By Benny Kass
Published: June 18,2013
DEAR BENNY: I am the president of a 230-unit condo. Our board has imposed a 13-percent restriction on the number of leased units in the building – our declaration is silent on that subject offering only a restriction on the number of times a unit can be leased in a 12-month period. The number of [...]
By Benny Kass
Published: June 14,2013
DEAR BENNY: We have a condo at Tahoe that we will gift to our granddaughters if and when they graduate from the U.S. Air Force Academy a few years from now. Since my wife and I can each gift $12,000 a year to our two granddaughters, in four years we would be able to completely [...]
By Benny Kass
Published: June 11,2013
DEAR BENNY: I keep hearing that it is beneficial to have your home in a trust versus owning it in your own name. Would you suggest people do this, and if so, what are the benefits or nonbenefits? – Carole DEAR CAROLE: Back in the 1960s, Norman Dacey wrote a book titled, “How to [...]
By Benny Kass
Published: June 7,2013
DEAR BENNY: I learned why the former owner of my condo unit was eager to sell and took my first (low) offer. The neighbor with whom I share a wall smokes marijuana. Every time he lights up, he fills my unit and the common hallway with the pungent smell. The first year I lived here [...]
By Benny Kass
Published: June 4,2013
DEAR BENNY: I have a situation I hope you will be able to help me with or guide me to someone who is experienced in these types of matters. My older brother is the trustee of my parent’s estate (they are both deceased). I am one of the beneficiaries. Through our discussions about the house [...]
By Benny Kass
Published: May 31,2013
DEAR BENNY: I enjoy your column. I live in a condo complex with about 180 units. Last year two board members resigned shortly after the election, and two owners who volunteered were appointed to the board, which consists of five members. One of the appointees became president, and everything worked OK. Shortly thereafter, however, the [...]
By Benny Kass
Published: May 30,2013
DEAR BENNY: We bought a house in a semi-rural part of Maryland about a year ago. We were seeking the peace and tranquility of the country, and the former owners told us how quiet the area was and how you could sit on the back porch and watch the deer in the meadows. It seemed [...]
By Benny Kass
Published: May 21,2013
DEAR BENNY: I recently got engaged and have plans to have my new fiancé move into my house. I am currently the sole owner of the home. We have a wedding date scheduled for over two years from now. He makes much more money than I do and has a greater tax liability. Would it [...]
By Benny Kass
Published: May 16,2013
DEAR BENNY: My father added my brother and I to the deed of his house he bought back in 1979. Now that he did his living trust, he wants to remove us from title (deed) so we don’t have to pay taxes in case something happens to him. I understand his property taxes will go [...]
By Benny Kass
Published: May 15,2013
A RESPONSE FROM A READER: In your answer to the question about using the home equity line to pay off the balance of the person’s mortgage, I have something to add. You were very right about the dangers of a variable rate loan, but you neglected to mention two other factors which have to be [...]
Sign up today to receive The Mecklenburg Times’ free E-Alerts and be the first to read breaking news.
Sign up or manage your alert.
