How it Works
Book Legal Services Online
Different definitions and forms of residential real estate POSTED ON JANUARY 28, 2016 BY MARK Single-Family Home The most common definition of a single-family home is: An individual, freestanding, unattached …
Renting out part of your home can boost cash flow, but first take a look at what it takes to be a landlord. By Pat Mertz Esswein, August 2011 Homeowners …
THIS IS WHY INVESTORS SHOULD INVEST IN REAL ESTATE IN KANSAS CITY POSTED ON OCTOBER 30, 2018 BY MARK Kansas City Real Estate Kansas City is the largest city in …
You may have a substantial amount of money and assets to leave behind to your children. However, a conundrum many people find themselves in is that they want to provide …
A decade after the housing bust upended the lives of millions of Americans, more U.S. households are headed by renters than at any point since at least 1965, according to …
RENTING VS. BUYING? At what cost, percentage wise, is it better to rent than buy, if you plan on staying at a given location forever? Buying a home is likely …
In writing It is a legal requirement in all jurisdictions that contracts for the sale of land be in writing to be enforceable. The various Statute of frauds require contracts …
In writing It is a legal requirement in all jurisdictions that contracts for the sale of land be in writing to be enforceable. The various Statute of frauds require contracts …
In writing It is a legal requirement in all jurisdictions that contracts for the sale of land be in writing to be enforceable. The various Statute of frauds require contracts …
LLC Electing S Corp Status: The Best of Both Worlds It isn’t either/or when choosing an LLC or S corporation. You can have the best of both worlds. Structuring your …
Before the days of income and estate taxes, adult children often just moved into the family home after their parents died. Unfortunately, it’s not that simple anymore. There are several …
Ask just about any real estate agent to list the three most important things a property should have, and you’ll likely hear: ?location, location, location.? That phrase has been in …
Denise Supplee and her husband, Jerry, had been in their new home in Horsham, PA, for just three months when they started to notice something strange in their bathroom. ?You …
Kansas City Real Estate ? Market Trend & Forecast 2018 According to Zillow.com, the median home value in Kansas City is $136,200. Kansas City home values have gone up 10.5% …
By Jenny Page Financial Stability After Divorce While Millennials have proven to be a boon for the marriage statistics, this sentiment cannot be echoed for the over fifties. Baby Boomers …
The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA) has created a lot of uncertainty as well as a lot of opportunity in the tax world. This is especially true in the …
Family law issue Married couples usually own most, if not all, of their valuable property together. If you want to leave everything to your spouse, as many people do, you …
Real Estate Syndication Real estate syndication is ?crowdfunding for real estate? before crowdfunding for real estate ever existed. In its most simple form, both syndication and crowdfunding involve pooling capital …
Cost of Building a House Many things, including building materials, could affect the price of your new home. Two of the more prominent factors are regulatory costs and level of …
12 Ways To Beat Capital Gains Tax In The Age Of Trump Ashlea EbelingForbes StaffPersonal Finance I write about how to build, manage and enjoy your family’s wealth. Shutterstock Got capital …
What’s the Difference Between Your Home’s Market and Assessed Value? Understanding your home’s value is an important part of knowing your net worth, what you’ll likely receive if you sell …
The Future of Real Estate ? With Fewer Agents? Here’s a look at potential changes to how consumers shop for a home and close a deal. The Future of Real …
Housing: Then, Now, and Future by Moya K. Mason Houses have changed a lot over the last three hundred years. Availability of construction materials, development of indoor plumbing and heating …
The Truth About Real Estate Prices By Lisa Smith October 25, 2017 ? 6:24 AM EDT The layman’s theory of real estate goes something like this: The Pilgrims arrived. They …
Financial Stability After Divorce While Millennials have proven to be a boon for the marriage statistics, this sentiment cannot be echoed for the over fifties. Baby Boomers experienced a 109% …
Foreigner Selling Property in USA If there is ever a market that is always soaring and nothing dissuades it except a natural or human catastrophe, then it is the ever …
Can Non-citizens Own Land or Property? Regulation of land ownership rights for non-U.S. citizens is generally reserved to the states. But generally speaking, aliens and non-nationals are allowed to …
Can a non-U.S. citizen get a mortgage in the U.S.? The short answer is yes. “You do not have to be a citizen of the United States to purchase real …
If you’re a real estate agent, odds are you haven’t been closing as many deals lately. A slowdown in new construction and a short supply of existing homes for sale …
FSBO means for sale by owner. When you sell a home, one of your first decisions is whether to FSBO (for sale by owner, pronounced fizz-bo) or hire an agent. …
As the economy continues to flail, many people ? including caregivers and the elderly ? are looking for ways to get ahead on finances ? or in many cases, just …
1. Interest Rates & The Economy For years the market has anticipated rising interest rates. With the Federal Reserve now nudging rates upward, flattening of the yield curve is underway. …
The United States Congress adopted a resolution on June 4, 1926, requesting that President Calvin Coolidge issue annual proclamations calling for the observance of November 11 with appropriate ceremonies.[2] A …
If you?ve entered into a contract to purchase a home, your transaction won’t be final until closing. Most buyers have many questions about the process, including: What is closing? Closing …
Missouri The first thing to understand about mortgages in Missouri is that Missouri uses ?deeds of trust? to record property ownership. A deed of trust is a document (filed in …
Scams targeting real estate transactions are on the rise, according to the FBI. Experts say there are many simple ways that consumers and real estate professionals can protect themselves and …
If Michael Wolff’s reporting is to be believed, Stephen K. Bannon’s assessment of the most dangerous threat posed by special counsel Robert S. Mueller III’s investigation is not the one …
June 2015 A person can apply for Medicaid to pay for nursing home care or care in the home when the countable, available resources have been reduced to $2,000 plus …
Commercial Real Estate Developers in the 19th Century Most New York schoolchildren learn that the island of Manhattan was bought by Peter Minuit of the Dutch West India Company from …
If you want to buy a house this year, you may well be paying around $199,200, the median price for a home in the U.S., according to Zillow. That number …
EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT FSBO The 2016 Profile of Home Buyers and Sellers by the National Association of Realtors? (NAR) found that for sale by owner (FSBO) sales …
Buying real estate is about more than just finding a place to call home. Investing in real estate has become increasingly popular over the last 50 years and has become …
Real estate is a great investment for many reasons. You can enjoy an excellent rate of returns, amazing tax advantages and leverage real estate to build your wealth. Here are …
No house can be complete without any windows. Windows facilitate the entry of natural light indoors. They enable the occupants of a house to enjoy the views of the neighbourhood …
U.S.home prices have rebounded from the 2008 housing market crash, but demand is still low due to changes in living and buying habits of millennials, real estate mogul Sam Zell …
As a rule, people in New York wish for smaller places to live about as often as people on airplanes wish for smaller seats. I used to dream sometimes that …
Kansas City Real Estate Kansas City is the largest city in the U.S. state of Missouri, famous for its distinct barbeque cuisine and jazz heritage. Also nicknamed the City of …
ROOF SYSTEM COMPONENTS All steep-slope roof systems (i.e., roofs with slopes of 25 percent or more) have five basic components: Roof covering: shingles, tile, slate or metal and underlayment that …
5 Reasons to Conduct Regular Inspections of Your Rental Properties 1. Ensure Your Tenants Are Complying With the Terms of the Lease: Do you know if your tenant has a …
One reason you might be thinking about investing in rental properties is because you think you’ll save money on federal income taxes. While this may be true, you really need …
Most states, except those listed as community property states, below, use the “common law” system of property ownership. In these states, it’s usually easy to tell which spouse owns what. …
1. Check For Zoning Issues And Liens Generally speaking, one way to tell is when a property has a characteristic or complication that leads to an automatic “no” for the …
If you’ve ever house-hunted, you’ve probably got a sense that real estate purchases don’t represent consumers at their most rational. Did you like a house or apartment more, or less, …
Most people don’t think twice about cleaning and insulating their attics. At least, not until strange smells, rodent infestations, or other annoying issues appear and force them to take a …
A lease option (more formally Lease With the Option to Purchase) is a type of contract used in both residential and commercial real estate. In a lease-option, a property owner …
WHAT ARE THE BENEFITS OF SELLING YOUR HOUSE FOR SALE BY OWNER WITHOUT A REALTOR? The biggest reason to consider some form of FSBO is the money you may save. …
History of Kansas City Kansas City, Missouri has been incorporated three different times and has had three different names throughout its history. First, in the 1830s John McCoy established Westport …
One of the last things most home buyers think about is how to take title to their new house. It’s best to consult a real estate attorney before deciding but, …
Foundation repair options vary greatly depending on the geographic area and site conditions for the repair. Until the late 1970s, the main repair method simply used concrete. Below is a …
Final walk-throughs are not home inspections, even though it might seem that way. It is not a time to begin negotiations with the seller to do repairs, nor is it …
What Is a Judgment Lien? A judgment lien is created when someone wins a lawsuit against you and records the judgment against your property. What is your total debt? A …
Fall real estate market trends have started to take shape, and now is as good of a time as any to start deciphering them. What’s more, those investors that can …
Real Estate Disputes come in all shapes and sizes. For instance, imagine a dispute where the seller disclosed the basement leaked a half an inch and the realty is the …
What if something was wrong with your newly bought house at the time of purchase, and someone — the seller, the seller’s agent, or the inspector — could or should …
Are you ready to buy a house, or in the planning stages of a home purchase? Either way, it helps to know what banks look for when they evaluate your …
A deed in lieu of foreclosure is a deed instrument in which a mortgagor (i.e. the borrower) conveys all interest in a real property to the mortgagee (i.e. the lender) …
3 Reasons Why It’s Important to Price Your Home to Sell The ?right? price is one that’s in tune with what similar homes are selling for in your market. It’s …
Missouri home values 2016 to 2017 Metropolitan area Q2 2016($000s) Q2 2017($000s) Change Cape Girardeau, MO-IL 148.8 146.5 -1.5% Columbia, MO 174.6 183 4.8% Kansas City, MO-KS 188.6 201.7 6.9% …
Buying a home can be nerve-racking, especially if you’re a first-time home buyer. These tips will help you navigate the process, save money and avoid common mistakes. We organized them …
When the time comes that you decide you want to sell your home, the question you might ask yourself is, ?Should I list my home with a Realtor or try …
Missouri Tax Sale Process Getting Started Will I need special equipment or software? No. To participate in the auction from your own home or office, you need only have …
Every seller pays for a real estate attorney or title company whether they sell a house with an agent or FSBO. Hire a lawyer to protect your home sale and …
CAN YOU SUE A SELLER IN MISSOURI FOR FAILURE TO DISCLOSE KNOWN ADVERSE MATERIAL FACTS? When you bought your home in Missouri, you assumed that it was in perfect condition. …
Redfin CEO Glenn Kelman has been known for making some strong statements about the housing market, and last week he issued his latest proclamation, warning of a slowdown that is …
Zillow shares plunged 9 percent on Friday after the online real estate database company announced it will begin buying and selling homes, a capital-intensive endeavor. With Zillow’s new program,announced on …
For Sale By Owner (FSBO) Statistics FSBOs accounted for 8% of home sales in 2016. The typical FSBO home sold for $190,000 compared to $249,000 for agent-assisted home sales. FSBO …
Overview of the Real Estate Market 5.51 million existing homes were sold in 2017, according to data from the National Association of REALTORS?. 612,000 newly constructed homes were sold in …
How to Sell Your House Without a Realtor You’re ready to put your house on the market, and you?ve decided to go it alone. Are you really saving money? By …
Types of services that a broker can provide Real Estate Services are also called trading services by some jurisdictions. Since each province’s and state’s laws may differ, it is generally …
Agency relationships with clients versus non-agency relationships with customers Relationship: Conventionally, the broker provides a conventional full-service, commission-based brokerage relationship under a signed listing agreement with a seller or a …
In the real estate world, FSBO means ?For Sale by Owner? which means the sellers are not using the services of a real estate agent to sell their property. While …
Aside from getting the address right, listing photographs are the most important part of the home sale listing. A study conducted by Michael Seiler of Old Dominion University stated that …
Here are 20 questions any home buyer should ask when considering a home purchase – 1. What year was the house built? If you’re not sure, you can look at …
How To Sell A Luxury Home For Sale By Owner (FSBO) When it comes toselling a home for sale by owner (FSBO)there is a large amount of work for the …
A bonafide purchaser(BFP) ? referred to more completely as a bonafide purchaser for value without notice ? is a term used predominantly in common law jurisdictions in the law of …
Approximately 52.2 million (or 21.3 percent) people in the U.S. participated in major means-tested government assistance programs each month in 2012, according to a U.S. Census Bureau report released today. …
The process of buying or selling your home is quite complex, so you’re fortunate to have a real estate professional to guide you through some of the process. However, in …
Earnest money deposit Earnest money (which is held in escrow) is how sellers know you’re serious. Keep in mind that how much money you hand over upfront depends on a …
Condominium and PUD Ownership Builders, in an effort to combat the dual problem of an increasing population and a declining availability of prime land, are increasingly turning to common interest …
MOLD BASICS Why is mold growing in my home? Molds are part of the natural environment. Outdoors, molds play a part in nature by breaking down dead organic matter such …
A land patent is an exclusive land grant made by a sovereign entity with respect to a particular tract of land. To make such a grant “patent”, a sovereign (proprietary …
How To Use The Wholesale Real Estate Forms… The Wholesale Purchase Agreements are used to put a property under contract with the seller. Typically a wholesaler will assign the contract …
What is a ‘ShortSale?’ A Short Sale takes place when homes are sold for less than the bank payoff, and the home seller does not have the funds to make …
During a buyer’s market, home buyer’s are agressive in their offers; making offers substantially below asking price with many seller concessions. As the market has shifted, buyer’s have had to …
The Myth of the ‘Discount Listing’ There are all kinds of business models that have been created in recent years to give home buyer’s and seller’s a choice in how …
Realtor Tools: the MLS The modern day MLS (Multiple Listing Service) is the method that information on real estate for sale and sold properties are disseminated throughout the real estate …
Land Survey: Defining a Property Often times when showing properties, a client asks me, “Where is the property lines?” As a purveyor of properties, it would make sense that we …
Here’s an overview of the basics, including seller disclosure requirements. Most listing agents will want you to sign an exclusive right to sell listing, which obligates you to pay a …
The real estate market is roaring back! And today’s market can be good news forwholesalerswho learn to capitalize on these opportunities. The real estate market is roaring back! One of …
Joint ventures, wholesaling and property management are just a few of the ways investors can profit from real estate, but it takes a little savvy to become successful in this …
Every seller pays for a real estate attorney or title company whether they sell a house with an agent or FSBO. Hire a lawyer to protect your home sale and …
11 Best For Sale by Owner Sites 2018 By Allison Bethell on April 22, 2018 | Real Estate Investing | Comments (4) A for sale by owner (FSBO) is a …
Tough times can motivate, frustrate agent-less sellers Four years ago, when Judy Cruz decided to try to sell her house on her own, it couldn’t have been easier. She struck …
Housing Trends Since 1950: The Difference Will Shock You For the last few years, home buyers have done battle with some challenging housing trends: fewer homes to choose from, rising …
The Post-Industrial Era Is Over ByLESTER C. THUROW The sun is about to set on the post-industrial era. No one should mourn its passing. In the post-industrial era, service jobs …
How the Internet Changed Real Estate For many years, real estate agents were the single most important gatekeepers of information regarding local real estate. If you wanted to know which …
Make Sure Your Kansas Mechanics Lien Has the Required Information It is crucial to make sure your Kansas mechanics lien contains all of the information specifically required by Kansas? lien …
Drafting a mechanic’s lien and ?notice of intent? (?429.100) involves crucial steps that can be harmful to your case if overlooked. Whether you forgot to verify the ?just and true …
Buying a primary residence for home buyers is a financial decision but also an emotional decision that involves many lifestyle factors. For most home buyers, the purchase of am primary …
Visualize a real estate purchase contract with just a few extra words added to your name as the buyer. This would look something like this: “Buyer: John J. Doe, and/or …
I’m not here to puff up real estate investing, nor to convince people that they can get rich quick in the business. However, there are people getting pretty nicely compensated …
A contingency clause defines a condition or action that must be met for a real estate contract to become binding. A contingency becomes part of a binding sales contract when …
Long-term real estate appreciation rate in the U.S. Before we talk actual real estate appreciation rates, let’s talk about why you’d want to know what they are in the first …
If you’re anything like me, you can ALWAYS use another online platform to advertise your property listings ? especially when that platform is FREE. In this blog post, I’m going …
Real estate inspection. The three little words can cause palpitations in even the sturdiest souls. For potential homebuyers, a real estate inspection means the house they have recently fallen in …
Buying or selling a home is best done with some assistance. Real estate brokers have access to the Multiple Listing Service in their geographical area and have obtained the educational …
The top 11 FSBO Marketing Wesites To determine the best for sale by owner sites, we looked at a variety of factors including how much it costs to list your …
Title Insurance What is a Title? A title is the evidence or right a person has to the ownership and possession of land. A defect in the title can be …
Selling your home means making dozens (if not hundreds) of decisions, starting with whether to work with a real estate agent. While the vast majority of homeowners hire a listing …
For those hoping to maximize profits on a home sale, posting a ?for sale by owner? sign in the yard is an appealing option. Real estate brokers typically take 5 …
5 Reasons You Should For Sale by Owner (FSBO) More and more homeowners are taking advantage of the technology-based tools available to help them list, market and sell their own …
The common saying ?location, location, location? is often but not always true. Though location does affect a property’s value, this value can also shift up and down depending on how …
FSBO: Win-Win for Consumers and Attorneys There is value in a diverse new client funnel. Fundamental changes in technology have created new opportunities for lawyers. There may be no better …
As summer approaches, perhaps you’re daydreaming about putting in a swimming pool or buying a property with a backyard pool. That way you can take a dip and cool off …
How to Prepare Your House for Sale The little things can make a big difference Every seller wants her home to sell fast and bring top dollar, but it takes …
The seller’s agent is typically the person who draws up a purchase agreement, but what happens if the home is for sale by owner (FSBO) and the seller isn’t represented …
The Truth about the Uniform Residential Landlord and Tenant Act (URLTA) of 1972 Written on November 4, 2013 byLucas Hall, updated on December 14, 2015 The Uniform Residential Landlord Tenant …
Lollygagging around a real estate transaction can end up killing the deal. Sometimes when you find that perfect house for the perfect price, you need to strike quickly to get …
Want to save money? People have known for a long time that you don’t have to use a real estate agent to buy a home. The 3% commission that the …
By Dennis Rodkin, Crain’s Chicago Business, Aug. 28, 2014 Condominiums have been selling quickly and at good prices in Lakeview this year, so Matt Sulkowski recently decided to see what …
More U.S. households are renting than at any point in 50 years BY ANTHONY CILLUFFO, ABIGAIL GEIGER AND RICHARD FRY A decade after the housing bust upended the lives of …
FSBO is ?down,? but is it really? The 2016 Profile of Home Buyers and Sellers by the National Association of Realtors? (NAR) found that for sale by owner (FSBO) sales …
How to Talk to Your Parents About Assisted Living Share: One of the most asked questions regarding senior care involves “the conversation”…or how to talk with your parents about assisted …
OVERVIEW As charitable entities, private foundations have proven to be incredibly successful engines of positive change. In the 20th century, private foundations helped bring about everything from Sesame Street to …
What is a ‘Living Trust’ A living trust is a type of trust created during a person’s lifetime. It’s designed to allow for the easy transfer of the trust creator …
What is a ‘Probate’ A probate is a legal process in which a will is reviewed to determine whether it is valid and authentic. Probate also refers to the general …
Here are some answers to common questions about handling a tenant’s abandoned property in Kansas. If a tenant leaves property behind, can I dispose of it as I see fit …
EVICTION PROCESS STEPS IN THE EVICTION PROCESS In All cases an attorney should be consulted for additional information. 1. NOTICE TO VACATE ? Written three (3) day notice to vacate, …
So, you think you know everything there is to know about the legal description of your property. If you had to, you could dig up that old plat and calculate …
Simply stated, “constructive eviction” is a landlord’s act or failure to act that substantially interferes with or permanently deprives a tenant from using its leased premises. Constructive eviction relieves tenants …
PAY RENT ONLINE: LIST OF ONLINE RENT PAYMENT TOOLS Simplify your rent collection. Instead of waiting for those checks to come in the mail or going and collecting the rent, …
We all know the potential problems with renting ? rent hikes, strict pet policies and less control over fixtures and paint color choices, to name a few. But beyond the …
A general home inspection is a necessary and common step in the home-buying process. However, there are other potentially important inspections that could affect your home purchase. Usually suggested by …
Being an abstractor, title agent, escrow/closing agent, notary public, or title examiner is a complex responsibility with customers expecting superior performance and error-free results. For example, a loan closer performed …
Communication Considering that nearly 35% of Americans currently reside in approximately 40 million rental units throughout the country it is surprising that so few of us really understand how to …
Comparing commercial real estate to residential real estate is like comparing apples to oranges. Both are from the same genre, but that is where the similarities end. The following are …
If you’ve ever house-hunted, you’ve probably got a sense that real estate purchases don’t represent consumers at their most rational. Did you like a house or apartment more, or less, …
PRICE Homeowners believe they will save the real estate commission by selling on their own, and while that may be true, studies have also show that homeowners net more money …
You recently moved into your new home. Prior to closing, you had an inspection performed and reviewed the Seller Disclosure. However, after the first rain storm you realize there are …
For the majority of U.S. history – or at least as far back as reliable information goes – housing prices have increased only slightly more than the level of inflation …
Missouri Affidavit as to Death of Grantor The Nonprobate Transfers Law of Missouri, Sections 461.003 to 461.081 RSMo (2012) has been in effect since 1989. While the law is specific …
Transactional Real Estate Law January 17, 2013, By Guest Blogger By Troy A. Rule, Associate Professor of Law Almost every successful company needs physical space in which to operate. Consequently, …
In today’s market, with home prices rising and a lack of inventory, some homeowners may consider trying to sell their homes on their own, known in the industry as a …
SOURCE UNKNOWN HTTPS://FSBOMIDWEST.COM FSBO VS. AGENT Have you seen the claim that research shows that real estate agents sell homes for 13% higher prices than people who sell their homes …
Did you know that it matters whether or not a person is married when they are buying or selling a house? In Missouri, married people have marital rights to any …
If you’re shopping for a home, odds are you should be shopping for a home loan as well?and these days, it’s by no means a one-mortgage-fits-all model. Where you live, …
Housing Trends Since 1950: The Difference Will Shock You For the last few years, home buyers have done battle with some challenging housing trends: fewer homes to choose from, rising …
Drafting a mechanic’s lien and ?notice of intent? (?429.100) involves crucial steps that can be harmful to your case if overlooked. Whether you forgot to verify the ?just and true …
The Kansas City Star reported this week that there was a 3.5 month supply of homes for sale in Kansas City, Missouri. This makes the current market a very strong …
