real estate – Page 2 – Daniel Bortz

A Rent-Back Agreement Can Protect Your New Home

September 10, 2016September 10, 2016Posted in Consumer ReportsTagged homebuying, housing, real estate, rent-back agreement

After months of house hunting, you’ve finally found your dream home and the seller has accepted your bid. But there’s one problem—the seller isn’t ready to move out.

In such a case, a seller might want to go ahead and close on the home in order to have enough money to buy a new home. But in the interim, the seller needs a place to live. Linda Sanderfoot, a real estate agent at Coldwell Banker in Neenah, Wisconsin says that if you decide to let the seller stay, a rent-back agreement can protect you.

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Should You Sell Your Home When You Retire?

March 18, 2016Posted in Realtor.comTagged housing, real estate, retirement

If you’re approaching retirement, you may be thinking about selling your home. But unless you need to move—such as for health issues—should you? While the main questions on your mind might be how close you live to your grandkids or a golf course, it’s essential to weigh what makes sensefinancially first.

Because let’s get real: Whether you dig the notion of baking away your golden years somewhere sunny or remaining in the family home to host Thanksgiving dinner every year, neither option will make much sense if you can’t afford it. Right?

So to help you get a handle on the pros and cons of aging in place versus making a new start for this next chapter of your life, ask yourself six questions.

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How to Play the Just Right Market

April 22, 2015April 24, 2015Posted in Money magazineTagged homebuyer, housing, housing market, real estate

Too hot, too cold, too hot. For more than a decade the housing market has been nowhere near its Goldilocks moment, a just-right rate of growth that offers opportunities for both buyers and sellers. By certain markers, we’re finally starting to get there: Home prices nationwide are expected to rise 4.9% on average this year, according to the National Association of Realtors (NAR). That’s closer than we’ve been in a while to the long-term average of 3.3%—and a lot more manageable than either the sharp drops of the bust years or the 12% spike we saw in 2013.

What does it all mean for you? If you’re a buyer, you don’t have to worry as much today about being priced out in a bidding war or by all-cash offers. Sellers who didn’t have enough equity in their homes just a few years ago to justify a move could find themselves in a much better position now. And renovators can still get low rates on home-equity loans and lines of credit. In short: If you’ve been sitting on the sidelines, this may be the time to act—or at least to do some serious number crunching.

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