208 articles
Buy before you sell or sell before you buy? Selling first is usually the financially safer choice, but buying first is more convenient. Use this framework — plus bridge loans, HELOCs, contingencies, and rent-backs — to decide.
Buying a home as-is usually means the seller won't make repairs — not that you lose the right to inspect or to walk away. Here's what your contract and state law actually control.
How real-estate auctions work, whether you can finance an auction purchase, and the risks of buying with no inspection — foreclosure, tax, REO, and HUD sales compared, with a pre-bid due-diligence checklist.
How buying a short-sale home works, why lender approval takes so long, and the timeline, costs, and legal pitfalls buyers should plan for.
A practical, answer-first guide to evaluating a condo association's finances — reserve studies, budgets, and red flags — plus how lender rules and state disclosure laws protect buyers.
A condo means you own your unit's interior and share the rest; a townhouse is a home style that can be owned fee-simple or as a condo; a single-family home is fee-simple ownership of the house and land. Here's how ownership, costs, and financing compare.
What earnest money is, how much buyers typically put down, where it's held, and when it's refundable.
A step-by-step guide to checking a home's FEMA flood zone, when flood insurance is mandatory, and how much an NFIP or private policy can cost.
During your review period, read the HOA's governing documents, finances, meeting minutes, and insurance, and total every recurring and one-time fee — then confirm your contract and state cancellation rights with a real estate attorney before waiving any contingency.
Mortgage lenders require an active homeowners policy at closing. Here's the coverage you need, what standard policies exclude, and why some homes are hard to insure.
Buying a home usually takes a few months from search to keys, but each stage runs on its own clock. Here's how long pre-approval, house hunting, and closing typically take, and why the timeline varies.
Foreclosures sell at three stages — pre-foreclosure, auction, and bank-owned (REO). Here's how each works, which is riskiest, and how to protect yourself.
