All Stories
Ask a real estate pro: Am I responsible for water damage caused by tenant?
A reader asks real estate lawyer Gary Singer: My tenant added a water filter to the plumbing, resulting in a leak that damaged the neighbor's property. Who should pay for...
Ask a real estate pro: How can I structure buying a home while keeping my inheritance value outside of our marital property?
A reader asks real estate lawyer Gary Singer: How can I structure a home purchase using my inheritance and a mortgage with my wife while keeping the inheritance outside of...
Ask a real estate pro: ‘Unpermitted structure’ derailed home repair grant. What do I do now?
A reader asks real estate lawyer Gary Singer: The city says the enclosed patio on the house I bought two years ago is an "unpermitted structure" that must be removed...
Ask a real estate pro: After 12 years, can I be fined for a code violation?
A reader asks real estate lawyer Gary Singer: Can the city enforce a fine for code violation issued 12 years after construction?
Ask a real estate pro: What’s the financial liability for neighbor’s dead tree?
A reader asks real estate lawyer Gary Singer: My neighbor's dead tree could fall on my house. How would the financial liability play out between us, them, and our respective...
Ask a real estate pro: Seller died days before closing. What can we do next?
A reader asks real estate lawyer Gary Singer: Shortly before the scheduled closing on our new home, one of the sellers died unexpectedly. What can we do next?
Ask a real estate pro: What do I need to know before making final mortgage payment?
A reader asks real estate lawyer Gary Singer: What advice can you offer on making a final mortgage payment, good procedures to follow, and if there’s a simple, inexpensive way...
Ask a real estate pro: Do I have to pay to repair shared wall in a duplex?
A reader asks real estate lawyer Gary Singer: A leak from a roof drain needs to be repaired in the wall between the two homes in our duplex. Do I...
Ask a real estate pro: Can HOA change rules about paint color for our house?
A reader asks real estate lawyer Gary Singer: Can the HOA force us to change the color of our house after approving it?
Ask a real estate pro: Do we have to give back deposit after buyer couldn’t get financing?
A reader asks real estate lawyer Gary Singer: Our buyer couldn't get financing for the purchase and canceled the contract. Do we have to return the deposit?