Rats Found During the Inspection Dear Phyllis, We were in escrow and during the inspection, a rat jumped out of the bedroom into the kitchen and seemed to hide there, perhaps under one of the appliances. As you can imagine, this was quite a shock and we left for the remainder of the inspection. In […]
Why Is An Open House Important? Dear Phyllis, My daughter has her Arizona home listed for sale. She didn’t want an open house due to security reasons. In addition, she did not want all of the neighbors coming through. But her Realtor insisted and did agree to have another Realtor there with her for added […]
Ask Phyllis! Trustee Not Acting As A Fiduciary? Dear Phyllis, My aunt never had children, and her trust named her five nieces and nephews as beneficiaries. The eldest nephew was the trustee. Her home was on a flag lot, and the trustee lived next door. There was poor communication from the trustee from […]
Is Hiring A Trust Sale Specialist Important? Dear Phyllis, I am the executor of my grandmother’s estate. She lived in North Hollywood and I will be selling her house. Each of her eight grandchildren is a beneficiary. Thus, I am getting a lot of “advice” from most of them. One of my cousins wants me […]
Ask Phyllis! Canceling PMI Insurance Dear Phyllis, I have been enjoying your advice for years and have yet to see this topic addressed. My daughter and her husband bought their house in 2019. We gave them most of their down payment so they could put 10% down. They are paying about $250 extra […]
What To Do If You Find Mold? Dear Phyllis, I love all things real estate related – especially your advice column! We have an interesting situation: My aunt, who lives in Santa Clarita, passed and we are preparing her home for sale. Taking some of your prior real estate advice, we had a pre-inspection before […]
Issues With The Seller’s Disclosures My daughter is in escrow on a home in West Hollywood. There were three bids, and hers was selected. After she completed her inspection, she was given the disclosures provided by the home seller. In addition to the defects discovered by the inspector, she learned that someone had died in […]
Inspector Not Allowed To Walk On The Roof Dear Phyllis, My son purchased a home earlier this year when the market was much more difficult for buyers. There were more than fifteen offers on the La Crescenta home he bought. His Realtor advised him to waive his loan and appraisal contingencies to be competitive. In […]
Selling a Vacant Home Dear Phyllis, I reside in La Cañada and specifically hired a Seal Beach Realtor who lives close to the home my parents owned. He assured me that he would keep a close eye on it because he lived just a few blocks from the home. I interviewed three real estate agents […]
What is a Transaction Coordinator? Dear Phyllis, I have been following your real estate column for years. And, as a local homeowner, I am relatively savvy regarding real estate. I co-signed for my son to purchase a townhome. It was very well-priced and there were a few other offers. There was a delay in the […]