Legal questions

An Act Protecting Consumer Rights in Purchasing Safe and Habitable Homes

Anyone following real estate in the past three years or so has run into people who think that home inspection is (or should be) optional. Waiving home inspection has become a negotiation tool. This thinking plays into the interests of professional investors and hurts people who plan to owner-occupy their homes. It particularly harms first-time

By |2023-11-19T09:25:32-05:00November 22nd, 2023|Categories: House Hunting, Legal questions|Tags: , , , |

The Commission System and Buyer Agency

Good information helps buyers make informed decisions. Widely available information levels the playing field, so that all buyers have access to the vast majority of properties for sale. Recent lawsuits against Multiple Listing Systems and large real estate companies threaten to harm potential home buyers by expecting them to pay for their representation as well

By |2023-11-15T18:19:28-05:00November 15th, 2023|Categories: Legal questions|Tags: , , , |

Recent real estate lawsuits are bad for buyers and sellers, too

Iโ€™ve gotten some messages from former clients who follow business news. There are some big-deal lawsuits flying around regarding the Multiple Listing Service and buyer agent compensation. The outcome of recent lawsuits is likely to increase seller awareness of the part of the commission that is paid to the buyerโ€™s agent who brings an informed

By |2023-11-08T11:59:41-05:00November 8th, 2023|Categories: House Hunting, Legal questions|Tags: , , , , |

Two Households, One Two-Family House

House hunting idea: two households band together and buy a two-family house together. Massachusetts allows owners of two-family and three-family houses to convert them into two or more condos. This is not typical in other parts of the country. There are lots of advantages to buying a two-family house, especially in our high-price condo market.

By |2023-08-01T17:44:19-04:00August 2nd, 2023|Categories: House Hunting, Legal questions, Pearl|Tags: , |

What is a Mortgage Discharge and Why Do You Need One?

A mortgage is a debt, and an old debt can delay a closing. It almost never happens when there are professionals representing the seller. Once in a while, a seller doesnโ€™t have a thorough attorney or broker. Then a title search will find out that their property still has an open mortgage without a recorded

The Right to a Home Inspection

Why we insist on home inspection: Since 2020, our company has been swimming against the current when we insist that all our clients get home inspections. We are fiduciary agents; that means we need to give sound financial advice. It is not sound financial advice for a buyerโ€™s agent to suggest that a buyer forego

By |2023-03-14T17:05:42-04:00March 1st, 2023|Categories: buying process, Legal questions|Tags: , , , |

Can the Landlord Raise the Rent Any Amount They Want?

This question comes up every summer, as leases are renegotiated for the upcoming year. Most leases in eastern Massachusetts turn over during the summer because the Boston metro area is highly influenced by the academic calendar. If you have an annual lease, the landlord can increase the rent at the end of the annual lease.

By |2022-09-07T10:29:30-04:00September 7th, 2022|Categories: Legal questions|Tags: , , |

Use and Occupancy

Recently, during the most competitive times in the seller-favoring real estate market, more sellers were asking for the right to stay in the home after the closing. This makes life much easier for the seller. Under typical circumstances, the seller and all their possessions must be out of the house before closing. The buyer walks

By |2022-08-18T07:37:43-04:00August 24th, 2022|Categories: buying process, Legal questions|Tags: , , |

Denied a mortgage because you are pregnant?

As a house hunter, you are under no obligation to tell your lender that you are pregnant or plan to be pregnant. Pregnancy is not a legal reason for a lender to deny you a mortgage, unless your income changes in a way that makes you no longer qualified for the mortgage. In 2008, when

By |2022-04-24T19:57:40-04:00April 13th, 2022|Categories: buying process, Fair Housing, Legal questions|Tags: , , , |