When you rent a room in your house, you never know what you'll get. Continue Reading »

By Jeff Brown What type of investment property should you buy -- a condo or single-family home? Until recently, that was a trick question, as real estate was too risky and illiquid for most investors. But growing evidence of a rebound in the housing market reduces the risk your investment property would lose value. ... Continue Reading »

By Aaron Crowe Being a homeowner for the first time comes with all kinds of responsibilities that normally don't come with renting. There's yard work, home repairs, picking paint colors, insurance and of course, figuring out your tax liability. American homeownership has long been subsidized by tax savings, and if your ... Continue Reading »

By Steve McLinden You've heard the usual energy-saving advice: Buy only Energy Star-rated appliances, replace incandescent lightbulbs with those curly fluorescents, shop for cheaper electric providers (if you can in your town). But numerous low-cost, energy-saving strategies escape homeowners' attention. Energy experts ... Continue Reading »

Home auctions aren't just for fat-pocketed investors scooping up decrepit foreclosures that banks are desperate to get off their books. At home auctions, you also can find perfectly fine homes in good condition that never fell into foreclosure. The sellers of these houses are the homeowners themselves, and the buyers are ... Continue Reading »

Most renters expect a refund on their security deposit when they move out of their apartment (save for those who have completely trashed the place). But a hefty percentage of renters aren't getting their money back. More than a quarter -- 26 percent -- of renters have been denied their security deposits, a Rent.com survey ... Continue Reading »

It may be a seller's market, but don't expect buyers' offers to just come pouring in. There are still things that can scare buyers off. Continue Reading »

Squatters tend to go for abandoned homes and buildings -- but the crawl space under a 73-year-old woman's house?. Velma Kellen, of Yelm, Wash., said that she was curious as to why she would always find her backyard gate open after she closed it and why she smelled pot wafting through her house from time to time. It ... Continue Reading »

Looking to know more about home insurance in the wake of Hurricane Sandy? Republished here is one of AOL Real Estate's best guides to understanding a homeowners policy. Many homeowners are baffled by trying to figure out the maze that is home insurance. Take Stephanie and Eric Jones, who for 15 years paid too much ... Continue Reading »

Just because you keep your own apartment smoke-free doesn't mean that you're not still breathing in secondhand smoke from your neighbor. Cigarette smoke can easily seep into next-door apartments in multi-unit buildings, and millions of Americans are affected by this every day, according to a new study. But is there anything ... Continue Reading »

Black ice is a scary sounding term, and for good reason: It leads to car accidents, injuries, and a fear of walking outside in the winter. But are you responsible to clear this invisible menace if it's on your property? If someone gets injured slipping in front of your house or on your property, the short answer is: You are ... Continue Reading »

Connie Grandmason, 46, considered herself lucky. As the owner of a beautiful four-bedroom home in Columbia, S.C. and blessed with a stable and fulfilling job (Grandmason worked as a director for the Special Olympics), she was one of the fortunate Americans who remained largely unaffected by the economic crisis. So ... Continue Reading »

The elimination of the mortgage interest deduction tax break is hot-button issue, but research suggests that many don't take advantage of it. Continue Reading »

By Jim Avila and Serena Marshall Linda and Jim McMahan said that they could not believe their luck in 1993 when they found their dream house. "We loved it," she said. "It wasn't a huge house, but it was a nice size. ... It had the big trees in the yard. And we have deer in the yard every day, and wild turkeys. ... Continue Reading »

By Mandi Woodruff Hurricane Sandy is expected to cost a staggering $50 billion, with as many as 200,000 claims for wind damage and 20,000 claims for flood damage filed by consumers. The sooner those claims are filed the better, but that doesn't necessarily mean everyone will get what they ask for. One of the ... Continue Reading »