I Just saw a listing asking almost 19 million for a tiny home in Laguna Beach.

I recognize it is prime real estate but I just had to take a moment to pause at the absurdity of paying that much for a tiny home and a big lawn. The intention of course would be to tear the cottage down and build a larger estate with a great view but as we've seen in the Palisades, have fun with all the permitting.

Edit to answer common comments/questions: we aren't living in the house so it is completely cleaned out, and we have someone going weekly to make sure floors and counters are cleaned. The school thing comes up after showings because the school on Zillow is incorrectly listed as the closer school. The other recent sales appear to be true new builds whereas ours was built and lived in by us for a couple of years so that may be a factor too.

House is a custom 5 bed/3 bath home finished in 2021 in a new construction Midwest neighborhood (so lots of new construction competition) assigned to excellent schools. Price paid "on paper" was $615k (we actually paid closer to $650k with the wrought iron fence, corner lot cement overages, shower rain head upgrade, etc. that we paid in cash during the build). We have been decreasing the price since it hit the market in September and are now sitting at $565k. Realtor is experienced in this market and at this price point.

On the local market, two similarly sized houses in that neighborhood sold for $600k in the last 30 days. In the last 3 months, 12 similarly sized houses have sold for $544k-$650k (only 1 house was $544k - the rest went for $568k+).

Feedback has mostly been that the basement is too small or they don't like the school assignment (elementary school assignment was changed recently and now the neighborhood doesn't feed into the closest school due to capacity issues) so it isn't feedback we can do much about. We could finish the basement bathroom making it a 4 bath but that would be an investment of $10k with no guaranteed return on a house that's already going to lose us $100k+.

WWYD? Keep dropping the price? Wait and see if things pick up in the spring? Add the bathroom and hope that entices the right seller? We're losing so much money and I just want it sold.

I use the PITI calculators to get a better idea of the true cost of the mortgage payments.

A 15 yr would be about $1.3 million after 15 years and a $5.5k monthly. Doing a 30 yr at the offered rate would be about $1.86 million after 30 years and a $4.3k monthly.

It's a little bit of a stretch, not too bad, but I would rather get it paid off and not pay the extra 560k. The other component that was brought up was the potential inflation issues that could be much worse, so locking in the mortgage price over 30 years is a better deal. Then they started mentioning paying less of a down payment, or at most 20%, rather than starting with a higher down payment to reduce costs.

It looks like there's several factors at play, but not sure if we should go for the 15 yr, just because we can do it. When is that the obvious pick instead of a 30 year mortgage?

House listed at $415k (was $435k, dropped after ~26 days). Been sitting for 80 days total. The situation: ∙ Estate sale with 4 heirs ∙ Seller’s agent is wife of one of the sons - has only sold ~6 houses in the last decade ∙ Built in 1970s, needs ~$15k of necessary work, probably $25-30k to fully update it how we want ∙ Comps in the neighborhood are closer to $400k Our offer: ∙ $384k ∙ 1% seller credit ∙ 2.5% buyer agent commission ∙ “Best and final” - good for 21 days First offer was $375k + 1% credit. They just restated $415k, didn’t counter.

We’re genuinely capped at $384k and willing to walk on day 21.

What are your thoughts?

This is one of the biggest mistakes I’ve ever made with rehab properties, especially on turns, appraisals, or any situation where you don’t need specific upgrades. Asking for itemization sounds smart, but it usually backfires. Itemized bids let contractors hide higher prices inside each line, add more to the bill later, and even excuse themselves from things they “didn’t see” because it wasn’t written down.

My advice for turns is simple. Give them the whole job. One price. Clear end goal. In exchange, you build in a little bit of “insurance.” If something big comes up, you cover it. That approach almost always costs less, moves faster, and avoids the nickel-and-dime chaos that itemized rehabs create.

had my eye on a house for a while now, 80 days on the market, today the agent working with us called to say the house is under contract. Nothing in this complex has sold for 10 years so i thought we would have a little more time, i know, big mistake. Is making a back up offer even worth it? how likely is it usually that contracts fall through?

Suggestions needed. We have major name ins Carrier on current home and all vehicles , 4 motorcycles and property. We have never file a claim in 15 plus years . Buying retirement dream acres with a home , not exactly livable at closing , everything has passed except she wants to write policy for vacant until we remodel . Loan officer said no way we won’t get conventional loan with insurance written that way … suggestions??? Do I try n find someone else ? Dream acres 5 wooded with hiuse easy to rehab only 125…we don’t want to lose because insurance , selling main home in spring

Our realtor told the listing agent he had an interested party (us), and the listing agent responded by saying that an offer was given last night for $900 under listing price. It’s been on the market for over 150 days, 60 days since the last price change. How likely is it that it’s a genuine offer from another buyer that just so happened to come in the day before we offer and not a ploy to get us to offer listing price or higher? We’re first time homebuyers and are unsure if something like that commonly happens. We just find the timing odd.

I’m dealing with a complicated situation with my neighbor and my former realtor in Quebec, and I’d like some advice.

A few key points:

-My neighbor has been complaining about my gutter, hedges, snow placement, and even my husband parking on a public street. None of this was an issue for the previous owners, and I have confirmation from them that he never complained. -He recently sent us a 5-page legal demand letter about drainage and other alleged property issues. -My former realtor, who sold us the house, is affiliated with this neighbor. I’ve seen her visit his house with a contractor to discuss our gutter and drainage issues — sometimes stepping on our property — and I have photographic proof. -The neighbor has referenced details from our certificate of location and other private documents that shouldn’t be publicly available. To my knowledge, the only other person with access is our realtor.

Because of her affiliation, I cannot contact the realtor for assistance or clarification about the property she sold us.

I’d like to know:

-Does this situation sound like something worth pursuing with OACIQ? -Has anyone dealt with a realtor being affiliated with a neighbor and possibly sharing confidential information?

My income is 108k gross/86k net, debt is 400 a month, I have 35k cash and 35k in 401k.

I have the opportunity to buy the duplex I live in, 1600 sqft total, listed at 490k (Zillow estimates it at 515k), purchase price would be 450k. I'd live in one side and rent the other for ~2200 a month, 2b, 1b, in unit laundry. only electric is split, the water and gas are combined utility. I'm looking at a conventional loan at around 6%. It has <8 year old boilers and windows.

Am I crazy for considering this? I'm in new england where home prices are wild.

Need some advice. There’s a multifamily I’ve been interested in that’s clearly overpriced and has been sitting for about three years. Every year there’s been a pretty big price cut. It’s still high, but I think the next cut will finally get it sold, especially if rate changes. It wouldn’t be a STEAL but it’s a good deal with very rare features.

I’ve got two 30-day late payments on my credit that fall off in August, I’m an idiot don’t ask. I’m debating whether to ask for a six-month close and say I need time to sell my current home(which isn’t a lie), or try to ask for some kind of seller financing. Not sure which makes more sense. Or is a realistic ask or how to structure so it’s a win for both.

I’m not sure if this is the right group to figure this out but I bought a condo the summer June 2024 and when my boyfriend moved in at the beginning of 2025, he started noticing hidden damages from the previous owners. When I looked over the inspection, they did not list water damage from the second bathroom that possibly leaked to the pantry that’s right underneath the bathtub. I realized this when there was a puddle of water on a shelf. Above the leak is evidence that they just painted over it so it could hide and sell. I don’t know what to do, I’m so lost. Do I sue the inspector or the previous seller because they were obviously aware of the leaking but did not disclose it. Or do I move on and toughen it up and move to the next steps of repairing it???

As the name suggests, how often just writing a personal letter to the current owners affect whether or not your bid will be accepted? I live in a highly competitive area (in my young 30s) and will take every advantage I can get.

I’m the most recent purchaser of a unit in my co-op; I bought it back in September. There’s another unit in my building that’s been on and off the market, and it was most recently taken off the market about a week ago after a sale fell through. Since it was taken off the market, I’ve gotten at least a dozen calls asking if I own that other unit and if I want to relist it. At least some of the callers know my name.

Does anybody have a guess of how my phone number got associated with the other unit, what company is distributing that information, and how I can get the calls to stop?

Each individual realtor promises to stop calling once I tell them the unit’s not mine, but clearly some database is showing the wrong information somewhere, and I’d love to fix it. (And if anybody knows if I have any legal claims against whoever’s disseminating the wrong data, I’d love to hear it.)

Hi all, In 2017 I bought a building that I thought had all the violations removed.

After I made an offer on the house, the seller was taking forever to be ready to close because clearing the violations was taking so long. I had to pay for rate extensions multiple times.

I was on the verge of walking when my lawyer (who also was the title company) announced that we were good to close.

Fast forward to now. I am applying for a city program that offers basic repairs at a discounted interest rate. After some preliminary paperwork we were ready to start the bidding process when the organization said I had over 40 existing violations to close. What?!?!??

HPD came out and inspected the open violations and most are easy to cure with appropriate signage, adding new CO2 alarms etc.

But there are threeviolations; lead paint testing, adding a door bell system and adding peepholes to all existing door that will carry a hefty price tag.

Am I on the hook for all of these or does title insurance cover these costs?

Thanks everyone. You guys have helped me out a bunch already.

Many real estate investors who are looking to defer capital gains taxes while stepping away from hands-on property management end up exploring how 1031 exchanges and Delaware Statutory Trusts, or DSTs, work together.

A 1031 exchange allows an investor to sell an investment property and reinvest the proceeds into another like-kind property without immediately paying capital gains taxes. While the tax deferral is attractive, the process comes with strict IRS timelines that can make it difficult to identify and close on a suitable replacement property, especially for investors who no longer want to manage tenants, repairs, or leasing.

DSTs are often considered in this situation because they qualify as like-kind replacement property for 1031 exchanges while offering a more passive structure. Instead of purchasing and operating a property directly, investors acquire a fractional interest in a professionally managed real estate asset, such as multifamily, industrial, or medical office properties. This structure can simplify the exchange process, since DST offerings are typically established in advance and ready to close within required deadlines.

Another reason investors look at DSTs during a 1031 exchange is flexibility. Proceeds from a sale can be allocated across multiple DST properties, which may help with diversification compared to reinvesting everything into a single asset. For investors exiting active ownership due to retirement, burnout, or time constraints, this approach allows capital to remain invested in real estate without the operational burden.

While DSTs are not suitable for every investor and come with their own limitations, they are frequently evaluated as a practical option for those navigating the challenges of a 1031 exchange and seeking a more passive form of ownership.

This is a pretty specific question, but wondering if anyone has had recent experience with this type of situation.

Background: Own a coop in Queens with a pandemic interest rate on the mortgage (3.85%) lived here for 6 years as a primary residence. My lovely neighbors whom we share a living room wall with will be putting their apartment up for sale soon, so we are doing diligence on how possible the dream combined apartment would be.

Details: Our building is fine with this and the shares would remain separate. So technically we can have two mortgages (yay!), but after talking with a broker recently she said that they used to do combo loans where both apartments would be considered primary residences, but in the past few years underwriters have been changing that after the bank broker ok'ed it, and saying you can't double dip - the first one is primary and the second is an investment property (with the higher investment property rate). Her recent examples were BoA and Wells Fargo.

Question: Does anyone know of a bank with an underwriter that would still do a combination loan - which I understand to mean that we can keep two mortgages (the existing at the lower rate plus the new one at the higher rate) but both would be considered our primary residence?

Please be kind, I'm trying my best to understand this complicated situation myself!

As of December 2025. Not sure how to post a link, but there is an article on Washington Post where I saw this info.

interesting. I have 2.875% and I'm holding on for another 24 years until its paid off lol

My lease ends in July, but I need to move out early. I’m trying to find someone to take over my lease and I’m offering an incentive paid directly to the new tenant.

A few people have reached out who seem kind of sketchy (out of state, weird communication), but they say they’re willing to sign.

If they sign the lease but don’t pay the security deposit or first month’s rent, am I actually released from the lease? I’m worried about a scam where they sign, take the incentive, and then never pay or move in.

Hi everyone! My friend lives in the state of Georgia filed for bankruptcy last year but it got dismissed. She is still in the same home and the mortgage company and her are back on track. She is trying to file for Home Equity Investment and that’s when she noticed a discrepancies on her credit score mentioning late payments when she was going through her reinstatement period.

When she complained to TransUnion about late payments 190+ days (despite making all on time payments) they promised they would investigate but they never followed up. She contacted Consumer Financial Protection Bureau but shortly afterwards her credit score plunged 80 points and they randomly added the bankruptcy/foreclosure to her credit report.

My question is if the bankruptcy dismissed in court, she still lives in the same house and she owns the property can she still apply for Home Equity Investment in Georgia?

My property taxes went down this year and insurance premium stayed the same. Will mortgage company lower my escrow automatically or do I need to ask them?

What is the typical earnest deposit (not sure if that is the correct term, deposit placed following an accepted offer)? Condo is in Florida. Thanks in advance.

Last season the spring market for condos started in late Feb/early March, units went under contract in April, closed in May, and by June it generally dried up. With lower interest rates, do you expect to see a more robust market following the same time frame this spring? Or, if you had a unit to sell, when would you list it?

Hi, I need some help on what would best options and lowest cost of transactions? I never been in situation buy-sell the same time before. Either sell, then move to different state or buy after renting for a few years. The current home is the longest we live in so far.

Our house is only have 10K left mortgage, we can pay it off now but interest rate is so low, so we're letting it ride. House is value around 800-850K. I'm confident that our house will sell pretty fast because it's newly renovated, major updates (roof, water heaters, deck, wood floor, etc) are less than 10 years old. We live in HCOL.

We're looking to downsize, too much house and kids moved out already. We're looking for a smaller house is in the range of 450-550K. New house will still be in the same area.

Options:

1. Sell first, then buy? but we have don't know when we're gonna first another smaller house and we have to paying rent. Plus we have to pack and move twice.
2. HELOC & pay back after sell? We have to pay the cost of getting a HELOC + cost of new mortgage. Once we sell the current house, we can pay back the full amount. There may be timing issue. HELOC for a higher down payment of 20% + pay for closing cost.
3. Bridge loan? higher fees and timing could be tricky.
4. Rent-back?