The television images are frightening. Bulldozers take down homes in a residential neighborhood and the reporter on the scene says the demolition is paving the way for a highway expansion. She mentions the anger of the displaced residents, but the story is more about the enhancing the public good than it is about a legal […]
Jessica Watson had no idea why an apartment complex management company rejected her rental application. “The form was pretty basic,” said the single mother of two children. “They confirmed my employment and checked into my credit history. There were no red flags that I could think of.” However, for the apartment complex management company, there […]
First time home owners such as Brenda Mullen often experience sticker shock when the first property tax bills start filling the mailbox. It was not only the large amount taxes owed on her home, but also the large property tax bills for other pieces of property Brenda forgot counted as taxable assets. “I was too […]
Eric Haullska never read the fine print. The Dallas, Texas native signed an apartment lease, without reviewing the rules and regulations embedded in fine print within the document. Eric missed several red flags that eventually forced him to move elsewhere, at the cost of losing his security deposit. The fact remains that many renters fail […]
Eminent domain is an explosive legal issue. Just ask the residents of Kirkwood, Missouri. Kirkwood received national attention in February of 2008, when resident Charles “Cookie” Thornton entered a city council meeting and unloaded a live chamber of ammunition into several people in attendance at the meeting. There was and still is today much public […]
Selling a home is one of the most stressful business deals you will ever have to complete. We’re not talking about selling a car or unloading a washing machine that you no longer use. Chris and Abbey Marshall sold their home about two years ago. They plunged into the home selling process on their own, […]
If the 2007-08 financial meltdown taught us anything, it was that buying into the American Dream can quickly turn into the American Nightmare. A record number of home foreclosures forced millions of Americans to move into more affordable housing. Homeowners that fail to maintain their part of a mortgage agreement risk losing their homes to […]
The American Dream comprises many things, but owning a home has always sat at the top of our dreamer wish list. However, some home buying dreams turn into nightmares. Mary Ann Welter reminds us of the myriad pitfalls that await home buyers. Mary Ann and her husband Gary bought a recently renovated four-bedroom home in […]
They say there are two certainties in life: Death and taxes. It used to be three certainties, until the Chicago Cubs spoiled things by winning the World Series. Death is a no brainer, unless you believe like Shirley MacLaine that you’re coming back to Earth as the next Pope. On the other hand, taxes aren’t […]