All Forum Posts by: Stephen Bell

I'm a little confused so correct me if I'm wrong here. You signed a contract with an agent to sell your house, I'm assuming this is a flip, so selling your property as quickly as possible is one of the most important things. So, your agent sold your house in less than a week and now you don't want to pay the commission because it was quick?

You can do a FHA loan for owner occupied for anything under 4 units. More importantly than your real estate agent, talk to your lender about this but I'm sure they will agree with me. FHA is only 3.5% down so it is a huge difference.

I would agree the tenant holds all of the power now. Either way, this is going to cost some money to get out of by way of; cash for keys, attorneys fees, or town fines. If it was me, I would pay the tenant whatever it took to get them out. Then try to make the apartment legal and then rent it out only after it is legal so you can avoid this in the future.

As an agent, your first and foremost responsibility is to your buyer, NOT your commission. While we all love the commissions, you owe your fidicuary duties to your client. If a home matches their criteria, you need to present it to them and see if they want a showing. As a buyer agent, are you going to eliminate a perfect home for your buyers just so you can get a .05% increase, selling them a home they are only "okay" with? It is not good business practice, or ethical to put your needs above your buyers.

This is a very common issue when purchasing property. Any kind of govt loan will require a maintenance agreement for the care and up keep of the road. They are actually very simple (about a 3 page document), just have an attorney draft the maintenance agreement as you and the neighbor sharing 50/50 responsibility and cost of the upkeep and that will satisfy the VA requirement.

@George P. actually, I have done crown molding for my house. It is sometimes easier to do a bevel cut on a 16ft piece of trim if I don't have someone holding the other side as well. For me, my saw is perfect and it was reasonably priced for my needs, only $100 more than a harbor freight one, and has a lot more capabilities and versatility. I also lend it (to my close friends) and they enjoy it. If something works better for you then go for it. This forum was asking for opinions so I gave mine.

I am an avid DIYer and I recently (1 year ago) purchased a hitcahi 12" double bevel miter saw from lowes. It the green one and it is very heavy (12" blade) I try not to move it often once its on the stand at location but the saw is excellent. It has power and control and is very affordable in my opinion, I bought it for $199. Look up the reviews on Lowes and you'll see how happy people are with it. P.s. It's time to put the hand saw behind you.

That sounds like a great undertaking and something to be proud of once finished, I just have one question and maybe I am being foolish here, what is the liability of having a fireplace? Do the pro's outweight the con's?

If you are spending 500-1000 a month in water and sewer then something is seriously wrong. I live south of you (in CT) and my property is a three family property with 7 people living in it. My water bills are usually 50$ a month and my sewer is about 125$ every quarter. No one should be paying the equivilent of a mortgage payment in water. For only two people too!

Ha! Absolutely not! You do not owe the 13k in damages for the termites. If you genuinely had no idea about termites you should be fine. The buyer elected to not spend the $100 to do a termite inspection most likely because they were being cheap. If she even takes you to court it will get thrown out because she had every opportunity to do a termite inspection and elected not to under her own free will. She is trying to go back and double dip when it suits her.