Buying a Home

Moving to a new house can be exciting for parents, but traumatic for kids, especially if they are moving far away from close friends and relatives.

Hiring a Professional Mover

Arrange Your Move If you’re moving into a one-bedroom condo and you have very little furniture, you might do fine by enlisting the help of a few...

How to Review Seller Real Estate Disclosures

Most—but not all—states require sellers to give prospective buyers a disclosure report.

How to Remove an Inspection Contingency When You Buy a House

Most homebuyers include an inspection contingency in the purchase contract that gives you the option of backing out of the deal if you’re aren’t...

Inspection Contingencies and New Houses

Residential Home Buyers in Washington: What Can You Learn From Seller Disclosures?

Washington’s seller disclosure laws require (with few exceptions) that a seller of residential real property provide you, the buyer of that property...

Community Fruit Tree Harvests

Anyone with a mature fruit tree is familiar with the annual quandaries: How do you get all that fruit out of the tree and what do you do with it?

Ten Tips on Joining an Existing Cohousing Arrangement

Casual Co-Housing

Casual cohousing (sometimes called "cohousing light," "cohousing cousins," or "cohousing-inspired") is sort of a scaled-down version of cohousing.

Home Swapping and Couch Surfing

Condominiums and Housing Cooperatives

In addition to buying a single-family house with others, you can share ownership in a condominium or housing cooperative. Here are the basics on the...

How to Buy an Ownership Share of a Friend’s Home

Preparing a House Co-Ownership Agreement

Legal and Financial Issues to Consider When Co-Owning a Home

When you buy a home with others, you're not just entering into a living arrangement: You're entering a legal relationship as well.

How to Set Priorities When You’re Co-Buying a House

Taking the leap from renting to owning can be expensive.

Single-Woman Homebuyers: What to Consider

At last count, single women made up nearly one quarter of all homebuyers. But this group often has special concerns and fears about buying property. T...

Online Fun for Home Buyers

After hours surfing the Web for the perfect home-sweet-home, your eyes are probably tired and your brain foggy. The antidote? More hours surfing the W...

Researching the Best Places to Live

Whether you're planning to move across town or across the country, you probably want to know more about your new community. Where are the best local s...

Homebuying Readiness Quiz

We've all heard about the benefits of home ownership and investment, and for the right person, buying a home can be a dream come true. But that doesn'...

Real Estate Terminology for Home Buyers

Here are some common vocabulary terms to know when getting ready to buy a home. For more unusual verbiage, try searching Nolo's Legal Dictionary.

Should You Hire a Real Estate Agent or Lawyer to Buy a House?

It's no secret that real estate agents earn high commissions (paid by the seller, but the cost may be indirectly passed on to you). And real estate la...

Decoding Home Sale Marketing Lingo

Homebuyers are bombarded with all sorts of marketing lingo. Often, sellers and their agents use artfully crafted phrases to catch your eye, lure you i...

Best Home Buying and Selling Research Websites

Whether you're looking for information on the real estate market, listings of homes for sale, or are ready to compare mortgage rates and terms, here a...

Buying a Home: Overview

If you've decided to buy a house, you may be wondering where to begin -- find a real estate agent? Go to open houses? You'll have to juggle a number o...

Rent or Buy a House?

The "rent or buy" decision is no longer the no-brainer it once was.

Beginning Your Home Search

It's good to start your home-search process on your own, particularly if you haven't yet chosen an agent. Just going to open houses for a week or two ...