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In order to take advantage of the up-to-$500,000 exclusion of gain (or up-to-$250,000 if you file a tax return as a single taxpayer) the house you sell has to be your “principal residence”. Under most circumstances, we do not need a legal definition of this concept. “This is my house, and I have lived here […]

Question. My wife and I are retired and are in our seventies. We have two children, and our house is currently worth approximately $300,000. We purchased the property many years ago for $32,000, and currently have a very small mortgage and a $40,000 home equity loan. We are debating on whether to sell the house […]

Are Millions Of Boomerang Buyers About To Ignite The Real Estate Market? Houston Prime Realty Remember all those people who defaulted on their homes during the last housing crisis? Well, those bankruptcies are about to be discharged, or they already have been, and that means we could soon see an avalanche of homebuyers hitting the […]

Congress is currently talking tax reform. Two very important real estate benefits are on the so-called “chopping block”, either to be completely eliminated or significantly curtailed. It is doubtful that the home owner exclusion of up to $500,000 (or $250,000 if you file a single tax return) of profit will be impacted; there are too […]

Question: The contract I just signed to purchaser a house contained the following language: “If the buyer defaults, the earnest money will be forfeited to the seller. This is to be considered liquidated damages and not as a penalty”. Can you please explain what this means? Beth.Answer: Shame on you, Beth, for signing a contract […]