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Feb 7, 2025 | 
arcamax.com | Ilyce Glink |Samuel J. Tamkin |ArcaMax Chef
Reader comment: This isn’t a question, but a comment/suggestion. I read one of your columns on your website talking about taking care of the small stuff when it comes time to list your home for sale. You advise people to get a home inspection before they market their home. And, you suggested that they can make all the repairs to the home before they list it for sale. You also said that you can use the presale inspection as a marketing strategy. I wanted to add to your suggestions.
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Feb 6, 2025 | 
arcamax.com | Ilyce Glink |Samuel J. Tamkin |ArcaMax Chef
Q: The Garn-St. Germain Act prohibits enforcement of a due-on-sale clause in a transfer where the spouse or children of the borrower become an owner of the property. Does the “transfer” mean inherit, or does it also include “sale” where the deceased and the spouse are tenants in common? A: Congress passed the Garn-St. Germain Act back in 1982.
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Jan 31, 2025 | 
arcamax.com | Ilyce Glink |Samuel J. Tamkin |ArcaMax Chef
Q: When I gave my son some money to buy a house, I had to submit a letter to his lender stating that the money I gave him was a gift and not a loan. Why did the lender require that? A: As housing has become more expensive and the newer generations need a larger amount of money for a down payment, homebuyers often seek financial assistance from relatives or friends. Usually it falls on parents or close relatives to help out. We rarely see friends give down payment assistance to other friends.
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Jan 30, 2025 | 
arcamax.com | Ilyce Glink |Samuel J. Tamkin |ArcaMax Chef
Q: I came across one of your articles discussing a fence problem where a neighbor was unhappy about his side of the fence being dirty. You suggested maybe he just clean it, even if his neighbor built the fence entirely on the neighbor’s property. We think that if he cleans it and damages the fence, he could get sued. Just a thought. A: The question you referenced dealt with a fence between two neighbors. The fence was on one property.
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Jan 24, 2025 | 
arcamax.com | Ilyce Glink |Samuel J. Tamkin |ArcaMax Chef
Q: A previous owner owes taxes on the home we purchased. We are trying to refinance our home and we were told that there are taxes owing from 2002. We purchased the home in 2004. Are we responsible for paying these real estate taxes? A: It’s hard to believe that you owe a tax bill from 23 years ago. And, that this didn’t come up when you purchased the home 21 years ago. Still, stranger things have happened.
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Jan 23, 2025 | 
arcamax.com | Ilyce Glink |Samuel J. Tamkin |ArcaMax Chef
Q: I purchased a home for my parents and was named on the mortgage along with them. But, I’m making the payments. My husband and I recently paid the home off but realized that I am not on the deed with the county because they are receiving homestead exemption. Should I be added or create a trust so that I can protect my ownership? What would be the best way to go about this? A: First of all, you need to make sure who owns the home.
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Jan 18, 2025 | 
arcamax.com | Victor Block |ArcaMax Chef
----By Victor BlockA new exhibit at the Denver Museum of Nature & Science is attracting both city residents and visitors interested in seeing one of the most exciting paleontologists' finds in recent years. This is the partial skeleton of a juvenile Tyrannosaurus Rex, a dinosaur which experts tell us lived about 67 million years ago and showed up in the rugged terrain of the North Dakota Badlands.
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Jan 17, 2025 | 
arcamax.com | Ilyce Glink |Samuel J. Tamkin |ArcaMax Chef
Q: I created a trust so my three kids won’t have to deal with probate when I die, as I did with my parents’ home. How do I get my mortgaged home into the trust, or does it need to be? A: We think you’ve made a good decision, one that your kids will thank you for down the line. The biggest mistake people make with trusts is they never do anything with them.
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Jan 16, 2025 | 
arcamax.com | Ilyce Glink |Samuel J. Tamkin |ArcaMax Chef
Q: I was divorced back in 1999, My ex-husband kept the property we bought together. I did not get a cent from it. I don’t remember signing off when he sold the property. I read that I should’ve signed a special warranty deed in front of a notary, which I didn’t. I’m still named in the paperwork for the release of the lien. I signed that, but still didn’t get any money. What can I do about that now? A: Wow. It’s no small feat trying to turn the clock back 25 years.
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Jan 12, 2025 | 
arcamax.com | Victor Block |ArcaMax Chef
----By Victor BlockErik and Ingrid Olson were excited to be exploring their family's Norwegian heritage. They were visiting a late-19th-century village and checking out log homes, a Lutheran church, a one-room schoolhouse and other traditional structures. A museum added to their immersion in local lore with collections of documents, history books and artifacts.
