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Savvy Advisor: Sublet Etiquette

Every so often, I get questions for readers facing their own real estate quandaries: Did I overpay for my house? How do I find a renter if I need to move? And so on. I’m always happy to help people navigate the complex real estate world, and from time to time I’ll be publishing these (more&hellip)

Tenant Drama, aka My First Mean Landlord Moment

RSRE is a site about first-time real estate. It’s also about creative approaches to real estate, since I believe real estate–if used correctly–can enable you to live an interesting and unusual life. From time to time, I’ll post stories from my personal real estate exploits, since I’m learning how to “do” real estate along with (more&hellip)

Savvy Income Sources: Room For Rent

I’ve been slowly covering creative ways people can generate income from their property. We’ve talked about using your home as a Vacation Rental and about Vacation Swaps. Now we’ll focus on one way to make money once you get home from vacation: renting out a spare room. The concept of the boarding house has been (more&hellip)

Homeowner Nightmare: HOA Dues On the Rise

Condos are appealing because they offer the promise of fewer headaches. You, the homeowner, are responsible for everything from the “paint, in.” If a pipe explodes, if your neighbor’s bathtub falls through the ceiling (Money Pit style), if there’s a termite infestation, it’s not your problem. A group called the Homeowners Association (HOA) handles it. (more&hellip)

Are Zestimates Really Accurate?

Zillow.com has made a splash with their Zestimate feature, which tells homebuyers and owners what a property is worth, based on data from the local area. Anyone can search for an address and, if it’s their own home, they can “claim” it and refine the data Zillow uses. (I wonder if the Obamas were at (more&hellip)

Inside Your Home

Let’s talk about design. Because it’s not enough to overhaul your finances, join forces with a big scary bank, tromp in and out of open houses for months, endure nerve wracking negotiations, pass an inspection, and finally get the keys to your new house. Now you have to decorate it! And take it from me….just (more&hellip)

Using Space Wisely: Turn Your Closet into an Office

Could you work in a closet? Apparently many people do, including the guy in the photo above (from Unclutterer), who not only uses his closet as a workspace–he stores clothes in there, too! The lady below has it all under control. She’s totally chillaxing in her office-closet. If you think about it, having a closet (more&hellip)