Misrepresenting square footage can get a seller into big trouble. If a buyer relies on a seller's disclosure about the living square feet in his home and the buyer later finds out that the representation was overly ambitious, a lawsuit could ensue.

Sellers have a tendency to round up the number of square feet in their home. The more cautious approach would...

Buyers tend to want listings that are in move-in condition. For that reason, sellers often put a lot of time and money into prepping their homes for market to realize the largest profit possible from the sale. But, is it worthwhile to fix a property up before selling if it is in a dismal state?

It's usually worthwhile to fix up a needy...

Most home buyers claim they're picky. And why shouldn't they be? The real estate they buy will be home. It needs to provide more than just a roof over their head. It needs to satisfy emotional needs that aren't easily quantifiable. The home is a reflection of the self, which makes the quest for the right place to buy...

Some sellers won't even consider a contingent-sale offer. If the buyer's house doesn't sell, the deal if off and the seller has to find another buyer. To increase your chance of success if you make an offer contingent on the sale of your home, it helps to look at your offer from the seller's perspective.

Keep in mind that the seller knows nothing...

Recently buyers who were in contract to purchase a home in Oakland, Calif., asked the seller to credit them money in escrow. The money was to be applied toward repairs that were recommended in the course of the buyers' inspections.

The sellers were offended. They had agreed to sell for significantly less than their asking price. They...

It's easy to assume that negotiating is adversarial. You, the buyer, are on one side -- the side that wants to buy a property for the lowest price possible. The opposition on the other side is the seller who wants to sell for the highest price possible. You're locked in a tug of war to see which side will win.

It's more productive to look at a...

Waiting until the last minute to get your home ready to sell is bound to make your move more stressful. It could also result in a lower sale price if you forego properly preparing your home for sale.

The extent to which sellers put time and money into fix-up-for-sale work varies from one area to the next. In the San Francisco Bay Area, so many sellers...

No one wants to buy a house that's riddled with termites. So, a termite inspection -- technically an inspection for damage by any kind of wood-destroying organisms -- is usually done at some point during the course of a home sale.

Loosely referred to as a termite inspection, an inspection for wood pests covers such organisms as dry rot,...

It's becoming more common for sellers to hire inspectors to inspect their property before it's put on the market. The reports are then made available to buyers to review before they make an offer.

From a seller's perspective, presale inspections accomplish two goals. One objective -- particularly in states such as California that...

Some sellers get sidetracked in their effort to attract buyers, especially in a market that no longer decidedly favors sellers. For instance, some sellers think the best way to attract buyers to their home is to offer an incentive to the buyer's real estate agent, such as a trip somewhere at closing. Although, an agent perk might result in a showing or...