The “condominium” (or “condo” for short) is generally seen as the missing link between renting an apartment and owning land with a house. Commonly, at least in my experience, a condominium is an apartment building in which the units are individually owned but the common spaces are jointly owned by all individual owners. There is ... Continue reading this article…

This article was written for Consumerism Commentary by Antelope, an entertainment lighting designer working hard to achieve financial security. In the last year, my wife and I have sold a house in one city, and bought and sold another house in another city. After a bad experience with a home inspector when we were buying ... Continue reading this article…

Earlier this week, a few real estate market survey results were announced in the media. This could be good news for house shoppers. In January, prices of homes on average were 11 percent lower than prices of homes at the same time last year. These results are based on the S&P Case/Shiller index, which collects actual ... Continue reading this article…

For some reason, I will never get out of my mind someone once told me shortly he purchased a house he couldn’t afford (and knew he couldn’t afford) with a risky mortgage. He said, “I’m not worrying. Real estate prices never go down.” I wasn’t about to get into an argument; he was a former ... Continue reading this article…

We’ve been discussing Britney Spears’ reported poor financial management strategy lately. A recent court report described her overspending and lack of investment, although this may have been a part of her spousal support strategy. She must have financial advisers on her payroll, right? There must be more to the story. Nevertheless, I’m not stepping up ... Continue reading this article…

Are you looking forward to a Red Sox win in the 2007 World Series? Even if you are, you’re probably not anticipating the win as much as some Sox fans. Jordan’s Furniture, a company in New England owned by Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway, is giving some customers a reason to root, root, root for the ... Continue reading this article…

This is the ninth tip in a 10-part series on purchasing residential rental properties based on my experience. 9. Bigger is not always better. As your property size and square footage help to determine your tax rate, an acre or more of land really isn’t necessary. You’ll mow it (or pay to mow it) and ... Continue reading this article…

So you understand the construction of the home you are looking to purchase, including its foundation. The next step is to analyze the property from a liability standpoint, assessing potential safety concerns and budgeting to fix them as part of your initial investment. 7. Look out for safety issues. For anyone looking to purchase a ... Continue reading this article…

So you’ve found a property at the right price, in the right neighborhood, and in compliance with local rental and parking regulations. But what about the structure of the building itself, its surrounding property? My next tip addresses just that. 5. Look for simple construction, with systems accessible and materials simple to replace. That Victorian ... Continue reading this article…