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Buying or Selling a Home/Questions Answered by Expert Lisa Webber

Subject	Date Asked
buying a new home	2/8/2012
Q: I just had a question about the costs of upgrading to a new house when you outgrow your current one. ... A: I don't know where you are located so your costs are going to be dependent upon where you live. ...
Property appraisal by tax assessor	9/12/2011
Q: Does it ever make sense to appeal a property appraisal to get it lowered? I live in a middle-income ... A: The tax assessment is not necessarily market value. Here in Maryland, the tax assessments vary ...
TITLE TRANSFER	5/19/2011
Q: My Mother no longer lives in her trailer house, and at this time it is unliveable. The floors need ... A: What you need to determine is whether she owns the property or not. If she doesn't own the property ...
house	3/31/2011
Q: I need help with this question. I pay rent $1500 per month. I am thinking of getting a house ... A: The dollars sound like they make sense in your situation if you are planning on staying in the home ...
house	3/17/2011
Q: How does buying a house work? A: Basic Home Buying Process Timeline 1. Make up a list of what you would like in a home including ...
Title company	2/26/2011
Q: we r buying a bank owned home. Closing is set for Monday. About 10 days ago, i asked a question to ... A: This is a tough one that I don't know the answer to but I will give you some information that may ...
Question	2/14/2011
Q: My mother and her boyfriend bought a house together in MD and now are not getting along. Can he ... A: The easy answer is yes. The property will need to be handled similarly as if they were married, ...
Home loan	1/11/2011
Q: Will applying for a personal loan of 2000 to help my son out jeopardize our chances when my wife and ... A: That will depend upon your other debts and income. The higher your debt compared to your income, ...
buy or keep renting?	12/20/2010
Q: So here is my dilemma. My husband stays home with our two young children while he works on his ... A: There are several things that I would look at as far as buying a home. I don't know how young your ...
appraisal	12/15/2010
Q: I just gave you rating for your previous answers but wanted ask you last question which is if they ... A: If the buyer does bring cash to closing and the contract is not changed at all from the original ...
appraisal	12/15/2010
Q: we signed a contract to sell our house. The appraisal came lower than the price. The contract has a ... A: Wow David, that is really a shame. He is working for YOU not the buyer. I can see that he wants to ...
appraisal	12/14/2010
Q: we signed a contract to sell our house. The appraisal came lower than the price. The contract has a ... A: It is pretty typical to negotiate over the phone or by email when you have a counter-offer ...
appraisal	12/14/2010
Q: we signed a contract to sell our house. The appraisal came lower than the price. The contract has a ... A: If your buyer is getting a mortgage loan, the bank will not allow them to borrow more than the ...
Should I sell?	8/7/2010
Q: Heres my situation. My home is worth about $169,000. I owe $110,000 on the mortgage, and another ... A: It sounds like you are in a very typical situation in this market. House values have dropped in ...
Short sale - difficult seller	8/4/2010
Q: I am purchasing a house as a shortsale and we finally received the approval to close prior to 8/30. ... A: AllExperts just sent me a message about your question, so sorry for the delay, I didn't get the ...
Better Resale - New Windows or HVAC	7/8/2010
Q: I own a 2 bedroom condo in Montgomery Co. built in 1982. I bought my condo 2 years ago and ... A: If you are wanting to take advantage of the tax credits and would like to do an upgrade, I would ...
Buying a short sale	6/25/2010
Q: My husband and I decided to buy a property; we are first time home buyers. We found a short sale and ... A: This is a common scenario. Normally when a home is sold as a short sale it is because the seller ...
House Title	6/17/2010
Q: My husband is getting financing and we are in the middle of trying to buy a house. We haven't got ... A: You do not have to be on the loan, even if you are married. You can be on the deed to the house ...
Short Sale Guidance	6/16/2010
Q: I purchasing a house in short sale. There are two lien holders and after 90 days of waiting the ... A: It's unusual for the second lien holder to have ordered an additional BPO. The listing agent won't ...
Short Sale Guidance	6/16/2010
Q: I purchasing a house in short sale. There are two lien holders and after 90 days of waiting the ... A: Short sales are very complicated and don't always close. The second lien holder is most likely ...
selling to our renters	2/28/2010
Q: We want to sell our rental home to the current renters. We are thinking we should get an appraisal ... A: You could use either a lawyer or a Realtor to help you with the paperwork. I have on many occasions ...
selling an occupied rental house	2/9/2010
Q: I have an occupied rental and we are now on a month to month after lease agreement. I would like to ... A: You have a problem. You will never sell that house with that type of renter inside. Since you are ...
Flipping houses in Md	2/1/2010
Q: I am a veteran of the army and I am considering buying, renovating and selling homes in md. There ... A: I think that renovating and re-selling homes can be a very profitable venture. If I were you, I ...
renters rights	2/1/2010
Q: can a landlord demand you pay rent on the 1st, then give you 3 days to get out if you cannot pay on ... A: I'm not sure how your lease reads. The "standard" Maryland lease that we use is basically a ...
tenant rights	1/27/2010
Q: I have lived in the house for 17 months and have always paid rent. The house was served foreclosure ... A: This is really an unfortunate situation that is happening to a lot of people in this economy. The ...
Obligation	1/10/2010
Q: Once your contract with real estate agent, how long are you obligated to them if someone that looked ... A: Your agreement with them will all be in writing and will have a specific beginning and ending date. ...
selling timber land	1/7/2010
Q: i have 100 acres of timber land to sell in lundenburg county,va. however, live in another state. how ... A: You could choose to list it for sale yourself, advertising on websites such as ...
house on market 9 months- no offers	11/19/2009
Q: My siblings and I are trying to sell my parents house (they have both passed away). It has been on ... A: It's hard to say whether that is a good strategy or not as there are two ways to look at it. If the ...
Selling home	10/27/2009
Q: Lisa, Thanks in advance for your help. Im thinking of selling my house.Could you tell me how to go ... A: You can choose to sell it by yourself if you'd like. If you choose this option, you'll want to hire ...
HOA	10/9/2009
Q: recently purchased a foreclosed property in a subdivision and were told by the closing attorney, ... A: If there is a mandatory HOA, you must pay the dues or they can hire attorneys to collect the dues, ...
house	9/30/2009
Q: 1. What is the most expensive house out there so far? 2. What house should I own? 3. What factors ... A: 3. That is a hard question to answer. Some people use their home basically as a place to eat and ...
house	9/30/2009
Q: 1. What is the most expensive house out there so far? 2. What house should I own? 3. What factors ... A: 1. What area are you wondering about? Dunellen Hall in Connecticut I believe is the most expensive ...
buy with a rental	9/29/2009
Q: We are planning on renting our home to a couple with a rent to buy lease. We want to move up to the ... A: It may not be a problem at all. I just worked with a family in the same situation and he had a VA ...
resale values - first time home buyer	9/21/2009
Q: I would like to buy a home but am unable to decide between 2 houses and would like some assistance. ... A: That's a tough one especially because I don't know the neighborhoods you are talking about. For ...
Fencing	9/17/2009
Q: We live in a fairly nice area of town, on the Northern corner lot of a very busy road that get's a ... A: Yes, backyard fence. Front yard fence may or may not be an issue. In our area there are very, very ...
Fencing	9/17/2009
Q: We live in a fairly nice area of town, on the Northern corner lot of a very busy road that get's a ... A: I would absolutely put up the privacy fence. The likelihood of a first-time buyer (which would most ...
Buy a property w/lein on it...	8/30/2009
Q: I know of a property built in the late 50's or early 60's, that has a lien of ~$158,00.00, for I ... A: You would have to ask as far as what the lienholder would take. It's anyone's guess as to what a ...
seller financing	8/27/2009
Q: Im interested in using the seller financing. Im not real expirienced in structuring notes for ... A: I suggest that you discuss this with a real estate attorney to make sure you don't make any mistakes ...
Seller's Disclosure	8/21/2009
Q: I brought a home as in with a home inspection in Nov of 2006. The house appeared to be in great ... A: I missed this follow up - sorry! They should have disclosed that to you because insurance claims ...
Seller's Disclosure	8/21/2009
Q: I brought a home as in with a home inspection in Nov of 2006. The house appeared to be in great ... A: It sounds like you may have a case against the owners if you can prove that they did not disclose ...
homeowner disclosure responsibilities	8/9/2009
Q: My son and his wife are in the process of purchasing a house in Montgomery County, Maryland, on a ... A: Your son and his wife are in a very unfortunate situation that is all too typical nowadays. ...
Lack of funding	8/2/2009
Q: Greetings Mrs. Webber, I recently entered into a contract to purchase a house in southern Maryland. ... A: You made an offer on a foreclosed property. In the bank addendums, there is normally an are that ...
good faith money deposit	7/7/2009
Q: My girlfriend and i were looking to have a townhome built for us. We were required to put $500.00 a ... A: I'm not sure what kind of deal you got into. In the "standard" Maryland Realtor Board contract, ...
Rent to Own	6/28/2009
Q: I live in Maryland and really would like to find an honest rent-to-own situation. My credit is not ... A: Your first step would be to discuss your situation with a mortgage broker and see how long it will ...
Legal	6/24/2009
Q: I puchased an 'as-is' foreclosed property. I now am realizing, after 8 months, that the property ... A: That's the problem; I don't know if you'd be able to recoup any damages at all. The bank's ...
Legal	6/24/2009
Q: I puchased an 'as-is' foreclosed property. I now am realizing, after 8 months, that the property ... A: Interesting. This sounds like something you'll want to discuss with a real estate attorney to see ...
Legal	6/24/2009
Q: I puchased an 'as-is' foreclosed property. I now am realizing, after 8 months, that the property ... A: Unfortunately when a bank forecloses on a property, they typically do not know much about it. The ...
short sale tenat rights	6/13/2009
Q: My question is when my landlord property is in a short sale do I have to pay them rent. It doesn't ... A: Are you still under a lease? There are a lot of things that can happen in your situation. If the ...
Misrepresentation of Home	4/27/2009
Q: My daughter is buying her first home in Maryland. Her realtor told her that the house she was ... A: I'm puzzled as to why the Realtor couldn't figure out if there were central air or not. You may ...
Quick Question	4/25/2009
Q: I have lived in a home for 20 years, we refinanced a couple times. My brother and myself were ... A: I'm so sorry to hear about your situation. Have you considered renting out rooms in your home? ...
downpayment and closing cost assistance	3/28/2009
Q: Is there any closing cost and down payment assistance for borrowers who are not 1st time buyers and ... A: Many home sellers in this market are willing to help with your closing costs and you can make that ...
VA Loan	2/22/2009
Q: I am about to buy a house with a VA loan, however the VA Loan say no down payment. I gave a 2500 ... A: I answered this question a couple days ago and it looks like it did not register in the system - ...
appliances installed incorrectly	2/13/2009
Q: we bought a house and settled 1/29. There were many problems that the seller agreed to fix but they ... A: Yes, it should be his responsibility if it was part of the home inspection contingency. Any ...
appliances installed incorrectly	2/13/2009
Q: we bought a house and settled 1/29. There were many problems that the seller agreed to fix but they ... A: It is really a shame that you were left with such a mess! In a perfect world, you would have ...
Home buying and selling	1/25/2009
Q: My fiancé and I currently live in her condo and are getting married in May. We have started to look ... A: Yes, definitely put your condo on the market first. What most people want to do is identify a new ...
failed septic system inspection	11/7/2008
Q: We have a contract on a home in AA county. The septic system failed during our professional ... A: I answered this the same day you asked it and I don't know why it didn't go through - so sorry! You ...
Commissions paid on Auctioned real estate	10/23/2008
Q: We won a real estate auction last week in Baltimore County. We submitted an agent registration form ... A: Your agent should be paid. Without seeing their terms, it's hard to say how it will be handled. ...
Seller's Obligation	9/29/2008
Q: Lisa, I read your profile on the website and hope that you can answer the following questions for ... A: First of all I have to tell you that since I am not a real estate attorney, I am not allowed to give ...
backing out contract agreement	8/23/2008
Q: My parents signed a contract to move into a house the guy call them and came to their house i was ... A: This is a situation that is out of the expertise of a Real Estate Agent as we are not permitted to ...
backing out contract agreement	8/23/2008
Q: My parents signed a contract to move into a house the guy call them and came to their house i was ... A: Was the contract to purchase the home? Legally once you are in a contract of sale you can't just ...
Backing out of a contract	7/28/2008
Q: A week ago my realtor and I looked at homes. I found one that met MOST of my criteria. I say most ... A: Before giving you the answer to your question, I wanted to share some thoughts with you about the ...
RE classes	6/25/2008
Q: I wasn't sure where to ask this question so forgive me if it's posted in the wrong area. I am ... A: I'm not familiar with your area, but here in Maryland, you can take the initial licensing class ...
10% deposit	6/12/2008
Q: Recently I found a home I was interested in buying. I called the real estate agent and met up with ... A: What you need to do is read over your contract. You may need to take it to a real estate attorney. ...
Earnest Deposit Repayment	4/9/2008
Q: I had a question regarding an earnest deposit. A year ago, I put a contract on a soon to be ... A: When you say that the builder initially waived an additional deposit, did he do this in writing? ...
Down Payment - Closing Costs Assistance	4/3/2008
Q: I am looking to purchase my first home. I would prefer a single family but realistically am ... A: Yes, Ameridream is legit - worked great for these buyers! They purchased a home for $339,900 with ...
Down Payment - Closing Costs Assistance	4/2/2008
Q: I am looking to purchase my first home. I would prefer a single family but realistically am ... A: Yes, the mortgage lender will help you with choosing a loan program and your options. FHA is a ...
Selling my home - I need a template that I can use to inform my renter	3/30/2008
Q: I'm hoping that you have wording or a template (or know where I can find one) in reference to ... A: I am not a lawyer so I cannot write legal documents myself, but there is very clear, straightforward ...
Settlement concern	3/28/2008
Q: I am currently buying a house in Maryland. The bank we are purchasing from is refusing to give us ... A: I think I understand your question. Let me tell you what normally happens. Basically what happens ...
crack in foundation	3/5/2008
Q: "We found one house (14 yrs old) in Chesterfield, MO and we like it. We did the inspection. There ... A: I wanted to explain why this question is out of my area of expertise. I'm a Realtor, not a home ...
taking over house payments	2/20/2008
Q: an offered ws thron to me last night by afriend that can no longer affored her home.what is required ... A: Yes, you would need to get the bank involved. If her mortgage is assumable, you could take over the ...
First time investing	2/6/2008
Q: My name is Chris and I recently posted on here a few weeks ago looking for some help with some ... A: Wow, great credit score! You are also bringing in good money so you should be all set financially. ...
First time investing	2/6/2008
Q: My name is Chris and I recently posted on here a few weeks ago looking for some help with some ... A: It sounds like this could be a very good investment. I am not familiar with the area, but if your ...
GOOD FAITH DEPOSIT	1/23/2008
Q: Is a good faith deposit($8,000) REFUNDABLE? THE BUYER HAD THE HOUSE OFF THE MARKET FOR 3 1/2 ... A: Financing is one of the contingencies that is included in every contract that I've ever done. I ...
Rent to own	1/11/2008
Q: I am considering going into a contract to rent to own, my rent will be 850.00 a month, after looking ... A: Each of these items is something you are going to want to negotiate with your landlord/potential ...
Breach of contract?!	1/11/2008
Q: My question is. My fiance and I signed a contract on a home thinking we could get a Rural ... A: You did the right thing in contacting an attorney; that is exactly what I would recommend. Real ...
For Sale by Owner	12/14/2007
Q: My husband and I are selling our townhome in Columbia, MD without a realtor. It's only been on the ... A: That's fantastic that you've had so much interest already! It sounds like you are well-priced in ...
home purchase	11/4/2007
Q: I am buying my first home directly from the owner. We agreed on a purchase price of 700,000. Home ... A: Please consult a real estate attorney as to the legality of this type of arrangement. I am not an ...
equiity	10/21/2007
Q: some of the mortgage payments. Now he is thinking of moving out of state and is demanding a share ... A: I'm all the way across the country from you in Maryland so I'm not familiar with market conditions ...
equiity	10/12/2007
Q: some of the mortgage payments. Now he is thinking of moving out of state and is demanding a share ... A: You didn't mention where you are located, but in most areas around the country, homes have actually ...

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Lisa Webber

Top Expert on this page

Expertise

I can answer questions pertaining to buyers and sellers of residential property in the state of Maryland. I work with first-time buyers, real estate investors, and move-up buyers. I can help with relocation questions as I help people from all over the country move to Maryland. I also work with military families, helping them move to the Ft. Meade area. I am experienced with foreclosures and short sales and can help you keep your home from being foreclosed on until you can sell it. I can help with finding financing through many local experts.

Experience

I've worked with many buyers and sellers of residential property throughout the state of Maryland as well as investors who buy and sell residential and commercial properties.

Education/Credentials
I primarily have studied real estate, business, and marketing and study each of these subjects on a daily basis as they relate to my work. I read real estate books and subscribe to news services to keep current on real estate subjects and trends.

Encyclopedia

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