Personal Finance and Money Stack Exchange
Personal Finance and Money Stack Exchange

Questions tagged [real-estate]

A tag for questions on real estate or property.

  • This tag should be used for questions about real estate and property.

  • Real estate is defined as the land and any permanent structures, like a home, or improvements attached to the land: whether natural or artificial.

  • Read more about this on Wikipedia.

1168 questions
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Is it true that real estate prices mainly go up?

My father once told me that real estate was a good business because the population is always going up, therefore more housing is needed, and the space on earth remains the same, so house/apartment prices go up. Is this true? Edit: Maybe population…
SushiCraft 99
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Why do some small-time real-estate owners struggle while others thrive?

This is something about this field I'm trying to understand. Whenever I talk to a regular person who managed to save up and buy an apartment building or a duplex or something like that for rental income, they always say it's a lot of trouble and…
temporary_user_name
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What is the point of "earnest money"?

My wife and I are in the process of buying a house. We recently found a place we liked and had our real estate agent make an offer. The offer contract he drew up said that we put a certain amount of money in escrow as "earnest money," which makes…
Mason Wheeler
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When buying a house in California, can you amend the contract after signing it?

I live in the UK, but am trying to purchase a property in Indio California. My realtor says that I need to submit a contract for the property with my offer price ASAP as there is another buyer interested. The contract he has given me is the…
fluffykittycute
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3 answers

What should I pay buyer's realtor when selling without an agent?

I'm planning on selling my house FSBO. I live in a very seller-friendly market in West Michigan. I have not listed my house yet and already some people have found out (through word of mouth) that I'm planning on selling and expressed interest. Two…
PICyourBrain
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4 answers

Rental Property: What is considered decent cash flow? (with example)

I'm looking into buying my first rental property in Syracuse, NY. I'm looking at this one: http://www.zillow.com/homedetails/317-Wellesley-Rd-Syracuse-NY-13207/31678383_zpid/ The current list price is $95,000. With closing costs, that'll be…
bigpotato
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What argument(s) support the claim that long-term housing prices trend upward?

The eminently useful New York Times Buy or Rent calculator assumes a 3% average annual rise in home prices. Curious whether that value made sense, I did some research and came across the views of Robert Shiller, creator of the Case-Shiller index for…
Logical Fallacy
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Do building owners own 100% of the building?

For example, a company owns a tower in NYC. In this tower there are several apartments that are sold to the public. If people end up buying these apartments, does the company now have less ownership of the building? What happens when the building is…
Source Code
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4 answers

Is there any truth to the saying '99% of the world's millionaires have become rich by doing real estate'?

What is the truth behind the saying '99% of the world's millionaires have become rich by doing real estate'? Do you know the original source of the statement?
Victor123
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How much should I trust seller's expense and revenue data in evaluating multifamily real estate investment?

I am learning about investing in multifamily real estate (apartments). I understand some of the key figures for evaluating multifamily properties, such as CAP rate and cash-on-cash returns. All of these calculations rely on historical revenue and…
Pat
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What does "24Hrs Is A Must" Mean on a Real Estate Listing?

I recently read the following real estate listing: Beautiful Improved Home Comes Finished With Basement Apartment And Separate Entrance. Upgrades Include Granite, New Shutters, And Parquet Floor Throughout. Property Is Tenanted - 24Hrs Is A…
Code Whisperer
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4 answers

Is it better to rent out the less equity I have?

Suppose I have a property with a certain amount of equity, with the rest on a mortgage, and I want to know if I should sell it or rent it out. I can think of three scenarios. I'm not considering valuation, devaluation, taxes or fixed costs (closing,…
Panda Pajama
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3 answers

Two siblings own home with mortgage. What is fair for both parties?

Two siblings own a home with mortgage. What is fair for both parties? Should the sibling in the home pay the entire mortgage including HOA, property taxes, and insurance? Or should there a be a % split by the siblings so one sibling in the home pays…
Paul Amorillo
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2 answers

Purchasing a home using collateral

I am inheriting 50% of a home (entirely paid off) appraised at $60,000 and am wanting to purchase a home for about $75,000. Can I use the first home as collateral to purchase the second home or to use it as the down-payment for the second home…
Ashash
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What are the pros and cons of buying a house using an FHA loan?

My wife and I are considering buying a house. Recently a friend told us they put down a really small amount to buy a house. We found out later that it was through the FHA. I'm a freelancer and my wife has a fulltime job. Like most freelancers, I try…
milesmeow
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