact is they agreed to fix the offsets and never communicated anything until we asked. All other repairs were done as asked.

My question is, do I go forward with closing? I feel burned and annoyed by the timing and the seller not mentioning anything about the update to their plans. I am in no hurry to move, I have a month-to-month for a very nice place owned by a family friend.

In my mind there's two options. First, insist on the repairs. Second ask for a discount.

My neighbor told me that they are selling their house in second week of May, the same time we planned to sell ours. We’re relocating out of state in June. Idk what will be the effect on us (selling price, purchase appraisal, etc)

Both houses are bilevel and built in 1970s. Their house is bigger by 150 sq ft and has 5Br2Ba, and our is just 4Br2ba, though their house is dated, ours was fully rehabbed in 2021. They will be using an agent, and we will do FSBO+MLS+RE Atty (we are offering 2.5% Buyer agent’s commission). Our home was appraised in Feb for $275k, current comps is $281k, we will be selling at $280k (only because we bought new appliances worth 5k)

I would like to ask your opinion if we have to sell our home before or after them or just stick to the same plan. Or are there any strategies I need to do, if you’re in my situation. Thank you!

Background - we are in escrow to sell our house because it’s 3 stories and 2 years ago I was diagnosed with MS and have been struggling with the stairs. We are looking for a single story home. We live in one of the most expensive places in the US. Average DTI mortgage approval is 50 of income vs the average 25-30%. We’ve been looking in the 2-2.5 million range.

Offer - We are friends with an older couple who have been trying to sell their absolutely beautiful home in the most desirable neighborhood in our town. Think - hear the ocean from every room in the house, fall asleep with the ocean breeze. 😭It’s been overpriced since it hit the market 9 months ago. Well, they got a spot in the retirement community they wanted and NEED to sell ASAP to make the move. Last night they invited us over and offered the following: They drop the price almost a million dollars if we will buy. They know we cannot afford their home, especially at current rates. They offered that we sign an agreement of sale (with lawyers involved) and for up to 5 years we’d be paying 4% interest on 2.3 million (so interest only - about $7600/mo) to later refinance if/when rates go down - if we pay $725,000 upfront. It’s an insanely generous offer. We are overwhelmed by their kindness but also - overwhelmed about the financial side of it.

We are getting about $425,000 from the sale of our home. I have no idea where I’d come up with another $300,000. On top of that, we plan to use a VA loan to finance our purchase so in 5 years we’d need to bring another $275,000 to the closing table to secure that loan. ($2.3m - $1.2m va loan max x 0.25 = $275,000) We have retirement savings but we are in our 40’s and our kids are about to go to college. It’s absolutely terrifying to consider pulling a bulk of our retirement savings out (at a huge loss due to the market and penalties) to make this work.
At the same time - it’s an amazing offer we will never get again. What would you do?? Saving the $275,000 over the next 5 years is manageable but I’m really stuck on the extra $300,000 we’d need right now. (If it matters, we don’t necessarily need the retirement savings for retirement - husband has military retirement and an amazing pension from his civilian job so we may not need it but planned to have it for emergencies and to give to our kids.)

Sorry it’s so long and absolutely nuts!

House has oil heat. Tank is in basement. How do I monitor it?

What exactly happens if it suddenly bursts and dumps 275 gallons into the basement?

We are considering putting a competitive offer on a 1972 split level. The basement walls have a few vertical cracks which were disclosed by the sellers and we saw on our viewing. The sellers bought the house a year ago, but are now moving for work.

See photos here. There was also another vertical crack near the window that was hidden by personal items, so I did not take a photo. The cracks are on the walls opposite from one another. Are these concerning to anyone? What would cause this to happen?

TLDR: My realtor, who also became a good friend, barely communicates with me anymore. I don’t want to lose the relationship or the business connection, but I’m also tired of feeling like an afterthought. What should I do?

I bought my first house with him in 2022—that’s actually how we met. Then I rented it out through him, and our communication was great. Over time, we became friends. He gave me some smart and thoughtful advice, and I really appreciated that.

Last year, I bought another property with his help, and he also helped me rent those units out. Altogether, I’d say I’ve brought him around $40K in commissions so far.

But around last year, I started noticing his communication fading. I didn’t think much of it at the time, but now I’m starting to see the pattern more clearly.

Recently, a friend of mine asked for a realtor recommendation, and I gave him my guy’s contact info. Apparently, he didn’t respond very professionally, so my friend ended up not working with him.

Lately, whenever I text him, he replies at least a couple of hours later—sometimes not until 12 hours later. Our calls have become really dry, like a Q&A session. There’s no warmth or real interest anymore. It feels like he’s only keeping the communication going at a bare minimum just so I’ll keep giving him business.

I’ve been thinking about working with a different realtor or at least being open to interviewing others. I’m not sure what to do.

For context: over the last couple of years, he’s gone through a lot—he lost his father and went through a divorce. I was there to support him through all of that. Now, he’s moved in with a new partner and her kids. I’m guessing he’s dealing with some family stuff.