Month: January 2020

Do I Need a Lawyer to Close on My Home?

DIY or do it yourself projects have become highly popular. The ability to do things yourself gives you a sense of fulfilment and most importantly, saves you money. This niche has become so popular that there is an entire network dedicated to giving consumers the ability to empower themselves with information on how to renovate a home or replace a roof. After all, where else can you go to see an entire home renovation project completed within an hour? The wealth of information that is readily available to us via the internet is another source of information on how we can do things for ourselves and save money. Despite our ability to research and gather information, there are some things we don’t need to do on our own. No matter the savings, some things are worth paying for. Hiring an attorney for a real estate transaction is a great example of this point. A licensed attorney can navigate you through the legal aspect of buying and selling a home. Below are a few reasons why hiring an attorney is not a bad idea.

Proper title review.


In the state of Missouri there is no requirement by law to have an attorney during a real estate transaction. While an internet search can give you general information on how to review a title, there may be details of this process that are not covered in your search. This is where having a licensed and experienced attorney can be handy. Something as simple as parties being listed incorrectly on the deed can impede the title. This impediment to the title can cause problems down the road if you decide to sell the property to another buyer. An attorney can also ensure that both the buyer and the seller have fulfilled their obligation of the purchase agreement. These are the details that an internet search cannot provide.

Closing a transaction that has a mortgage.


Again, in some states, real estate attorneys are not required for real estate transactions. When a mortgage is involved, it is highly recommended that you have an attorney to review the mortgage documents. Considering there is a significant amount of documentation in this process, a buyer could become inundated with the details. An experienced attorney can help navigate the closing process by easily explaining the mortgage documents to the buyer and ensure that all interests are properly represented in the transaction.

Transactions outside of the mortgage process.


If you have a home that you want to rent, having an attorney review the lease agreement would help you avoid any possible legal challenges. Rental agreements must comply with the real estate laws that pertain to each state. If you are not experienced in putting together these rental agreements, it is highly recommended that you seek the advice of an attorney. There are different forms of rental agreements you can implement. A standard rental agreement is used when your tenants lease the property from you and pay their rent every month. Other forms of leasing could include a lease purchase where the tenants live in the home, they rent the home from you and at some point in the future they agree to purchase the home at a set price. Regardless of the terms, it is imperative that all parties are properly represented in the lease agreement. In addition to the local laws, other issues to consider are laws that pertain to asbestos and other environmental contaminants, pest control, rental collection, late fees and other issues that are contained within the agreement. These are just a few of the items you need to consider when drafting your lease documents.

With almost 20 years of experience, Attorney Douglas Healy has the experience needed to navigate you through the legal process of buying a home. Doing it yourself can certainly save you money. However, when it comes to the legalities of purchasing or leasing a home, hiring an attorney could help to save you money in the long run. Healy’s background in real estate law can help you avoid the pitfalls that many buyers and sellers experience during these transactions. Unexpected issues such as title issues can be a hindrance to buying a home. An attorney is better able to clearly define the seller’s ability to pass title to a buyer and can help define a financial institution’s ability to place their lien against the property. If you have questions about your real estate transaction, give Douglas Healy a call today. Him and his team are standing by waiting to assist you

Rusty Tweed Explores the Impact of Sustainability on the Real Estate Industry

Rusty Tweed Sustainable Homes Rusty Tweed Explores the Impact of Sustainability on the Real Estate Industry

The Challenges of Current Real Estate

Sustainability will become even more important as time goes by. The simple reason is there simply isn’t enough of each resource for everyone. As the world population continues to grow, we will need more and more innovation to meet the ever-evolving needs of the growing population. This is especially true in the real estate industry.

Rusty Tweed has invested a good deal of time and effort to help champion the cause of sustainability. The major challenge is the fact that people are moving to the city in droves, which puts a high demand on public infrastructure and the ability to live comfortably. The real estate market is one of the most burdened parts of the economy when it comes to adapting to sustainable standards. There are a lot of things to consider to meet the ever-growing need for sustainable housing.

The main reason why it is so difficult to meet that growing need is the technology we currently have for making houses. We just don’t have what is needed to build a strong and stable house with little to no input. As automation gain steam, it will need to take root in the real estate industry in order to reach more sustainable standards. The way we build houses is too slow which means the prices are greater than they should be, and the energy requirements are also out of control.

How Sustainability Will Help the Situation

Rusty Tweed is one of the many successful businessmen and women who are leading the charge toward an emphasis on sustainability through solar. The addition of solar power and wind power is crucial to lowering emissions and making the housing industry more sustainable.

There are several developments that could potentially contribute to this goal. For example, there are now solar panel roof tiles that act the same way as normal tiles. You put them on your home, and they generate electricity for about a decade. They are able to power your home in the daytime and even return energy back to the grid if the homeowner manages to overproduce. They don’t take up any extra space which means you never have to worry about making space of them on your roof. The best part is they pay for themselves and eventually become a profit-generating entity on your home. This type of technology is what is needed to help move to a more sustainable future.

On top of solar panel tiles, you also have microturbines that can be installed on your roof. While they may not be as powerful as normal 1 MW wind turbines, they generate enough power to run some appliances in your home and put energy on the grid. If we all install these power-generating turbines on our home, it will make the task of generating electricity much less burdensome for the environment. This will contribute to how sustainable we can live since we won’t run out of wind or solar. These two technologies are just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to making sure we live a sustainable future.

Another advancement aiming to make things more sustainable is the addition of electronics and IoT devices to the mix. In extreme environments like Phoenix and Florida, we are seeing people burn hundreds of kilowatts of power just to keep their homes cool. This is extremely wasteful as people are outside the home most of the time working. You don’t need to have your air-conditioning system running even when you aren’t at home. IoT powered thermostats can fix this issue by allowing the home to turn off heating/cooling while no one is home and return the house to a comfortable temperature only when it will be in use.

Where Does Technology Fit In?

Technology will be the biggest driver of sustainability in the future. Technology will change the way we live and power our homes. It will also change the way homes are built with the addition of machines and technologies to make things available quicker. The biggest thing that will change is automation. The way we build houses will need to be transformed by robots building the houses for us. For example, 3D printing technology is being trialed as a way to make houses. You set up a 3D printer after making the foundation and it can print a house for you in only a day. This type of machine enables building homes on a scale never seen before. When you build with a 3D printer, you also use fewer materials and you are able to spend more time on other aspects of homebuilding. You are also able to make homes in parallel which could not be done before without needing increased manpower.

On top of 3D printing, what will be driving the era of sustainable living will be electronic sensors built into the home. When it comes to electronic sensors, you can control almost everything. Almost everything in the home can be automated, but heating and cooling will be the things most essential. They are the biggest users of energy in a home. Having smart electronic controls connected to your heating and cooling system will make them a lot more efficient. You also make them even more efficient if you connect them to solar and wind power generated at the site the home itself. These types of technologies will bring about efficiency that has not been seen before. It will also contribute to the sustainable future of the real estate industry. This is something the industry needs to do in order to survive.

What Changes Need to Happen in Real Estate

Sustainable living is essential to the survival of the real estate industry in the long term, which means the ability for people to get housing at affordable prices. There will always be a need for homes, but the supply may not meet the demand without sustainable means of generating electricity. Generating electricity is fundamentally the main issue that must be overcome in the future. Every home needs to have integrated solar roof tiles that can power at least a part of the energy requirements of the home. This is the fundamental change that needs to happen.

In the future, every building will need to have some way of generating power. For skyscrapers, the glass will need to be able to generate power from the sun. For normal buildings, a large solar panel array will need to be mounted, and for the home we will need to have the roof tiles or even a few solar panels on top.

The next step will be building the home quickly and efficiently. This will need to happen through automation and robotics. There are many robotics companies working on robots that can help people build houses more quickly. They can get materials that are needed and eventually, they will be able to do some of the work that humans are now doing. With these types of technologies, the future is bright for the industry.

However, it will need to be done quickly since the prices for homes are always on the rise. This will mean a lot of people won’t be able to own their own home and will have to rent. For the future to be as sustainable as we need, these technologies will have to be applied on a massive scale in order to bring down the prices of homes so everyone can at least afford one for themselves. We will also need better energy storage solutions for excess power generated by a home. The battery of the future will need to be more robust while also storing more power per kilogram. Current lithium-ion battery technology will need to be simplified and the price will have to go down.

How Much Do You Need to Invest in Real Estate?

Real Estate has never failed to be an excellent long term investment for most people. True there are real estate mistakes and recently it is harder to find over the top profits from real estate. However, there are still excellent opportunities out there. People always need a place to live. Now and until we go extinct. So if you have never invested in real estate, you might ask how much do I need to invest in real estate. The following are some answer to this loaded question.

How little is to little in real estate

If you are looking for a real estate investment for a small amount of money, then you will have to go in with other people for the investment. Good real estate is not cheap, so a $10,000 investment with other investors may be the way to go. It may be better to invest this way if you can invest in a better property that will yield everyone a nice profit when the property is sold. You always want to make sure you know who you are investing with so you don’t invest and never see your money again. You also have to think about whether they are going to need more money from you even after the initial investment. Real estate always has maintained throughout the years. Some people say you can invest as low as $5000 when sharing, this is possible if the opportunity is right. The dollar amount is not as important as making sure that other points of the transaction are reasonable.

What is the right amount of money to invest in real estate?

There is a long term investment amount and a short term investment amount that is the right amount for you. You have to assess your risk and how much you can afford. You have to have the right investment that will not drain your money but keep it steady and eventually make your investment grow. Are you getting a mortgage? Are you going to pay for the real estate investment outright? These are the questions you have to ask to help you know the amount you need to invest if say you are investing on your own. There is no need to invest more money than you have to. Anywhere from $10,000 to $60,000 is a good amount of money to invest. The investment is only good if the track record of the area is good and there is no foreseeable decline in the value of the investment.

Where to Invest in Real Estate?

It is good to look locally for investments, to begin with. Knowing the area where you invest is a bonus. Investing in a far place that may be up and coming may be a possibility. This is a higher risk, but potentially a larger profit margin down the line. Don’t ever invest in any place blindly. It is important to learn from others about investing to help. People like Rex Burgdorfer on Rex Burgdorfer Apple Podcast or Rex Burgdorfer Medium can help shed light on investing. By listening to people like Rex Burgdorfer Medium or the Rex Burgdorfer Apple Podcast you begin to gain knowledge about investing that will help you when you make your final investment decisions. Always beware of the taxes, insurance, and upkeep. Property taxes in say Florida are rather low whereas in Texas property taxes are high, but house prices are low. Insurance is pretty high in both places due to hurricanes and flooding Everything is a number, so do the math for the potential investment you are looking into.

When it comes to real estate investing, do your research. Don’t jump into anything. You can survey an area quickly and get to know all the details about a place you want to invest in. Take the time to understand any real estate investment you want, so you feel solid and happy that your investment will appreciate to an amount you are proud of