Real Estate
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Below market value for a quick saleJul 04, 2009 11:00 pm - Q. Help! Our 72-year-old friend is undergoing severe stress with a son in Iraq and estranged daughter-in-law and grandchildren. She wants to move out of the home she's b...
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Tepid-water problem has reader heatedJul 04, 2009 11:00 pm - Q. I had our hot water heater checked out (it's gas). The pipes are not reversed, and everything else in the new tank checks out just fine. I had a new tank, which I tho...
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How to painlessly prepay a mortgage and save thousandsJul 02, 2009 11:00 pm - There are several ways for borrowers to pay their loan off ahead of schedule and save tens of thousands in finance charges in the process. Q. I have 21 years left to go ...
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Appraisal rules under fire
Jul 02, 2009 11:00 pm - WASHINGTON - It's by far the hottest controversy in real estate this summer, and it could directly affect the value of your house - probably negatively - by tens of thou...
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Hot ceiling keeps air conditioning running too muchJul 02, 2009 11:00 pm - Q. Even though my house is adequately insulated, my air conditioner runs a lot. On sunny days, the bedroom ceiling seems hot, so heat must be coming from the hot roof. H...
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There should be no double standard for satellite dishesJun 27, 2009 11:00 pm - Q. Two tenants in my apartment community have recently installed satellite dishes, which are attached to the fascia of the building. One is on the fascia above the patio...
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Deteriorating shingles put reader's patience through the roofJun 27, 2009 11:00 pm - Q. We are having our cedar shingles replaced at the end of this month on the lake side (southeast) of the house where weathering has been the most prominent. The existin...
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Developers build safeguards for buyers of new homesJun 27, 2009 11:00 pm - A trend to ease the minds of people making major purchases through installment payments has moved from the auto dealership to the builder's model. Hyundai started the ba...
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Seller pitting buyers against each other, even after counterofferJun 27, 2009 11:00 pm - Q. We offered on a house, and the seller countered with $10,000 less. It had gone back and forth, and finally the seller had made a counteroffer we accepted within the h...
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The definitive guide to backyard barbecuing, outdoor livingJun 27, 2009 11:00 pm - Staycation. Holi-stay. Sit-about. Home-trip. Call it what you will, but more people are spending more time at home this summer than probably ever before. A Zogby Intern...