Tag: real estate agent

Agent Calls Lender Without Client Approval. Is This Unethical?

Dear Monty: My wife and I are currently looking for homes with an agent. We have received preapproval letters from three lenders and are still deciding which way we will go. Upon providing our agent with our preapproval letters (all for the same amount and similar interest rates), the agent called our potential lenders and…


Texas Executes Man for Slaying of Dallas Real Estate Agent

HUNTSVILLE, Texas—Texas on Wednesday put to death a man who fatally stabbed a suburban Dallas real estate agent more than 16 years ago, the second execution this year in the state. Kosoul Chanthakoummane, 41, received a lethal injection at the state penitentiary in Huntsville and was pronounced dead at 6:33 p.m. He was condemned for…


How to Sell Your House for the Highest Price Possible

So you’re getting ready to sell your house. Just thinking about it can be an overwhelming experience. Should you hire a real estate agent? Should you do a FSBO (for sale by owner) to keep from paying that big commission? Should you spend a lot of money to paint and re-carpet — at least the…


Eight Reasons to Have a Pre-Sale Home Inspection

Dear Monty: We are going to sell our home soon. In preparing the house, we are interviewing real estate agents to learn more about them and how they work. We want to have a home inspection before putting the house on the market. All three agents we interviewed discouraged us. The reasons differed, but one…


Rethink Avoiding Your Agent to Sell Directly to a Friend

DEAR MONTY: I am selling my home through an agent, and I verbally agreed to a price from a guy who lowballed by over half the asking price. The guy is nitpicking everything and taking forever, so I have signed no papers. Now I have another offer through a personal friend. I want to know…


Agent and Lender Fraud?

Dear Monty: We are suspicious of our home sale. We found out our agent (No. 2) and the buyer were friends at the closing. The lender also had close ties to the buyer. Our home was listed with agent No. 1 for seven months with no results. We switched agents and received an offer from…