Yet another one of my clients is staying up at night worrying about whether his lender is about to bait-and-switch him, causing thousands of dollars to be added to his closing costs. The changes to the Good Faith Estimate rules, have made me more confident that this kind of consumer manipulation is in the past.
One-of-a-kind houses have one-of-a-kind problems. A custom house can be exceptionally beautiful and exceptionally well-suited for its primary purpose. But, that same house could be poorly suited for everyday living. How do you decide if a one-of-a-kind house works for you? Case in point: One of my clients purchased a house that was originally built
Everywhere, buyers involved in bidding wars think they are being poorly informed -- at best -- or just plain lied to. Buyers are being frustrated by seemingly false information that is often a lack of information during bidding wars. The resentment is huge! I wonder if listing agents realize that they are creating a
Buyers, you can do everything right and wind up with no house. How can that happen? Low appraisals. In the next three entries, I will explain what happens during the appraisal process and why you need to care. Of all the people who suffer a broken deal because of a low appraisal, the ones I
I'll even tell you where to put 'em. Ron Rothenberg 4 Buyers Real Estate Open Houses, how I hate them, for so many reasons. Rona has detailed so many reasons why Open Houses don’t benefit sellers. I think they’re the worst possible way for a buyer to look at house. They’re geared towards
Whenever house hunters have beloved cats or dogs -- or plan to have beloved cats or dogs -- they face problems finding a condo association that will – absolutely -- accept their furry loved one. It has always been the case that some big associations restrict all pets. Some restrict dogs or cats, unleased or
Follow in my steps Ron Rothenberg 4 Buyers Real Estate “Walking is man’s best medicine” – Hippocrates, 3rd Century B.C. When I was 11, a friend’s mother bought me a stopwatch. I timed everything. I timed baseball games, I timed radio newscasts, I timed how long it took me to pee. How
A reporter from Angie’s List contacted me a week or so ago to talk about housing that is compromised by people and places in the area. He wrote his story based on what a number of well-reputed agents told him. He quoted me fairly accurately, but left out quite a bit. He also only cited
Those who don't understand the meaning of the numbers can be easily manipulated. Not only can economists and journalists confuse people with numbers, so can crooked mortgage originators, real estate agents, and companies who give credit to young (and not so young) adults. Economic "news" is frequently poorly written for those who do not read
Sic Transit Gloria Paper Checks Ron Rothenberg 4 Buyers Real Estate Few industries have defended their attachment to paper as ferociously as real estate law. But the reign of paper may be ending, as digital contract signatures become more the norm than the exception. One piece of paper that hasn't gone away