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Parent weighs pros and cons of sharing assets with daughter
Q: Could you explain the pros and cons of having joint financial accounts with a daughter and owning my home with her as well? My husband has passed away. I have a will and other needed documents.
A: We’re sorry for your loss. We understand how having joint financial accounts and assets feels like everything will be easier after you die. ...Read more
Home sales worsen due to inventory, interest rates
This week, the National Association of Realtors announced that 2024 would likely be an even worse year for home sales than 2023. It could wind up as the worst since the late 1990s.
Existing home sales fell 1% in September to a seasonally adjusted rate of 3.84 million. That number is 3.5% lower than a year ago. Median existing home prices ...Read more
Mortgage company asks parent for detailed financial information to co-sign daughter’s loan
Q: My daughter is buying a home. The mortgage company wants me to submit a ton of information in order to be her co-signer. They want all pages of my bank statements for the last three months and my tax returns for the last two years. They also want my social security statement and a letter regarding how much I receive in social security ...Read more
Are there tax implications if someone declines inheritance?
Q: My husband died without a will. We have one son and when my husband passed, my son and I signed an agreement that said if I sold any of the properties, we’d both need to agree to the sale.
When I sold one of the properties that was in my husband’s name, the settlement agent made two checks in equal amounts to me and my son. My son ended ...Read more
Couple has trouble splitting two lots to build second cabin
Q: My daughter and son-in-law bought a cabin as their second/vacation home near Seattle a couple of years ago. The property is actually two lots (with two separate tax parcels). And, the cabin is on one of the lots.
There is one deed and one mortgage. They are thinking of building another cabin (for investment) on the second lot and would like ...Read more
The NAR settlement has changed rules for buyers and sellers, but classic advice still rings true
Q: I am giving Ilyce’s “100 Questions Every First-Time Home Buyer Should Ask” book to each of my young adult kids — and even though we’ve bought three homes over the years, I’m getting a copy for us, too, because it is such a helpful resource! Thank you for writing it.
Is there a place I can direct everyone to read your updates ...Read more
Parents’ lack of estate planning leads to home ownership debacle with step-siblings
Q: My lawyer can’t seem to get the title cleared on my Florida condominium. My mom and stepdad received title to my grandmother’s condominium as tenants-in-common from my grandmother back in 1995. My stepdad died without a will about 20 years ago. His estate was never probated, as my mom thought everything would automatically go to her.
My ...Read more
Don’t focus on square footage when comparing homes for sale
Comment: I read your article on how people buy homes and use the square footage of the home to compare one home with the other. I wanted to let you know there is an ANSI standard for measuring square footage of a residential unit, though few in our industry use it. Comparing homes by price per square foot is a fool’s errand. Your article ...Read more
Timeshare owners, beware of rising scams
We get many questions from readers on timeshares and, by far, the most common issue is how to get rid of the timeshare. There are many reasons why an owner would want to sell a timeshare.
For some, ownership can be measured in decades. But now, no one in the family uses it. They don’t want it and can’t imagine paying for it. Some of our ...Read more
The IRS home sale exclusion rule applies to primary residences only
Q: I read your column regularly and now I have a question for you.
We own two houses. One is in Chicago, which we purchased in 2010. The other is in Arizona, which we purchased in 2012. We spend the winters in Arizona and the rest of the time in Illinois.
We are getting older and it’s getting harder to maintain two homes. We’re thinking of...Read more
Condo owner whose ceiling collapsed weighs in on building inspections
Q: I was given your article on building inspectors. The most important thing was not mentioned in your article! If you think something may be wrong, it probably is!
In 2011, an agent who works with the Veteran’s Administration (VA) found a foreclosed condo for me in Pleasant Prairie, Wisconsin. The VA inspected the home. We found small ...Read more
What you should know about irrevocable trusts
Q: I read your article on living trusts recently. You detail the workings of property in a revocable trust and what one should do with the funds upon the sale of the property. Would the same things apply to an irrevocable trust?
I am the creator of a trust, as well as the trustee and beneficiary. There are successor trustees and beneficiaries ...Read more
Buyer unhappy with seller’s handling of moisture control after inspection wants out of the deal
Q: We signed a contract to purchase a home. It seemed to have an issue with moisture in the crawl space. So, we had a home inspection. The inspector couldn’t gain access to the crawl space, as the access was too small and he was too big. He noted in his report that there was extensive dampness and evidence of standing water in the crawl space....Read more
HOA resident offers potential solutions to board member shortage
Our recent articles about homeowner’s associations (HOAs) have stirred many readers to write to us about why people don’t want to volunteer for HOA boards and the difficult situations sitting HOA members face every day.
Here’s one email we recently received:
Comment: I have read and appreciated your articles. You bring useful information...Read more
First-time buyer seeks advice regarding offer strategy
Q: First-time homebuyer here. I just finished reading your “100 Questions Every First-Time Home Buyer Should Ask” book, and I sure took lots of notes! It’s super fun when real estate rules change as you are learning them. So I have a question.
What’s the deal with the new National Association of Realtors ruling on how buyers now sign ...Read more
HOAs having trouble finding board members is more common than you might think
Reader comment: Like one of your readers, I also live in an homeowners association (HOA) community (44 units) where no one wants to step up to be on the board. We have three people there now and two are past their two-year commitment, nor do we have a management firm. Frankly, I think we do a fantastic job of addressing residents’ needs and ...Read more
Siblings confused about logistics of deceased mother’s life estate
Q: My mother died in 2021, and she created a life estate where my two sisters and I were listed on the deed. Initially we thought we were just added to the deed, but we discovered the information about the life estate recently (we still haven’t sold the house).
We are now in the process of trying to sell the house and are confused about the ...Read more
Reader emphasizes the importance of thorough estate planning
Reader comment: I read your recent article on wills and trusts. To add gilding to the lily, as my late father used to say, I wanted to add some thoughts to your column.
We had a trust set up and the preparer gave us a three-ring notebook with the trust docs, will, powers of attorney, etc. I scanned the documents and created a DVD for each of ...Read more
Senior considers selling home, living in a retirement community
Q: I am a senior citizen. I’m thinking ahead to a time where I might consider selling my house and moving into a retirement community.
Can you tell me what to look for in a retirement community? I have heard disturbing stories where the retirement community filed for Chapter 11 because they had financial difficulties. I’ve also heard that ...Read more
Does current zoning code overrule decades-old information on property deed?
Q: We bought our home in 1984. The deed read that the home was built on one of two separate lots. We are now thinking about moving. In considering our options, we realized the property values in our neighborhood have increased dramatically. In fact, they’re so high that we’re thinking of razing our existing home and selling the two ...Read more