A lawsuit against Florida-based Cervera Real Estate – and a new bill passed in California – raise the question of classification.

It’s a common TV trope, but what should you know when dealing with a home that may be haunted?

There’s always the potential for problems as a transaction wraps up. Thankfully, there are many checks and balances real estate professionals can institute in their processes to side-step such issues. 

Midwest Real Estate Data (MRED) updated its rules and workflows around commission figures June 4 in response to feedback from industry stakeholders, effectively undoing a policy set in place last year. According to a May 1 blog post from

Home purchases have skidded a bit in recent weeks, and student debt raises some troubling questions on where housing demand is heading. The numbers are in, and they’re not encouraging – housing demand is beginning to wane. According to

Are you currently working with a condo buyer who only qualifies for an FHA loan? If so, you may be finding it difficult to find buildings that are FHA approved. A few years ago, the FHA changed it’s rules

There are rumors around Washington that the Mortgage Forgiveness Debt Relief Act of 2007 (MFA) will be extended yet again. Such an extension would be very good news to our improving real estate market for a variety of reasons; however,

Existing-home sales have been a bit weak the last couple of months; what are the reasons behind the decline? November was a rough month for existing-home sales. Not only were sales down 4.3 percent from October to November, but

What does that impeccable Chicago Agent crystal ball have to say about real estate in 2014? Incredibly, another year is almost upon us, and like 2013, it’s bound to supply oodles of twists and turns for our beloved housing

The economic downturn of 2008 was the largest since the Great Depression, and it inspired in turn the most aggressive series of federal economic policies since the New Deal, especially in the form of special tax breaks and deductions.

Back in November, new GSE guidelines took effect that promised a great streamlining of the short sale and deed in lieu process, and for the most part they have. I have seen short sale times fall dramatically, and with

Does the name “Mel Watt” ring a bell? No? Well, come Tuesday, he could become the most important person in your professional life. Let’s start with a simple quiz: who is Mel Watt, and why is he important for

I received no less than three phone calls last week from people who wanted to know if I had heard anything about whether the Mortgage Forgiveness Debt Relief Act of 2007 was being extended. I’m flattered that people see me

While housing marches to the slow, steady drumbeat of recovery, the grass is getting greener and optimism is creeping back into the hearts and minds of both real estate professionals and homeowners. But the wild ride isn’t over, and

500? 620? 740? What is the minimum credit score needed to get a mortgage? There’s a lot of disconnect between the “official” requirements and the scores that actually get people approved for home financing. Articles online show minimum FICO

We’re now two days away from a government default, an event that would spell nothing but trouble for the nation’s housing market. We’re now drawing uncomfortably close to a government default, and though we have written on a couple