Alan J. Heavens

Q: We bought a raised ranch with a full lower level from an owner of 35 years who disclosed that several times, after rains of five inches, the laundry room...

Financing a home purchase has become extremely difficult since the housing boom turned to bust. Getting an appraisal to match the price for which one's lender has preapproved a mortgage...

Financing a home purchase has become extremely difficult since the housing boom turned to bust. Getting an appraisal to match the price for which one's lender has preapproved a mortgage...

Given the level of economic uncertainty these days, even falling home prices and a 30-year fixed mortgage rate well under 4.5 percent aren't enough to reel buyers in. Not the...

Eight out of 10 real estate agents are independent contractors, not salaried or commissioned employees. Which means that a real estate agent can be "fairly described" as a small businessperson,...

During the housing boom, many real estate agents found it extraordinarily tough, if not impossible, to come up with even ballpark asking prices for their listings. "Values were increasing at...

Remember when the "experts" said that most Americans would telecommute from home offices to work every day? Hasn't happened, although ever-evolving technology has made the notion more viable. Think laptops,...

Foreclosures, sad to say, are a fact of life in today's housing market. The number of U.S. homes in various stages of mortgage delinquency, though not growing as quickly as...

Into the mailboxes of homeowners, offers of protection seem to flow more and more swiftly. For a monthly fee, the telephone company will take care of indoor-wiring problems. The cable...