Dear Monty: I have two brothers, Bill and Jerry. Bill and Jerry purchased a property together in October 2016. Bill, with his wife, also bought a property in September 2019. Jerry and I are looking to buy a property together. We plan to sell Bill and Jerry’s property to buy this property. Here are my…

Dear Monty: We bought our home in 2018. My mother purchased the plot directly behind our property and built herself a home. Keeping the two properties separate was strategically decided to take advantage of her homestead exemptions and freeze her property taxes. We did entertain early on combining both properties under our homestead. The original…

Dear Monty: Should I have my brand-new home inspected? I am in the process of building a new house. My agent told me that, on completion, I should have an inspection. My builder informs me that it is inspected three times during the process and once after completion. They use an independent inspector to check…

Dear Dave, Recently, I made a claim on my homeowner’s insurance for hail damage. It was my first claim ever. Since I’m retired and completely debt-free—including my home—and have over $1 million in the bank, is homeowner’s insurance still a good idea? The house is insured for $250,000, with a $5,000 deductible, and the insurance…

Commentary If you saved your money and bought a house in the suburbs, your investment and lifestyle are under attack. President Joe Biden is pushing to end single-family zoning. The biggest item in Biden’s infrastructure bill, now being negotiated with Congress, is $213 billion he claims will to increase affordable housing. Biden wants to put…

Dear Dave, We’d like to own a home someday, but we know we’re not ready for that kind of financial commitment yet. Where does buying a house fit in your Baby Steps plan? Heather   Dear Heather, Buying a home when you’re broke is the easiest way I know to become a foreclosure statistic. I’m…

Dear Dave, I really don’t have any established credit, because I’ve never taken out a loan or had a credit card. What will happen when I’m ready to get a mortgage loan and buy a home? Jillian Dear Jillian, There are basically two ways to be in a position to get a home loan. One…