Questions tagged [real-estate]
A tag for questions on real estate or property.
0
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0answers
23 views
Which is the best way to sell a house in Italy to a foreign investor?
I bought an apartment in Venice (Italy) in 2013 with my ex GF. The plan was to renovate it and move there. She broke up with me after some months so we have never had the chance to live there.
The ...
1
vote
1answer
47 views
Federal and State Taxes on International Property as a Prize
https://www.writealetterwinahome.ca/
Recently, there has been a contest issued by Alla Wagner of Millarville, Alberta, Canada, where in lieu of selling her home (a difficult prospect at the present ...
0
votes
3answers
240 views
Is it a good time to buy a house now? [on hold]
I saw a few houses, and decided to buy one of them. A condo originally priced 210,000, and they accepted my 193,000 offer. I'm a first time buyer, with zero experience and my agent helps me with ...
3
votes
4answers
523 views
Real Estate: Why does the maximum compound gain happen somewhere in the middle of the mortgage term?
I construct a spreadsheet to investigate when is the best time to pay off a house loan.
In my model, there are two factors at work:
The real estate appreciation rate, in this case I set it to 5%
The ...
5
votes
2answers
145 views
REIT versus real estate: total yearly returns (when accounting for leverage)
Recently, I saw an article arguing that REITs performed better than traditional real estate (RE) in terms of total returns:
Jussi Askola, Don't buy real estate, buy REITs instead, Seeking Alpha, ...
58
votes
8answers
19k views
Should I deplete my saving and buy a house with cash, or should I rent?
My wife and I are very frugal. We've been living abroad for several years and saved a decent amount of our salaries. We've decided to move back to the US this year.
We've found a modest home that ...
0
votes
2answers
41 views
When I shop for a direct lender, will the credit checks that they may do be bad for my credit rating? [duplicate]
Is it bad for my credit rating each time a possible lender does a credit check on me?
I need to shop for a direct lender in order to get the best rate for a first mortgage on a property I want to buy,...
13
votes
4answers
3k views
What are the practical implications of buying a house in a high Earthquake risk area?
I am purchasing a house in Indio California, that is described as being in an high risk Earthquake area. That sounds scary but the actual stats for the area are less so:
Nearest Earthquake: 2.9 ...
2
votes
0answers
68 views
Tax on apartment purchased abroad
I live in the US and purchased an apartment abroad. I transferred 200,000 dollars directly to the seller, so I never opened a bank account abroad.
My understanding is that, if no income is generated (...
2
votes
2answers
128 views
When buying a house in California, what inspections should you do?
I am in the process of buying a house in Indio, California
In the event my offer is accepted, what type of inspections do I need to do. I am actually living in the UK (the property will be a short ...
0
votes
2answers
112 views
Buying strategies for foreclosure condos
I saw a foreclosure condo which seems upgraded by the bank. I really liked the place, but the price can be cheaper.
Can we negotiate with the bank on such foreclosure houses? What are some ...
0
votes
1answer
57 views
Minimum rental yield for real estate
There are some German books:
(Praxishandbuch Baufinanzierung
Praxisleitfaden Immobilienanschaffung und Immobilienfinanzierung)
about home financing, which mention that you shouldn't buy a property ...
2
votes
2answers
321 views
Strategies on buying a house for a first-timer
I'm 29, and I live in Chicago NW suburbs. I pay a lot for rent, so I am planning to buy my first house.
I have no prior experience on this. What are some tips and strategies to buy a home? More ...
4
votes
4answers
232 views
How to handle house inheritance planning if one child moves in and adds in-law apartment?
My dad passed away unexpectedly and has left my mom alone in their house. I have two siblings and we all have a great relationship which I want to make sure stays that way.
My parent's house is too ...
1
vote
1answer
74 views
Will it adversely affect my credit score if I put off on buying a home?
Recently, my wife and I have been looking into buying a home - I have very good credit, only a small number of outstanding debts ($7,000 car loan, $1300/mo rent, and credit cards I pay off every month)...
44
votes
11answers
15k views
What can I do with a property that won't sell following divorce?
My wife and I bought a property just over 2 years ago for €114,000.
We put down a 10% deposit (€11,400) and so took out a mortgage of €102,600.
We took the mortgage on a short term (15 years) to ...
14
votes
5answers
4k views
When buying a house in California, can you amend the contract after signing it?
I live in the UK, but am trying to purchase a property in Indio California. My realtor says that I need to submit a contract for the property with my offer price ASAP as there is another buyer ...
4
votes
4answers
1k views
Financing mother-in-law suite to rent out
Context:
My wife & I just bought a home for $175,000 with 10% down. We pay $1,020 per month on our mortgage, which includes property taxes and insurance. The home has a very large, finished ...
1
vote
2answers
109 views
Buying ex-local authority/council properties in the UK
What are the risks of investing in ex-local authority/council properties in the UK?
I am referring to purchasing from a private landlord an apartment that was built by a city council for social ...
1
vote
1answer
86 views
Is my house handled differently from other property in my will?
My personal will states that my possessions, money, and property are to be given equally to my son and my wife upon my death.
However, I was told that my house is an exception and still has to go to ...
1
vote
2answers
124 views
Will my efforts to lower my property taxes also impact the value of my house when I choose to sell it?
I'm working on gathering info and scheduling a walk with my tax assessor to try and decrease my property's appraised value for a tax break. However, it occurred to me that the tax assessor's valuation ...
52
votes
13answers
16k views
Invest $50,000 in cash or borrow $100,000 and get a mortgage?
I have $50,000 saved and I'm paying $760 on rent right now. All my relatives are telling me to get a mortgage so I don't "throw money away on rent", but I just don't like the idea of getting in debt ...
2
votes
1answer
165 views
What are the tax implications of renting out my condo if it's worth less than the mortgage?
I own a condo, and its market value is less than what I owe on the mortgage. On the upside, several interesting developments are going in nearby in the next couple of years.
Because of some lifestyle ...
0
votes
3answers
217 views
Is it reasonable to charge extra for additional tenants in a single room?
I’m considering subleasing rooms within a single family home. I expect that one of my potential tenants will have their significant other boarding with them. It was originally expected that only one ...
2
votes
2answers
192 views
how to divide ownership of a house with family member who stopped contributing 8 years ago?
My brother and I bought a house together back in 2006 for $270k. We both contributed 50% to the mortgage between 2006 and 2011.
My brother moved out in 2011 and stopped contributing to the mortgage, ...
6
votes
4answers
279 views
Products for withdrawing from a home's equity?
I am a current homeowner with a property that has no mortgage (everything has been paid off). A family member is in need of some cash to consolidate some credit card debt and I would like to help them ...
2
votes
1answer
135 views
What happens if I don't pay utility bill even after repeated customer service interaction to stop the service?
It's a slightly long story. I live in an apartment building in MN (US). There was a mistake when I moved in and eventually the gas utility for the building remained in my name. Usually it is supposed ...
2
votes
0answers
59 views
Would there be tax due on an inheritance received from a U.S. citizen that lived in the U.K.?
My mother passed away in August. She was a US citizen living in UK for 40+ years. Do my brother and I have to pay tax to bring the cash into the US? No tax had to be paid in UK. Not a big ...
15
votes
5answers
5k views
What does “Home Equity” do for me?
My wife and I are considering buying a home soon - some of the major reasons are personal, such as being able to perform repairs and updates to the property, and having the security and peace of mind ...
33
votes
7answers
11k views
Selling a property - multiple offers of same value?
In the U.S., when selling a residential property, is there a rule or law regarding how to handle multiple offers of the exact same monetary amount? Is this the kind of thing that would vary state-by-...
1
vote
1answer
74 views
Increase bid on home in exchange for down payment/credits
This webpage discusses the idea of bidding higher on a home in exchange for the seller paying closing costs of the same amount. Is it also permissible to bid higher and request the seller pay for (...
0
votes
1answer
45 views
Real Estate Agent Exclusive Agreement - Geographic Restriction
I am searching for homes in two different geographic locations in NJ.
I was refereed to an agent who is local to one area I am looking at buying.
I told him I may want to look further south and ...
0
votes
1answer
63 views
What is the name of this ROI ratio?
I purchased a house with a detached garage. I remodeled the garage and now live in it. I rent out the house. My mortgage is $537 and I charge $650 to rent the house.
Doing the math, I'm only keeping $...
1
vote
2answers
209 views
What is the point of buying real estate when a GIC yields more?
Despite the fact that interest rates have risen over the past year and the housing market flatlining in Toronto and other Canadian cities, for whatever reason， people are still selling houses at ...
2
votes
4answers
137 views
How to know if negative cash flow rental property is a good investment?
I am completely new to the concept of investments and investment property. I've done research on rental properties and negative cash flow but am unclear how to actually measure if something is a good ...
0
votes
0answers
17 views
PMI threshold when paying off part of the principal [duplicate]
I am in the process of getting rid of private mortgage insurance (PMI). I was planning on paying off my loan down to 80% loan to value and then get rid of the PMI.
However, I was told by my lender ...
2
votes
1answer
92 views
Home appraisal ROI: changing floors
I know that homes in the US usually are appraised at a higher value if they have hardwood or laminate floors instead of carpet, so I recently removed all the carpet I hac downstairs and replaced it ...
2
votes
2answers
101 views
Can a state assess a capital gains tax on a sale of property owned by a non-resident?
If I own property in Massachusetts, but am not a resident of Massachusetts, and I sell that property at a profit, does the Massachusetts capital gains tax apply to my sale?
1
vote
1answer
80 views
Is my approach to evaluating real estate investment vs. ETF investment correct?
Someone asked me how well a property investment performs relative to ETFs over the course of 10+ years. My financial literacy is extremely low, and I just became aware of the concept of ETF last week....
1
vote
2answers
92 views
Minimizing tax liability from real estate sale
I bought an investment property in the United States for $20k in 2005, got a $100k refi loan on it in 2007 and sold the property for $100k in 2018. When I sold the property in 2018, I owed about $80k ...
7
votes
1answer
555 views
Was I a victim of illegal bait and switch mortgage fraud?
My wife and I recently purchased a home and I think we were victims of bait and switch mortgage fraud and I wanted to find out of what happened to us was illegal, or just very strange. We were first ...
2
votes
1answer
82 views
Looking to calculate expected profit from sale of house
I'm trying to calculate the money I will see as profit from the sale of my house.
I'm tallying the various expenses associated with selling and would like input on any costs I'm missing. I'm in ...
5
votes
1answer
314 views
How to establish--many years later--the fair market value of real estate on the day someone died?
The home passed to an heir in 2012. The heir did not have the home appraised at that time.
The heir died in 2017 and the home was sold in 2018.
How do you establish the FMV in 2012?
Notes
If the ...
0
votes
2answers
197 views
Is it a good idea to invest in buy-to-let if rent does not cover mortgage payment?
Background:
To benefit from current favourable interest rates in my region (France: ca. 1.5%pa fixed over 20 years), I am considering investing in a buy-to-let property.
I consider that interest ...
0
votes
3answers
273 views
Running the numbers on buying a house for 3 years instead of renting
My SO and I moved out to a new city while she's in med school. We're currently in an apartment paying ~$1,300/mo (after utilities, etc...). However, the other day I realized 2-3 bed houses here cost ...
1
vote
1answer
56 views
Can I purchase and sell a property through my c-corp if I have a personal tax lien with my state?
I would like to execute a simple contract assignment (double closing) on a real estate deal. The initial title work came back an there is a lien against me personally for taxes owed to my state. I ...
2
votes
0answers
45 views
Canadian citizen step parent signing over US owned property to us citizen adult children
My mother who is a US Citizen recently passed, and my step father who is a Canadian citizen with permanent US resident who is living in Canada now with no plans of returning to the US. He doesn't want ...
0
votes
3answers
89 views
What are fair methods to buy out an equal share holder in a mortgaged property?
TLDR:
What are fair methods to buy out an equal share holder in a mortgaged property?
Curent situation:
My partner and I, and her parents have entered in to a mortgage on a piece of land. It is ...
2
votes
2answers
73 views
Optimizing property insurance payments for tax purposes
I own a residential rental property in the United States. I recently received the bill to pay the property insurance on it. The bill can be paid in full this month, or I can pay it in monthly ...
2
votes
1answer
52 views
How to estimate the profitability and risk of investing in rental properties?
There was a recent question, Is it a good idea, to buy a flat with a loan, whilst using the rent to pay it off?, which was closed due to asking opinion-based advice. However, the question can be ...
