Home Inspection

The Lehigh Valley housing market is still searching for bottom, which means the job of helping people buy and sell homes will continue to be much more challenging than it was just a few years ago. When the market was roaring earlier this decade, sales...

Wayne Karczewski quit his job as administrator of a chain-owned nursing home in Orlando to manage a smaller, family-run facility in Sanford because he was frustrated with a bureaucratic system that he thought put profit over the welfare of the residents....

An inspector for the federal government was facing grand theft charges last fall when he verified a Homestead man's claim for disaster relief, according to testimony and court records. Jose Perez, 62, conducted an inspection Oct. 10 that prompted the...

When Wayne Williams listed his Carney home for sale last summer, he decided to add a home warranty plan as an incentive to prospective buyers. Although he had maintained the house well during his 26 years of ownership, it still had the original furnace...

Windows are our link to the outdoors. Rooms without windows are dark and dreary. Rooms with windows are bright and cheery, making us feel better, especially on days when we can't get outside. Windows react to water varpor in our home, so it's always...

Baltimore's overheated housing market may be showing some signs of cooling, with buyers appearing less willing to enter bidding wars, spend more than the asking price or snap up homes in days. But cooling is relative for a market that still outpaces many...

When it's hot outdoors, it's hotter in your attic. A hot attic is bad for several reasons. High temperatures inside your attic shorten the lifespan of shingles on your roof. Excessive heat deteriorates items you store in the attic. A cool attic is also...

Few experiences skirt closer to the absurdity of farce than the process of remodeling a home. The delirious dislocations of Feydeau have nothing on the moment when your contractor informs you that the cute little faucet you picked up on the cheap will...

Insulation created from recycled newspapers will keep this reporter's house comfortable every season of the year. For the first time, I actually look forward to winter. The house we recently built in York County should be wonderfully warm in January...

Buyers may agonize for months searching for the right house or condominium. Then comes the tricky part: the closing. It may only take an hour or two, but during this crucial meeting the deal may fall apart or the buyer might get locked into an...

Q: Mortgages are always in the news these days, but I never read anything about the energy-efficient mortgages you have been talking about for a long time. Are they still around? A: I don't read about them too often, either, but they're still out there...

Federal agents are investigating real estate deals involving Gov. Rod Blagojevich's wife as part of a three-year corruption probe into allegations of favoritism and fraud within his administration. Several federal sources familiar with the inquiry...