My college major was geology. At the time I was in school, I had no idea how valuable this degree would be once I became a full-time builder. There’s a very good chance I was the only builder in Cincinnati who knew soil maps existed and how to interpret them. A little-known fact about Cincinnati…

Dear Monty: I told the selling agent that the home on the MLS (multiple listing service) is falsely listing the square footage. They are advertising 1,650 square feet of livable space, but I checked with the township, and they state the house is 1,446 square feet. I put in an offer based on the actual…

Commentary Real estate increasingly will face two contrary forces. On the one hand, buying will suffer as rising mortgage rates render home ownership less affordable. On the other hand, ongoing concerns about inflation will drive buyers into real estate, for history shows that it provides inflation protection for their wealth, especially in the face of…

Dear Monty: We have made offers on four homes. Our agent says that people are buying them for cash and for more money than we offered, yet she says she cannot tell us what to do or offer. All she does is show us the houses and fill out the paperwork. We are tired of…

Dear Monty: I purchased a home after a home inspection was done. The seller would not allow me to bring in the inspector my agent and I chose. My agent advised me that the seller’s inspector was a licensed state inspector and would be fine. Two months after closing, I walked on the deck beside…

Dear Monty: We are nearing retirement age and thinking of changing our housing situation. We see people we know or hear about making choices that surprise us. There seem to be many more living options today. There also appear to be more paths to get there. Selling a home, ownership choices, renting and where to…

Dear Monty: I am interested in buying a home. However, I just found out today that there is another offer on the house. I have not made an offer yet, but I don’t want to unless I know how much the other offer was. I want to know whether I should offer more. Are they…

One of the top investing stories of last week was the announcement from Zillow Group Inc. that it is exiting the home buying business. While the news is a negative for Zillow, it could benefit two competitors that went public via SPAC merger. What Happened Zillow announced as part of its third-quarter financial results that…