Real estate prices are in a slump in most places, but this can be good news if you want to transfer real estate assets to your children as a means of estate planning. Often, a good way to reduce estate taxes is to give your heirs an interest in your assets now, while retaining control of the assets. That way, you get the interests out of your estate at today’s values, rather than later when they

The average rent for a residential apartment fell in the fourth quarter of 2008. Although the average decline was small – only 0.4 percent – the drop was significant because this was the first time rents have fallen overall since 2003. The average vacancy rate was 6.6 percent, up from 5.7 percent a year earlier, according to research firm Reis Inc. The average office rent fell 1.2 percent in the fourth quarter. This marks the end

Can a landowner who planned to build a shopping plaza sue a city for changing the land’s zoning to “residential”? Maybe … but only if the rezoning almost totally destroyed the land’s value. That’s the result of a decision by a New York appeals court. Parviz Noghrey wanted to build a shopping center in Brookhaven, N.Y., but before he could do so the town adopted a moratorium on commercial development, and then changed the land’s zoning

A shopping mall cannot prevent a union from leafleting in front of a tenant’s store to urge a boycott of the store, according to the California Supreme Court. The union in this case represented employees of a San Diego newspaper. Union members wanted to protest outside a department store in the mall, urging shoppers not to patronize the store because it bought ads in the newspaper. The mall objected. While the mall allowed protests and other

Fannie Mae has announced a national policy under which it will no longer immediately evict tenants from homes on which it forecloses. Under the policy, the mortgage giant will in effect become a landlord or property manager for many homes where there is a foreclosure. Renters often face a difficult situation when a property is foreclosed upon, and this move will help those in Fannie-backed properties by providing some breathing room while they figure out what

Starting May 1, 2009, new rules will apply to most appraisals of single-family homes requested by banks as part of the mortgage process. Lenders will have to comply with these rules in order to have their mortgages purchased by Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac. The new rules are part of an effort to keep appraisals honest. In the past, some lenders had allegedly pressured appraisers to provide certain valuations for properties in order to allow a

The recent economic stimulus law contains a big tax break for first-time homebuyers: If you buy a home by November 30, 2009, you can claim an $8,000 tax credit. Congress had previously approved a similar credit, but it had required homebuyers to pay back the money over time. In effect, it was an interest-free loan. Under the new law, however, the credit doesn’t have to be paid back – it’s free money.

A little-known mortgage program operated by the U.S. Department of Agriculture – that’s right, the same agency that inspects and approves the meat in grocery stores – is enabling many people to afford a home even if they can’t come up with a traditional down payment because of the economic downturn. The program is designed to help people buy homes in rural areas – but “rural” is loosely defined and in some cases can mean a

Some people are finding it harder to get a mortgage these days … because of their credit card company. Why? Because credit card companies have reacted to the recent economic downturn by reducing many cardholders’ credit limits and cancelling inactive cards. The companies’ goal is to reduce the risk of non-payment. The problem is that whether you can get a mortgage – or how good the terms of that mortgage are – depends to a great

Many people are paying too much in property taxes, and may be eligible for a reduction or a refund. Property taxes are calculated by taking the assessed value of your home and multiplying it by the local property tax rate. But since home prices in so many areas have decreased recently, it’s possible that the assessed value of your home is now larger than its actual value – in which case you might be entitled to