As large number of loans come due, those underwater face refi dilemmaJack GuttentagInman News® A balloon mortgage is one on which the outstanding balance is due at some point before amortization has paid off the balance in full. Aside from the repayment obligation, balloon loans are identical to standard fixed-rate mortgages (FRMs). For example, if [...]

Mood of the MarketTara-Nicholle NelsonInman News® I was one of those kids who was mortally embarrassed by my parents. (I later realized that their fashion choices were not bizarre — they were just ’70s chic held over a tad bit too long.) My mother seemed always to gravitate to the yellow ‘sale’ signs on top [...]

Studies: Minorities more likely to get subprime loans, end up in foreclosureSteve BergsmanInman News® I was scanning two recent studies of the U.S. housing market that focused on what some might call "vulnerable communities" or "vulnerable population groups," and at first I wasn’t discerning any real surprises, but after closer scrutiny I came to realize [...]

Illusion of abundance makes us oblivious to wasteArrol GellnerInman News® We Americans have many good traits, but our astonishing proclivity to waste is not among them. The strange thing is, I don’t think that a single one of us intentionally sets out to be wasteful — it’s just that we don’t seem to give it [...]

Fogged-up glass a red flagPaul BianchinaInman News® It’s winter, and the temperatures are dropping outside. One day you’re warming up your home and suddenly you notice something that you hadn’t seen during the summer. That perfectly clear window in the living room or the kitchen or somewhere else in the house suddenly looks foggy. You [...]

Rent it RightJanet PortmanInman News® Q: We are subtenants who have just found out that the landlord is evicting our "landlord," the original tenant, for illegal subletting. Apparently, the original tenant didn’t ask permission to sublet his place, which he was required to do. Where does this leave my daughter and me? –James C. A: [...]

REThink Real EstateTara-Nicholle NelsonInman News® Q: As a buyer, if I make a deal to buy a house contingent on the sale of my house, but my house doesn’t sell, do I get my deposit back? A: Rarely do I get the chance to give a short, yet accurate, answer to a real estate question, [...]

Owner stuck with problem tenants until lease expiresRobert GriswoldInman News® Q: We have short-term renters in our vacation unit in Palm Springs, Calif. They rented for one month with the option to extend for two more. As soon as they moved in, they began providing lists of what they considered was wrong with the unit. [...]

Playing by the 5-year ruleTom KellyInman News® The lackluster housing market has many investors looking for bargain properties, sometimes in bunches. Buyers are getting more creative about funding their purchases, rethinking the role of real estate not only for their portfolios but also for their residences. In a recent example, an older couple sold their [...]

Beware of dry rot, moisture issuesBill and Kevin BurnettInman News® Q: We have a ranch home in the San Francisco Bay Area and over the years we’ve replaced some of the exterior siding with plywood. When we did this work, waterproof paper was installed beneath the plywood. The exterior paint is about 8 years old [...]