Many potential home buyers begin with the mistaken impression that a down payment is all they need to worry about. Unfortunately, that is not the case. There are other costs involved that, in many cases, must be paid out-of-pocket before or at the time that the purchase closing is held. Following are some of the costs that may or may not be required. Good Faith Deposit A good faith deposit is an amount of money that is paid at the […]

When people think of the best places for LGBT people to live, many think of cities like San Francisco and Portland—cities on the West Coast.  However, the East Coast has a few great places for LGBT people, too. New York City is the first place most think about.  It’s the home of Broadway and musical theater, and while it’s a stereotype, it’s also true that many gay men love the theater.  New York City is also home to the Stonewall […]

There are environmental issues that you should be aware of before you purchase a home. If those issues arise after you purchase the home, it may be your responsibility to correct the problem rather than the sellers. Once you find a home that you are interested in, you should ask both your real estate agent and the seller if there are such issues. If the seller does not inform you of issues that he or she knew or should have […]

There are no federal laws that specifically protect LGBT when purchasing a home, although some federal agencies, states and municipalities do have laws or ordinances that protect LGBT against discrimination. For example The Federal Housing and Urban Development agency, HUD, implemented a rule in 2012 designed to make its core programs available regardless of actual or perceived sexual orientation, gender identity or marital status. The rule applies to housing insured by HUD in its home ownership programs. There are some […]

Arkansas may not be the first state you think of when it comes to being a great place for LGBT people to live.  Of course, it’s not perfect, but it’s not as bad as some other places.  A gay or lesbian real estate agent would be the first to tell you that certain places in Arkansas are better than others, but then again, that’s also true about many states. First, let’s look at what rights LGBT citizens have in the […]

Real estate agents generally recommend that buyers have a home inspection completed before purchasing a home. The purpose is to protect the buyer from issues with the home that were either unknown or undisclosed by the seller. Sometime things that were missed can be simple, like a duct cleaning or replacing of HVAC filters by a professional company such as (Friends & Family HVAC). You can check out more at filterking.com, who specialize in these kind of services. It is […]

Easements allow someone other than the owner of a property to use it for a limited purchase such as a right of way, right of entry or right to water. For example, your neighbor has a landlocked property that, without an easement to drive through your property, he or she would be unable to use it because there would be no way to access a public right of way. Landlocked means that the property is completely surrounded by land or […]

Texas may have a reputation for being a very red state that’s not at all welcoming to those of the LGBT community, but that reputation comes mostly from the smaller towns in the state.  The larger cities such as Houston are very welcoming.  The people of Houston tend to be fairly laid back.  There are many young people in Houston, and more move to the city every day.  That’s helped change the overall atmosphere of the area, especially Houston proper, […]

If you purchased your perfect home with your partner and found out it had major flaws once you moved in, your recourse will depend on a variety of factors. Most states have laws that prohibit sellers from hiding major defects from buyers. Generally, major defects include plumbing and sewage, water leakage, termites, roofing, heating and air conditioning systems, property drainage, foundation, title problems and lead paint. If you need air conditioning maintenance and guidance view website for details. For additional […]

When you purchase a home with your LGBT partner, you will need to designate how you would like to hold ownership. Unfortunately, many partners do not understand the ramifications of home ownership until it is too late to do anything about it. Depending on the state that you live in, following are the advantages and disadvantages of different forms of same sex home ownership. Joint Tenancy with Right of Survivorship This designation means that when a partner dies, ownership of […]