Guy Adams's (guyadams) Blog

Helping home owners appeal their tax bills can be a lucrative side business for real estate practitioners - particularly this year when legions of home owners are considering appeals after prices have crashed.The going rate for a property tax consultant, who makes the pitch to the appeals board o...

The Federal Trade Commission and prosecutors in 19 states filed 189 legal actions on Wednesday against loan modification consultants, accusing them of cheating desperate home owners.All but one of the lawsuits were filed in the U.S. district Court for the Central District of California. At a pres...

The foreclosure crisis continued to grow in the first half of 2009, affecting more than 1.5 million homes, according to a mid-year report from foreclosure listing service RealtyTrac Inc.The report cites a 9 percent increase in total properties in foreclosure compared to the previous six months, a...

It's time to remind first-time home buyers that in order to qualify for the government's $8,000 gift in the form of a tax credit, the deal must close by Dec. 1. Buyers should have a purchase contract signed by early October, so they have 45 to 60 days to arrange financing and safely close the dea...

The Obama administration is reportedly considering a program that would give loan forbearance to the unemployed. The aim of the program is to provide help without distorting the housing market.The program would augment the federal loan modification program, giving unemployed workers more time and...

Homeowners who want to go green and are looking for a source of alternative energy might consider the Windspire by Mariah Power.The 1.2 kilowatt-producing mini-windmill can cut a typical household's energy use by 25 percent in an area where the wind speed averages 12 mph. In urban Raleigh, N.C., ...

Anyone who turns down an offer to sell a house should consider how much it will cost to maintain the home while waiting for the next opportunity to sell.Here's just one example of a home seller who has felt the pain of a delayed sale. Ed Tuttle, who has been trying to sell his unoccupied brick ra...

When dealing with prospects, real estate professionals should have a list of criteria they must meet in order to become a client, taking into consideration the amount of time and effort spent on each transaction. To avoid wasting time and energy, real estate professionals should gauge the buyer o...

It's no secret that houses with photos get more attention online than those without, which makes spending time and money to get the right pictures a wise investment.Here are some tips from Lyn Briggs, an associate with the Alan Tate Co. in Charlotte, N.C., and Jim Schmid, the photographer who sho...

Real estate research site Trulia.com says 24.6 percent of current homes on the market in the United States as of July 1, have had at least one price cut, totaling $27.1 billion in reductions. The average price-reduced home has had a 10.4 percent reduction, down slightly from 10.6 percent as of Ju...