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How Much Money Should I Put Into My House?

I’m sorry to break it to you, but you’ll never know the definitive answer to this question. It is the ultimate unanswerable question, and it’ll haunt you throughout your life as a homeowner. Tough breaks, but that’s just how it is. See, when you first find your dream home, the question is: how much should (more&hellip)

Nicolas Cage: A Real Estate Disaster Story

Sorry Nic, the story must be told. I never really got the appeal of Mr. Cage. In fact, other than his work in Adaptation, I just don’t like watching him. But other people feel differently. A friend of mine is so intrigued by him she writes a blog where she re-watches each of his movies (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)

Open House Report: A Crooked Street and a Library Make Me Swoon

Hope everyone had a lovely weekend. As I mentioned on Friday, I decided to spend my sunny Sunday afternoon touring open homes in my San Francisco neighborhood. Turns out it’s way more fun to look at the big, pretty homes, rather than just the ones in my price range. And, what do you know, I (more&hellip)

15 vs 30 Year Mortgages: Which is Better?

I’m sure you’re still reveling in my big mortgage primer post from earlier this week. So many mortgages options, so much to learn! A reader asked me about 15 vs 30 year mortgage terms. When you start looking at fixed rate mortgages, these are the most common loan terms available. Here is a nifty little (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)

Bad TV: Courtney Cox’s Massive Financial Error

I was catching up on Courtney Cox’s new show Cougar Town the other night on Hulu (not that I watch trashy sitcoms…), when a plotline went down that upset me so much, I have to rant. For the uninitiated, Cougar Town is Friends alum Courtney Cox’s latest sitcom vehicle. It stars the fabulous-looking (albeit nipped (more&hellip)

Negotiate Like a Pro

You’ve found your dream home and are ready to make an offer. Awesome! Now it’s time to seriously play ball. Offer writing and negotiation are the crux of real estate. This is where your realtor earns his or her commission. It’s where the boys are separated from the men. Where the true artists stand apart (more&hellip)

Financing My Condo, Grandma Style (part 2 of 2)

This is last of a two-part miniseries about my adventures in condo financing. If you haven’t read it yet, check out Part 1. When we left off, I’d just left the mortgage broker’s office in San Francisco, flying high with aspirations of wheeling and dealing in real estate. There was just one fly in the (more&hellip)

Financing My Condo, Grandma Style (part 1 of 2)

I nearly have a panic attack every time I think about the process I underwent to finance my condo. I very nearly got myself into the situation in which many Americans are finding themselves–in an oversized adjustable rate mortgage with no equity in their properties. After I found my dream condo by accident, I took (more&hellip)

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