A New Jersey town might have been upset about rowdy college students in rental properties near the school, but it didn’t have a right to deal with the problem by passing new zoning rules that limited rentals, says a New Jersey appeals court. The town of Ewing, N.J. had tried to limit “Animal House”-type rentals by adopting rules for rental properties that required a minimum amount of space per renter and that required one parking space

A landlord can’t evict a tenant just because a guest of the tenant brought drugs onto the property, according to an appeals court in Tennessee. The tenant, a single mother, had invited three friends over to watch videos and spend the night. During the night, police investigated a nearby burglary asked permission to enter and search the apartment. They discovered that one of the guests had placed a small amount of marijuana under a sofa cushion.

Selling a home in today’s market can be tough. Here are a few suggestions that might help: Get your own home inspection. Potential buyers who are serious will hire a home inspector to discover any flaws in the property. Consider hiring your own inspector first. You might discover things you can do to enhance the value of the home, such as installing more energy-efficient windows. You’ll also be prepared for any “surprise” problems that the buyer

More than a million people suffer a slip-and-fall injury each year, and some 16,000 die as a result. Slip-and-fall injuries often lead to significant legal awards against property owners and landlords, so it’s wise to take precautions. A recent study by the insurance company CNA makes the following recommendations for commercial property owners: Putting carpet runners and mats at an entrance-way can reduce falls, but make sure mats are not more than a half-inch higher than

A home is usually the most expensive purchase people ever make. And as we’ve all learned recently, mortgage loans can be complex and a poorly chosen mortgage can cause many problems down the road. And yet, Americans spend very little time researching a mortgage. The average homebuyer spends only five hours choosing a home loan and gets only three quotes, according to a recent online survey of nearly 3,000 purchasers by Zillow.com. More than 30% of

People who use oxygen for medical reasons often smoke as well. (Frequently, smoking is the reason they have respiratory problems that require oxygen.) The problem is that smoking and oxygen are a dangerous combination. Oxygen accelerates fires and can turn a cigarette ember into a serious flame. Even after the oxygen is turned off, gas that has accumulated in a room or on a person’s clothing and hair can trigger a conflagration. For this reason, many

Mortgages insured by the Federal Housing Administration help many people to buy a home who couldn’t do so otherwise. That’s because lenders are often willing to loan to people with less of a down payment because the loan is insured by a federal agency. However, the FHA has just made it more difficult to obtain an insured condo loan. Generally, the FHA can insure a loan only if the condo project has been approved by the

A recent case from Maryland’s highest court shows that even people who deal with real estate simply as investors can be held liable for lead paint problems. The case involved a Maryland company that bought tax liens. The company’s business model was to buy liens, foreclose on delinquent properties, then sell them “as is” at a profit. The company was organized as a limited liability company, or LLC. In one case, the LLC foreclosed on a

New rules issued by Fannie Mae are making it harder for people to get mortgages for condominium units, particularly when the condo is new construction or a new condo conversion. The rules are designed to reduce the risk of foreclosures. However, they come at a bad time, because the real estate market is slow and many people have already been having more trouble getting mortgage loans. Fannie Mae can’t tell lenders what to do, but Fannie

“A man complained that [on] his way home to dinner he had every day to pass through that long field of his neighbor’s. I advised him to buy it, and it would never seem long again.” – Ralph Waldo Emerson “Everyone says buying your first apartment makes you feel like an adult. What no one mentions is that selling it turns you right back into a child.” – Anderson Cooper