Author: Brendan Ward

Selling Investment Property

How to Sell an Investment Property in New Hampshire

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Rent clears on the first. By the fourth, the furnace quits. That kind of month is why plenty of Granite State landlords start eyeing an exit even while values climb. New Hampshire’s median home price hit a record $575,000 this year, and statewide median rent reached $2,011, according to the annual New Hampshire Housing report … Continued
Is a deed required to sell a house In New Hampshire

Do You Need a Deed to Sell a House in New Hampshire

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A signed purchase and sale agreement doesn’t transfer New Hampshire property to anyone. The deed does that job. State law requires a written deed, signed by the seller and acknowledged before a notary or justice of the peace. Then the buyer’s side records it at the county registry. No deed, no sale. I get calls … Continued
Should I Sell My House and Move to an Apartment

Should You Sell Your House and Move to an Apartment

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Most people who call me about downsizing aren’t broke. They’re tired. They’re tired of cleaning gutters, of a lawn guy who raised his rate twice in one season, and of stairs that somehow got steeper last winter. An apartment starts to sound less like a step down and more like a long exhale. Still, your … Continued
Documents Needed to Sell a House

What Documents You Need to Sell a House in Maine

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You can legally sell a house in Maine with three documents: a deed, a disclosure statement, and a signed purchase agreement. Most of what sellers pile on top comes from the buyer’s lender or from habit. Sell Your Home Your Way with Free, Ready-to-use Maine Forms I used to tell sellers the paperwork was the … Continued

Can I Sell My House and Still Live in It?

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Sellers I sit down with usually aren’t trying to leave. They need cash out of the house, or the mortgage got heavy, or a medical bill showed up that savings won’t cover. Both the house and the neighbors are fine. It’s the moving truck they don’t want to see in the driveway. So they ask … Continued
Homeowners Insurance While Selling a House In

What Happens to Your Homeowners Insurance When Selling a House

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Water damage and freezing claims average $13,954, according to the Insurance Information Institute, and in an empty house, the bill climbs the longer nobody notices. Plenty of sellers hand over a set of keys and call their agent to cancel the same afternoon, even though closing hasn’t happened yet. A gap of a few days … Continued
Selling a House With Flood Damage in Maine

How to Sell a House with Flood Damage in Maine

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Water crept under the back door on a Tuesday night. By Wednesday morning, the hardwood floors in a Saco ranch house were buckled like a washboard, and the homeowner was sitting on the front steps trying to figure out what came next. Selling a house with flood damage in Maine starts right there. Selling a … Continued
Who pays closing costs when selling a home Maine

Who Pays Closing Costs When Selling A House In Maine

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Most sellers I talk to sit down at the kitchen table thinking they’ve already figured out what they’ll walk away with. They’ve done the math: sale price minus mortgage balance. That’s it. Then they get to the closing table and find a third column nobody mentioned. It’s thousands of dollars wide. The gap between what … Continued
Sell a House With Child Support Lien New Hampshire

Selling a House With a Child Support Lien in New Hampshire

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Most sellers hear about a child support lien three days before closing, when the title company calls with a problem. Now the buyers are nervous, the movers are booked, and a debt you thought was old news is blocking the sale. Here’s the good part. This problem has a solution. New Hampshire law spells out how these … Continued
Can a Seller Choose Not to Make Repairs After Inspection in

Can a Seller Refuse Repairs After Inspection

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A seller got an offer on her house in late spring. The inspector came back with a seven-page report. Two days later the buyer’s agent sent over a repair request list, and the seller called me on a Thursday afternoon, voice tight, asking one question: “Do I actually have to fix any of this?” Whether … Continued
How Does Medicaid Find Out If You Sell Your Home in

How Will Medicaid Know if I Sell My House for Cash?

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Selling a house is one of the hardest calls a family can make. Add a Medicaid recipient into the picture, and most people freeze. They have heard that a sale can wipe out coverage. Or that the state will come after each dollar. Many have been told to just give the house away. Most of … Continued
Real Estate Contract Timeline Maine

How Long A Real Estate Contract Lasts In Maine

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How long a real estate contract lasts in Maine depends on which contract you signed, and the difference can catch sellers off guard. A seller I worked with in Scarborough thought she had all the time in the world. She’d signed a listing agreement with an agent in the spring, watched the contract expire without … Continued
Selling Rental Property Without Paying Taxes Maine

How To Sell Your Maine Rental Property Without Paying Taxes

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Somewhere between a late-October storm rolling in off Casco Bay and a tenant calling about a furnace that quit at midnight, a lot of Maine landlords reach the same quiet conclusion: this isn’t worth it anymore. The question usually isn’t should I sell. It’s what’s this going to cost me in taxes, and that’s where … Continued