Real estate news

Buyers should always order home inspections

Friday, Nov. 20, 2009

Q: I disagree with your recent statement that all buyers should make their offers contingent on first obtaining a satisfactory report from a professional home inspector. Read story.

Lawsuits mount over drywall concerns

Friday, Nov. 6, 2009

We purchased a newly built home last year. Soon after we moved in, we and our two kids started noticing a weird “rotten-egg” smell that gave us constant headaches and sometimes made us vomit. Read story.

Program extension to help housing market

Monday, Nov. 2, 2009

An $8,000 tax credit continues to spur area residents to shop for and buy their first homes. Read story.

Swatch watch: The right paint chip may make you feel at home — or help you sell it

Monday, Oct. 12, 2009

Somewhere in America, there is a yellow house with a red dining room, orange living room, green kitchen and blue bedrooms. And the people living inside are excited when they eat dinner, comfortable when they watch television, calm when they open the refrigerator and feel safe when they sleep. Read story.

Lawmakers mull cuts to realty deductions

Friday, Oct. 2, 2009

Q: Is it true that Congress is thinking about reducing or even eliminating the tax deductions for mortgage-interest payments? Read story.

Buyers, sellers should welcome home inspections

Friday, Sept. 25, 2009

Q: You always advise buyers to make their offers contingent upon receiving a satisfactory report from a professional home inspector, but are such inspections required by law? Read story.

August house sales fall in Midwest

Friday, Sept. 25, 2009

Existing home sales in the Midwest halted their brief resurgence in August, in part because some buyers are having trouble meeting tougher lending standards. Read story.

Lawrence's Fall Parade of Homes to open Saturday

Wednesday, Sept. 23, 2009

The Lawrence Home Builders Association’s upcoming Fall Parade of Homes will feature some residences that have been around awhile, others that are new to the market and even a patch of property awaiting construction. Read story.

Lawrence building climate begins to show signs of turnaround

Thursday, Sept. 17, 2009

A series of new numbers have Lawrence builders and real estate agents harboring a little hope that the city’s housing and construction markets are inching upward. Read story.

Habitat ReStores offer bargains on materials

Friday, Sept. 11, 2009

There are several ways to save money when launching a new construction or remodeling job. One of the best is to shop at the “ReStores” that are operated by the nation’s largest not-for-profit housing group, Habitat for Humanity. Read story.

Valuable tips for 1st-time homebuyers

Sunday, Sept. 6, 2009

The recent slowdown in the residential housing market has provided new buying opportunities through more affordable prices, especially for first-time homebuyers. Read story.

Home equity may affect college aid options

Friday, Sept. 4, 2009

Our son has just started his senior year in high school, but we have already received the various forms to fill out so we can try to get some financial aid to send him to college. Our home is worth about $150,000 more than what we paid for it several years ago. Will this affect our family’s ability to get the most financial aid possible? Read story.

Midwest home sales rise in most markets

Saturday, Aug. 22, 2009

Home sales in the Midwest surged 8.5 percent in July, the second straight annual increase, as new home buyers snapped up properties to take advantage of a temporary federal tax credit, the National Association of Realtors reported Friday. Read story.

New rule puts limits on lender setup fees

Friday, July 31, 2009

I want to apply for a loan to buy a house, so I visited the bank that I have done business with for almost 20 years. Read story.

Midwest home sales rise 3%

Friday, July 24, 2009

Home sales in the Midwest, which started recovering in the winter, rose almost 3 percent in June — the first annual increase since September, the National Association of Realtors reported Thursday. Read story.

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