Buying a Home - Houseopedia, LLC

You Must Get This Right: Calculating Square Footage of a Home

Knowing the square footage of your home or one you may buy is crucial. Square footage is the baseline metric...

Should You Wait Until Interest Rates Drop to Buy a House?

Today’s mortgage interest rates are a good bit higher than those of a few years ago, and that’s keeping many...

How to Deal With Unpermitted Renovations

When you are buying a home, it’s important to determine whether any renovations or remodeling projects were properly permitted. It’s...

Yours, Mine and Ours: Combining Furnishings With Your Partner

You’ve found your soulmate, and the two of you are moving in together. There’s just one problem: You and your...

Protecting Your Home From Dangerous Radon Gas

Radon is a naturally occurring, colorless, odorless gas that is the second-leading cause of lung cancer. The gas is everywhere,...

Country Life Brings Star-Filled Skies

Working remotely has allowed some homeowners to leave city life behind and move to the quiet country. One of the...

Will a Nearby Wind Farm Blow Away Your Property Value?

Today, huge wind farms are spreading across parts of America. How does having a wind farm next to your property...

Are You Buying a Meth House?

People who would never use drugs can inadvertently purchase a home where methamphetamine was produced. Meth production leaves behind a...

Don’t Rely on Technology Alone When Buying or Selling a Home

Advancing technology has transformed home shopping. More than 80 percent of prospective buyers begin their home search online. A consumer...

Can They Do That? Taking Property Under Eminent Domain

It comes as a severe shock to a real estate owner when a government agency takes his property from him...

Is It a Good Idea to Buy a House With a Friend?

A growing trend with younger generations is friends buying a house together. It’s easier to buy a home if someone...

Do Your Due Diligence When Buying a Condo

If you’re thinking of buying a condo, the condition of the building and its finances will have a direct impact...

What the Home Inspector Doesn’t Find

Contracting with a professional home inspector is one of the most important things a buyer can do in the run-up...

Renovating or Buying a New Home: Which Makes the Most Sense For You?

You’ve lived in your current home long enough to desire an updated kitchen or bathroom, a home office, or an...

Is a Buy Offer Expiration Date Effective?

The current real estate market is white-hot, with many homes selling in a single day after a bidding war. A...

What is an Active Option Contract?

Real estate sales contracts in Texas and several other states include a provision known as the active option. Also known...

Making an Offer to Buy a House: What You Need to Know

The residential real estate market has been red hot across the country. Prices have pushed skyward as sellers receive multiple...

Should You Bid on a House Using an Escalation Clause?

The current short supply of available homes coupled with low-interest rates has led to competitive bidding wars over properties. This...

Why Is Title Insurance Important?

When you close on the purchase of a new home, you’ll be issued a title insurance policy. What is title...

Gorgeous Choices in Appliance Finishes

When you’re searching for appliances for a new or remodeled kitchen, today you’ll find an array of new textures and...

How to Buy a House Before You Sell

Across the country, a shortage of houses for sale coupled with strong demand has led to homes selling mere days...

What Does it Mean to Have Clear Title?

Having clear title to a property is a crucial part of any transaction between buyers and sellers. What does it...

Do You Need a Real Estate Attorney to Buy or Sell a Home?

When you are buying or selling a home, do you need a real estate attorney to help with the transaction?...

Competing Against an All-Cash Buyer

We’ve all heard the saying that “cash is king.” That’s especially true in real estate, where cash deals are super-attractive...

HUD Foreclosure Homes: A Buyer Opportunity

Buyers can get real bargains by buying foreclosed homes from the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). Educate and...

Buying a House with Your Significant Other

Sometimes unmarried couples want to buy a house together. Homeownership is a great goal, but before you take the plunge...

Buying a Home For the Short Term: Does It Make Sense?

How long do you need to own a home before you can sell it profitably? The answer depends on your...

Begin Investing in Real Estate by House Hacking

Many people have built financial security by investing in real estate, but finding start-up capital can be challenging. House hacking...

Think Outside the Box with a Shipping Container Home

Shipping containers revolutionized the transportation of goods around the world, making commercial transport more efficient and cost-effective. Now shipping containers...

Plan Ahead to Avoid Home Buyer’s Remorse

A home purchase is the biggest investment most people ever make, so it’s particularly unfortunate when a homeowner runs into...

Do You Need a Structural Engineer When You Buy a House?

Structural engineers assist homebuilders in making sure residences are strongly and safely designed and constructed. They are trained to determine...

Turning Your Home into a Bed-and-Breakfast

You may have stayed at a bed-and-breakfast so charming that you’re thinking you might like to own and run one...

Don’t Overlook Homeowners Insurance

When figuring how much house they can afford, homebuyers with little or no experience may focus solely on the principal...

When Should You Make a Backup Offer?

If you’ve been shopping for a new home in a hot seller’s market, you may know the frustration of having...

Understanding Pest Control Contracts

Pest control contracts can be perplexing to new homeowners. Don’t let confusion about these agreements bug you. We’re here to...

FAQs for First-Time Home Buyers

You’re ready to take the plunge and buy your first house. It’s exciting, but you’ve got lots of questions. Here...

Should You Buy a Home Sight Unseen?

Online real estate marketplaces are amazing tools for sellers and buyers alike. But if you’re a buyer, should you make...

How to Take Care of Your New Refrigerator

Properly maintaining your new refrigerator is one way to help keep your family healthy and extend the life of your...

Golden Sunset: Seven Considerations for Where to Retire

Each day another 10,000 baby boomers enter retirement and face choices about where to spend their golden years. There’s a...

When to Call A Home Inspection Specialist

Having a home inspection is an integral part of buying a house. But a basic inspection can tell you only...

Settling Into a New Community

Moving to a new house creates a long “to do” list and no small amount of stress. If the house...

Keep or Trash Appliance Manuals?

Most people today are trying to eliminate paper clutter from their lives. So is it really necessary to keep instruction...

A New Headquarters in Town: Help or Hindrance to Home Ownership?

Large corporations frequently relocate their headquarters to new cities. How will that affect you as a home buyer or seller?...

How a Home Offer Letter Might Seal the Deal

You’ve found the home you love, but the market is competitive, and other buyers are vying for this same house....

Buying or Selling a Home With Unpermitted Space

Selling or buying a home where construction was done without required building permits can be a prickly problem that is...

The Nightmare Cybercrime Targeting Home Buyers

Cybercriminals are now targeting home buyers by stealing their down payments electronically. The schemes look legit but can kill a...

7 Benefits of Working With a Real Estate Agent

Working with a real estate agent when buying a home will save you both time and money. The more complicated...

Checklist for Getting Started In Your New Home

Closing on a new home may feel like reaching the finish line. But before you kick back and relax, take...

Should You Buy a House Before Selling Yours?

If you’re in the market for a new home, should you buy a house before selling your current home? That’s...

Keep These Closing Documents When You Buy a Home

When you close on the purchase of a house, it seems the stream of documents will never end. Closings can...

Top 4 Things a First-time Home Buyer Should Consider

Buying a home for the first time often constitutes a long-awaited dream. After completing a little bit of financial prep...

What NOT to Do: Mistakes to Avoid When Buying a Home

Buying a home is an exciting process requiring lots of decisions. What common mistakes do people make, and how can...

How Long Until I Can Move In to a New Home?

When shopping for a home, you have three options: choose an existing house, buy a tract home or build a...

Moving in With Your Parents — And Their Parents

A growing national trend finds multiple generations of a family living together in one house. Far from a new fad,...

Boomers and Millennials—Odd Couples in Housing

Baby boomers and millennials may not like the same clothing or music, but they’re finding common ground when it comes...

Buyer Beware of a Bidding War

A hot real estate market is generally great news, signifying a thriving economy and an attractive place to live. But...

What Home Buyers Need to Know About Underground Storage Tanks

When considering the purchase of a home or land with an underground storage tank on site, prospective buyers should proceed...

Should You Buy a Home In a Sellers Market?

Even in a so-called sellers market, it can still be a good time to purchase a home. Here’s why. Are...

Tax Benefits of Homeownership

For most people, their home is their biggest investment -- and their biggest tax benefits. As always, it’s best to...

What to Expect When Hiring a Closing Attorney

A house purchase is often the first time most people find themselves in need of an attorney. Your real estate...

Public Information About You and Your Home

When you buy or sell a home, the transaction is recorded by local government offices. The basic information is open...

Home Repairs: How to Negotiate to Close a Deal

Home repair issues that show up on an inspection report are up for negotiation. It’s up to the buyers and...

7 Must-Dos on Move-in Day

If ever there was a day requiring a detailed checklist, it’s Moving Day. Here’s a life-saving list to get you...

Taking a Hard Look at Your Hardwood Floors

Hardwood floors add warmth and depth to your home, and they certainly repel dirt and stains much easier than carpet,...

What Prospective Home Buyers Need to Know About Septic Systems

Don’t let a home’s septic system talk you out of making an offer. But it is important to proceed with...

Do-It-Yourself Packing and Moving

With a little planning, the right materials and the help of some strong volunteers, packing up and moving your household...

Water Rights for Property Owners

Property owners with water geographically connected to their land need to know their legal rights. The water could be a...

Is Your House Sitting on a Goldmine? And If So, Who Owns It?

In the classic 1960s sitcom, “The Beverly Hillbillies,” Jed Clampett became a millionaire when he fired his gun into the...

Don’t Cut Corners When Figuring Square Footage

Since square footage is directly related to the price of a home, it’s no wonder that buyers zero in on...

Demystifying Your Real Estate Contract

Buying a home will likely be the biggest investment you ever make. So it makes sense to take the time...

Do High Power Lines Endanger Our Health?

As technology has grown and land has become more scarce, more and more subdivisions are being built near high tension...

What Happens When a Buyer Cancels a Sales Contract?

It’s awkward when you’ve signed a contract to buy a house and then discover that you can’t go through with...

Hosting the Holidays in Your New Home

There’s no better way to start making memories in your new home than to host a holiday celebration. But when...

Real Estate 101: What is a Property Deed?

One of the documents central to the purchase of real estate is the deed, the legal instrument by which title...

Let’s Make a Deal: Buyer Strategies

You don’t need to be a steely eyed negotiator to get a good deal on a house, but it helps...

What’s the Best Way to Calculate a Successful Offer

It’s perfect! After lots of home shopping you’ve found the house you want. Now it’s time to make an offer....

Don’t Delay When It Comes to Home Inspections

You’ve found a house you love, made an offer and have a signed contract in hand. Now the clock is...

Brush Up on Your Legal Terminology to Secure Your Property Rights

When you buy a home you may expect that you have complete freedom to do what you want with the...

The Importance of Property Surveys

An accurate survey is a crucial step in your home-buying process, making sure you don’t encroach on a neighbor’s property...

The Tale of Two Contracts: Builder Versus Resale

When purchasing a new home from a builder, prospective buyers need to know that contract negotiations are a bit different...

New Home Walk Through: What You Need to Know

After months of watching your new home being built, it’s time for the “walk through” with your builder. This is...

Home Inspection: A Buyer’s Perspective

After weeks of home shopping, you’ve found a house and signed a contract to purchase. Then the inspector finds problems...

Does Your Home Have Asbestos? If the Answer is Yes, Don’t Panic

If you buy a home built before 1978, there’s a possibility asbestos may lurk in the building materials. Houses built...

Word of Caution: Check Older Homes for Environmental Hazards

Homes built before 1990 are considered “older” by today’s standards, and those built before 1920 are considered vintage or “heritage.”...

A Quick Lesson on Insurance for New Homeowners

Up until you buy your first home, your experience with insurance may be limited to auto, life and health coverage...

How to Win a Bidding War on a House

If you live in an area where homes are selling for asking price or more, you could find yourself in...

Real Estate 101: What Does a Title Company Do?

One of the biggest players in any real estate transaction is the title company. The title company serves multiple roles,...

Homeowners Associations: Love ‘em or Hate ‘em?

Homeowners associations provoke strong emotions. Depending on who you ask, they are viewed as either the neighborhood’s protector of home...