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If you sold your house ten years ago, you were selling to a different market.  Many of today’s buyers are first-time homeowners who have just gotten married or graduated from college.  They’re in their twenties, so they’re part of a younger generation that is looking for very specific features in a home.  If you’ve recently put your home on the market and found that it’s not getting a lot of traction, it may not be your realtor’s fault—it may be that your home is lacking some of the features that […]

When you purchase a home, the actual piece of paper that says you own that property and everything on it is the deed.  Without the deed, or without clear title to the land, it’s possible someone else can make a claim on your property, which is why you’ll most likely see something called title insurance on your closing paperwork. A title examination is crucial to ensure that you’ll get a legitimate deed or title that basically says anyone else’s claim to the land is null and void. There are four […]

Unfortunately, there are real estate agents, lenders and others involved in the process of purchasing a home that may discriminate against you because you are gay or lesbian. Some examples include agents charging you a higher commission, or refusing to allow you to make an offer on a particular home that you are interested in, possibly steering you away from certain neighborhoods, and/or inflating the asking prices of homes. Mortgage lenders may discriminate by refusing to give you a loan, or charging higher interest rates than it would heterosexual people […]

Gay couples that live in states that do not recognize same sex marriages have unique concerns when it comes to estate issues and real estate. Below are some legal avenues that you can use to protect your gay partner and ensure your assets are distributed according to your wishes. Wills Wills are important estate planning documents that allow you to distribute your assets according to your wishes upon your death. If you do not create a will, your estate will be distributed according to the intestate laws of the state […]

Going to an open house is a great way of seeing a property, but there’s more you can learn than just how large the house is.  In fact, some people go to open houses for properties they have absolutely no desire to own.  Why?  There are a number of facts they can learn about a neighborhood from going to an open house and asking the right questions.  Here are a few things you may want to ask the real estate agent. Why are the owners selling?  You’re most likely not […]

The forms of co-ownership available to unmarried LGBT couples include joint tenancy and tenancy in common. Note that while tenancy by the entirety is a common designation, it is only available to married couples. When you put both your names on a deed, you must designate the form of co-ownership that is best for both of you. Joint tenancy automatically gives ownership of the property to the surviving partner when one of you dies. In some community property states including California, the term ‘with right of survivorship’ must be added […]

Many people will tell you not to buy a house until you find the perfect one.  You don’t want to make a commitment to a mortgage payment if it’s not for the home you really, really want.  But a lot of people, especially first time buyers, get so overwhelmed by looking at properties that they become paralyzed, unable to make a decision.  One of the first steps to helping these buyers narrow down their choices is to tell them to forget about finding the perfect house at first.  Instead, narrow […]

You are not legally required to do anything with the mortgage and home that your partner owns when you get married. However, if legal arrangements are not made, you may not have a right to inherit the home if your spouse dies. If your name is not on the deed and no will has been made, his home will be inherited according to intestacy laws in the state that you live in. For example, since same sex marriages are not legal in Colorado, the spouse cannot inherit. In New Mexico, […]