Property & Housing
Buying, renting, developing, and disputing real property.
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Property & Housing
Home Equity Loans and HELOCs: Draw Periods, Freezes, and Rescission Rights
Two moments blindside home equity borrowers: the notice that says the line is frozen, and the month the draw period ends and the payment jumps. Here is the law behind both.
8 min readExplainer -
Property & Housing
Property Tax Exemptions and Homestead Relief: Who Qualifies and How to Apply
County assessors do not hand out property tax exemptions on their own. Here is what the main relief programs actually do, who they tend to cover, and how the filing and appeal windows work.
8 min readGuide -
Property & Housing
Accessory Dwelling Units: Permits, Setbacks, and Rental Restrictions
State law has pushed cities to allow accessory dwelling units, but zoning approval, building permits and recorded covenants are three separate hurdles that fail for different reasons.
8 min readExplainer -
Property & Housing
Phase I Environmental Site Assessments in Commercial Transactions
A Phase I report is not a formality. It is the record that supports a buyer's statutory defense to Superfund liability, and it only works if it is completed before the property changes hands.
8 min readGuide -
Property & Housing
Homeowners Association Assessments, Liens, and Enforcement
A modest unpaid balance can become a lien, then a judgment, then a foreclosure. Understanding where the duty to pay comes from is what tells an owner which step can still be contested.
8 min readExplainer -
Property & Housing
Adverse Possession and Prescriptive Rights: Elements and Proof
A misplaced fence can quietly turn into a legal claim. Here are the elements every state asks for, the sharp difference between owning land and merely having a right to cross it, and the proof courts expect.
8 min readAnalysis -
Property & Housing
Buying a Home in a Flood Zone: Disclosure, Insurance, and Elevation
Seller disclosure of past flooding is a state-by-state lottery, and the federal insurance mandate turns on a map. Here is what to confirm before the inspection period closes.
8 min readGuide -
Property & Housing
Manufactured Housing: Titles, Land, and Community Rent Rules
A manufactured home, the land under it, and the piece of paper that proves ownership are three separate things. Almost every problem owners run into traces back to that split.
8 min readExplainer -
Property & Housing
Renters Insurance and Damage Claims: Who Pays After a Loss
The landlord's policy covers the building and a renters policy covers the tenant's side. What happens when a tenant causes the loss is a genuine state-by-state split.
8 min readGuide -
Property & Housing
Reverse Mortgages: Occupancy Rules, Heirs, and Foreclosure Risk
Most reverse mortgage foreclosures start with an unpaid tax bill or an extended hospital stay, not with a borrower who lived too long. The occupancy and upkeep duties are the whole story.
8 min readAnalysis -
Property & Housing
Condominium Reserve Studies and Special Assessments
Every condominium buyer asks the same question: will I be handed a four-figure bill after closing? The reserve study answers it better than any disclosure form does.
8 min readGuide
