Posts with tag AolOriginal

When buying a house, it's a very good idea to get a home inspection before you close your purchase and take possession of the home. It's not uncommon for a lender to include a home inspection as a condition in your purchase agreement. AOL Real Estate's What Works Now... Continue Reading »

When Chris M. decided to list his home in upstate New York and move closer to Manhattan to ease his wife's commute to her new job, he ran into a major hurdle: "There was no consensus among the agents we spoke with about what our house was worth," he said. The solution? Hire a local appraiser to handle the job of evaluating... Continue Reading »

If moving is stressful for adults, imagine what it must be doing to your children! So if you're moving with kids, it's essential to consider how they feel. Our experts say the key to make moving with kids less stressful and more fun is communication and preparation. Joshua Becker, the blogger behind Becoming Minimalist,... Continue Reading »

When John Ullman wanted to sell his Portland, Ore. home 20 years ago, he knew he was going to have trouble selling it through conventional channels. "My wife was a potter, and we had a kiln in the backyard," he recalled. "By anyone's standards, that's a liability." By anyone's standards except another potter. So rather... Continue Reading »

Can a woman's college dorm in Southern California hold a secret to your water-saving bathroom renovation? Yes, says Alexandra Bennett, sustainability coordinator at Point Loma Nazarene University in San Diego. Bennett is piloting a water-saving program at the college, which despite its proximity to the ocean lacks many... Continue Reading »

When Stephen Slaybaugh returned to his two-bedroom apartment in Columbus, Ohio one evening after work, something was not right. "At first I thought my girlfriend had just left a bunch of things strewn about," he says. "Then as I walked through the apartment, there was stuff she obviously wouldn't have left out. Then I... Continue Reading »

Annette Thomson of Washington, D.C., wants to green up her kitchen remodeling project. "I want to replace old vinyl flooring and add Energy Star appliances," she says. "Is there anything else I can do?" Thomson is on the right track. Going green in the kitchen means replacing vinyl with more sustainable materials and... Continue Reading »

Video Transcript Today we hear more and more about appraisals as part of the real estate process. Tough markets, like the one in which we find ourselves today, bring the subject to the forefront more so than in times of booming sales and bidding wars. In fact, these days, more often than not appraisals... Continue Reading »

Virginia Realtor Lon Crow has firm ideas on how homebuyers should choose a Realtor. And they don't involve calling the agent named at the bottom of a listing. "You have to find someone who will act on your behalf. A listing agent's not going to do that. A listing agent is going to try to get the price that, in theory,... Continue Reading »

Earth-conscious homeowners looking to keep cool this summer without breaking the carbon bank, listen up. As of late last month, LG introduced the world's first mass-marketed solar-assisted air conditioning unit and promoted it using sexy, mini-skirted models. Attaching a small solar panel to a traditional A/C unit, the... Continue Reading »

Key Video Takeaways One thing's for sure - today's housing market is confusing. Each day consumers are bombarded with new information and it can be difficult to get a sense of what's important. Mixed in with statistics about waning home sales, we hear sound bytes like "historically low interest rates,"... Continue Reading »

Key Video Takeaways Anu and Michael are young and their lives are still very much in transition. Michael is making his way through medical school -- and taking out a lot of student loans to do it. Anu is just starting her career, not making as much as she would like, and unsure how quickly her salary will grow... Continue Reading »

Should you buy that first home or remain a renter? It's a classic question made much more complicated by the housing market's recent crash. How do you know if you're ready? Will you be able to afford a mortgage, and all the fees associated with securing a loan and closing? And how can you tell if the local market has... Continue Reading »

Key Video Takeaways Renada, a New Yorker ready to make the switch from renter to owner, thought she'd sailed through the home buying process. She was approved for a loan, found a condominium in Hell's Kitchen and signed a purchase agreement, all in a relatively short period of time. She expected more of the... Continue Reading »

Key Video Takeaways Evan, who hopes to buy a home one day, is getting conflicting information about how much of a down payment he'll need. Whether or not he has enough money might have an effect on when he'll be ready to purchase a home. He's heard that down payments can range from 5 percent to 20 percent.... Continue Reading »