Buyer

Q: I have a question about the timeshare property that was owned by my late husband. My husband died of a sudden heart attack recently, without a will. He was the sole owner of the timeshare and he had no estate and there’s no probate case pending.

Q: My wife and I have owned two homes during our marriage. We lived in the first one for 20 years and have owned our current home for almost 20 years. So, we are not first-time buyers but still not overly experienced with the process of buying real estate.

Q: We remodeled our basement about 10 years ago and used a company that is still in business. It doesn’t seem like they obtained any permits for the work in our basement. We still own the home and plan to be here for some time to come. Do we have to report this to the local housing department and what should we do about our home improvements?

In October, we answered a question from a reader about buying a house that was updated without the necessary permits. (In some areas of the country, it’s difficult and time consuming to pull a permit, and so homeowners may not do so even though it is required by local ordinance.) We recommended buyers use a qualified professional home inspector to help determine whether the home is safe to buy.

Q: We’re a French family moving back to France next year. I read that a married homeowner who has lived in his principal residence for two out of the last five years is entitled to exclude from federal income taxes up to $500,000 in profits.

Q: I have a goal of becoming a first-time homebuyer soon. I picked up Ilyce’s “100 Questions Every First-Time Homebuyer Should Ask” book and found it very enlightening. So, let me begin by saying thank you!

Reader comment: My husband and I sold a vacant lot in Texas this past year without any agents being involved. We have followed the market closely. We agreed on a price, filled out the documents and closed in an attorney’s office for a total cost of $250. We also purchased our present home in 2007 without a real estate agent.

Q: Have you ever heard of “enhanced title”? A friend of mine is buying a home and the title company handling her purchase is offering that to her. I think she should take a pass. What do you think?

Q: Can you give me any advice on how to make it easier to look for a house when you live in a different state? I live almost four hours from the location I want to live in and by the time I make the drive, the houses already have pending offers. I thought I might just drive there and wait a day for an interesting listing, but I do not want to waste my time if nothing comes up.

READER COMMENT: I’ve been following your discussion of pocket listings with interest. I had an unfortunate experience with a broker who used a pocket listing to try to sell my father’s home. He blatantly used the pocket listing to discriminate and market the property only to members of the religious community dominating the area.

Q: Earlier this year, I sold my house through a real estate company. I then moved next door to a rental home I own. A few months later, I checked online to view the title to my property and noticed that the closing attorney used the legal description for both properties.

Q: I own a large farm that I have been trying to sell. I have had cattle, we do hay and have a hunting lease. But a buyer would not be able to make enough money to pay for this farm by operating it. I had it listed with two different agents who basically did nothing and made no suggestions. I no longer have it listed for sale.