Articles filed under Real Estate

• Buyers have time to get inspection May 19, 2013 12:00 AM
  Q. My wife and I are attempting to purchase a short sale property. The contract states that we must do our home inspection within five days of the seller's acceptance. Our problem is the bank will probably either reject our offer or counter our offer. We don't want to pay $350 for a home inspection until we know we will get the house.
  

   

• Manufacturer’s products may be best for cleaning floor May 19, 2013 12:00 AM
  Q. Our vinyl kitchen floor (Mannington) has a textured surface with hundreds of small crevices. It looked fine for a few years, but now that we have had the floor for six years it has begun to look very dirty. These small crevices collect dirt, which is not removed by regular mopping.
  

   
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  Front-burner issues from a food writer’s renovation May 18, 2013 12:00 AM
  A few months ago I took the plunge and had my kitchen redone. For years I'd put it off because it was so expensive. Also, as a cookbook author and food writer, I spend nearly all of my waking hours in and around the kitchen. Being without one for six to eight weeks seemed unimaginable.
  

   

• Condo buyers should ask for association documents May 18, 2013 12:00 AM
  Q. I am about to make an offer on a condominium owned by an individual. I have heard some horror stories about some associations. What can I do to learn about the association, and if it seems to be functioning appropriately?
  

   

• Heirs worry about 96-year-old with mortgage May 18, 2013 12:00 AM
  Q. When my 96-year-old dad dies, will we heirs have to pay on his mortgage until the property sells? What happens if we don’t make payments?
  

   

• Testing a home for radon May 18, 2013 12:00 AM
  Q. We are looking for a newer home, and I have a question about radon. We were told we had the right to have the home tested, but I don't know if it's worth the cost. The radon test was not included in the costs from the home inspectors we talked to.
  

   

• When short sales leave sellers short May 17, 2013 12:00 AM
  Are large numbers of homeowners who have negotiated short sales with lenders at risk because of a startling omission in the American credit system? Do their credit reports and scores indicate that they were foreclosed upon, rather than having negotiated a mutually agreeable resolution with their lender?
  

   

• Plumber disagrees with home inspector May 17, 2013 12:00 AM
  Q. I am a real estate broker and am trying to resolve a difference of opinion between a plumber and home inspector. The inspector routinely cites water heaters that are installed without a drain pan, especially when the water heater is on a raised platform in a garage. The plumber says there is no code requirement for a pan. Who is right?
  

   

• Good fences don’t always make good neighbors May 17, 2013 12:00 AM
  Thousands of lawsuits are filed every year by homeowners who feel that a neighbor's fence, or one that is jointly owned, encroaches on their property.
  

   

• 87-year-old plaintiff testifies in Trump trial May 17, 2013 12:00 AM
  An 87-year-old who drew Donald Trump's ire by accusing the real estate mogul of cheating her testified Friday she felt comfortable investing with the TV star because of his business success and celebrity. Jacqueline Goldberg, of Evanston, testified two days after the "Apprentice" host finished his sometimes combative testimony at a civil trial in Chicago.
  

   

• Saving water can save you cash May 16, 2013 12:00 AM
  Water is a valuable resource, and in many parts of the country, drought conditions make it even more precious. Here are some tips to help you conserve more water around your home, and cut your utility costs at the same time.
  

   
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  RE/MAX offices donations help Chicago children’s hospital May 13, 2013 12:00 AM
  The RE/MAX Northern Illinois real estate network donated $129,000 in 2012 to the Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago, a Children's Miracle Network Hospital.
  

   
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  Electronic toilet features may bowl you over May 12, 2013 12:00 AM
  Q. I'm remodeling my bathroom and plan on installing a new toilet. My question: Do they make a toilet with bidet features?
  

   

• Old floor tiles need to be removed by professionals May 12, 2013 12:00 AM
  Q. I need help with this floor. There is a great hardwood floor under it. However, I don't know if it's safe to go and pull this up — whether it has asbestos in it or not. It is the one-foot-square pieces glued down, and if you do pull it up, what's the best way to get the glue off the floor?
  

   
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  One by one, homes in California subdivision sinking May 11, 2013 12:00 AM
  Eight homes are now abandoned and 10 more are under notice of imminent evacuation as a hilltop with sweeping vistas of Clear Lake and the Mount Konocti volcano swallows the subdivision built 30 years ago.
  

   
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  Make room for the walk-in pantry May 11, 2013 12:00 AM
  If you're wondering where the best kitchen storage went, blame the breakfast nook. Of course, pantries predate Ikea kitchen options. They date back centuries, according to the Encyclopedia of Food and Culture, which puts culinary history in anthropological context.
  

   

• Insulating ductwork pays dividends May 11, 2013 12:00 AM
  Q. I had a home-energy analysis. The report said my ductwork needs to be repaired upstairs and in the crawl space. It's been recommended that repairs be made with either mastic and tape, or foam, which is more expensive ($2,500). What should I do?
  

   
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  Safety first when choosing a crib May 11, 2013 12:00 AM
  Cribs don't come with a guarantee that your baby will sleep soundly through the night, as much as sleep-deprived parents wish they did. Cribs do, however, keep your baby safely contained while she sleeps (or doesn't).
  

   
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  Splurge on kitchen features you can’t live without May 11, 2013 12:00 AM
  I have been lucky to have always lived in homes with great kitchens. Even in college, my two roommates and I shared an apartment in Washington, D.C., that had a kitchen with exposed brick walls, a working fireplace, a big old-fashioned enamel stove, a full-size refrigerator with a separate full-size freezer and an amazing picture window that looked out on a fig tree and a distant grapevine-covered wall.
  

   

• Father can’t take back a $15,000 gift May 11, 2013 12:00 AM
  Q. Twelve years ago, my dad, then 80, purchased a condo in Florida for himself and his live-in girlfriend. He paid $30,000 for it. The deed states that in the event of the death of one of them the other inherits the condo.