Careful with shady contractors inflating your real estate tax bill.

This homeowner thought he would be foreclosed for sure. He didn't have title and an auction was already scheduled. We postponed his auction, opened a probate case, closed, and got him money for relocation. Very complicated and lots of time pressure. Watch his story. In Spanish.

Robert explains the importance of finding someone who specializes in solving problems. After a Realtor failed him, Robert thought he would just get foreclosed. Luckily he found me, an expert in the distressed property niche. He closed and got paid. Watch his story.

Many people offer to help homeowners in distress but few are qualified to deliver. It takes years of experience dealing with the different aspects of real estate foreclosures. Most don't qualify. If a person doesn't understand what the issues are, how can the help. If a person doesn't have years of experience negotiating settlements, you will never get a deal from the bank. Some investors offer to help you keep your home just to tie you up. Then, they switch to trying to buy. Investors don't have motivation to help you keep your home. Don't fall for this. You should make a long list of required qualifications a person would need before signing any contract. Watch this video to see how it went.

The bank offer Maria assistance. She tried submitting all docs directly. But eventually she realized the bank's offer was not genuine. The bank kept "losing" her docs. Obviously she was being liked to. She just couldn't get anywhere. So she called me. Watch her story.

Enclosing a screen room sounds like a great idea. But if you do it without a permit you are easily caught. Code Enforcement may find pictures online showing the screen room. So your fight will not go far. Getting a permit may not be difficult as long as you followed code. However, code enforcement will very likely issue a fine. Sometimes these can be terribly high. One of my customers was fined $339,700! Extreme. Watch this video for more info.

Renovating your home without a permit could backfire if you're caught by code enforcement or if done outside of code. If you are caught renovating your home, the city will require you to get a permit for the work desired. If the work done does not meet code, you would need to start over. Some work like roofing, electrical and plumbing should be done with permits and by competent people. Problems in these areas can cause major life safety issues. No one wants that. Watch this video for 1 of my case reviews.

There are a number of cities that require a Certificate of Re-Occupancy prior to the close of your sale. If the seller doesn't get this certificate, the buyer will not be allowed to live in the home. Check with your closing agent, or realtor, or Building Department to see if your area requires this. Watch this video for more info.

HOA's may sneak in surprise fees day of closing.