New Year's Resolution: Empty the Mailbag

Here are a few of the questions I didn’t get a chance to answer in print this past year, in shortened versions. Please remember, if you have a question I’ll always respond promptly by phone or email. Now let’s clean the slate for 2008….

Dear Pat: We’ve gone to several open houses that actually smell bad. Don’t sellers realize they should clean before they invite the public in?
---The Nose knows

Dear Nosy: Unfortunately, some sellers tend to overlook smells they’ve become accustomed to. And you’d be surprised how many of us can’t smell pet and cooking odors unless they are very strong (the agent has to take responsibility here). Sellers should get an odor critique from a person with a celebrated sense of smell. Perhaps you could start a business, even get a cable TV show!

Dear Pat: You wrote about reverse mortgages some time ago. Have they changed since then?
---Long in the Tooth

Dear Longtooth: I discussed reverse mortgages a couple of years ago in an article entitled “Use A Realtor to Stay in Your Home” reprinted at www.RiverRealty.net. There have been substantial limit increases since then, and lowered costs, as the secondary mortgage market has expanded for these instruments. I still like www.aarp.org as a good place to start your research. Be careful about costs—there are plenty of overpriced reverse mortgages out there.

Dear Pat: I’m from the South, where we inspect for termites when buying a house. Is it true that there are no termites up here?
---Brought my Magnifying Glass

Dear Sherlock: Not true, there are termites here, but in very small numbers. So save your powers of detection for damage done by carpenter ants. Carpenter ants don’t really build anything; they’re more into the demo part of the job. Look carefully at areas where water is likely to come into contact with wood: windowsills, bottoms of doorframes, even piles of firewood resting against the house. If you see ants (they change in shape and color through developmental stages) or telltale wood deterioration, call an exterminator to verify. I’ve seen hidden colonies do as much as $10,000 damage to a house, but usually they’re cheaply and easily eradicated.

Dear Pat: What’s the most important thing to get ready for selling our house?
---Keeping It Simple

Dear Simple: Pull up the carpets, sand the floors.

Dear Pat: We want to own a house of our own soon, but if prices continue to fall we’ll kick ourselves for not waiting. Of course we want to buy at the bottom. Honestly, what do you think?
---Ready to Nest

Dear Nesters: I’m going to wait until next month, when I have a chance to dig deep with a full column devoted to your very important question. Meanwhile, I wish you and all readers a New Year filled with peace and prosperity…and a dry basement, too!