All About The Earnest Money Deposit Dear Phyllis, Your column is one of the first things I look for in the CV Weekly. I know real estate has changed since I purchased my home. However, I didn’t realize it had changed so much. My daughter had her townhome in escrow. The buyers inspected and everything […]
Ask Phyllis! Requirements For Disclosing Violent Death Dear Phyllis, My daughter has a home in Valley Glen, which she purchased nearly five years ago. It was disclosed to her that the former owner had committed suicide, and that’s why the home was being sold. The real estate agent that represented her has told […]
Keys at Closing Dear Phyllis, My son just closed escrow on a home in Valley Village. The seller had passed away, so the trustee was responsible for everything. Although the market has cooled, my son paid $12,000 over the asking price. It was an “as is” sale, and there were numerous issues with this nearly […]
Selling a Haunted House Dear Phyllis, My daughter attended college in Texas, and we decided to purchase a home instead of her renting. It was one of the oldest houses in the neighborhood. Financially it was a good move. Here goes: My daughter and her roommates decided the house was haunted. They made a running […]
Realtor’s Long Vacation Dear Phyllis, I used to really look forward to your real estate question and answers. However, much of it seems repetitive. I have a new topic for you which I think your readers will find interesting. My son has been working with a family friend with a real estate license who is […]
How To Get A Date of Death Valuation Dear Phyllis, I am the trustee of my brother’s estate. The trust attorney’s secretary told me that I need a date of death valuation for his Eagle Rock home for tax purposes. Each time I talk to the attorney, it is $500, so I hope you can […]
Dear Phyllis, I have been enjoying your real estate questions and answers for years and I think I have a new situation for you. The neighbor to the west of me and I share a wood fence, which is very old and falling down in several areas. Not knowing that I was going to move, […]
Rats Found During the Inspection Dear Phyllis, We were in escrow and during the inspection, a rat jumped out of the bedroom into the kitchen and seemed to hide there, perhaps under one of the appliances. As you can imagine, this was quite a shock and we left for the remainder of the inspection. In […]
Why Is An Open House Important? Dear Phyllis, My daughter has her Arizona home listed for sale. She didn’t want an open house due to security reasons. In addition, she did not want all of the neighbors coming through. But her Realtor insisted and did agree to have another Realtor there with her for added […]
Ask Phyllis! Trustee Not Acting As A Fiduciary? Dear Phyllis, My aunt never had children, and her trust named her five nieces and nephews as beneficiaries. The eldest nephew was the trustee. Her home was on a flag lot, and the trustee lived next door. There was poor communication from the trustee from […]