Does anyone know what this means:

The following section describes special conditions under which certain uses are permitted in a zoning district. A building permit or certificate of occupancy shall not be issued for any permitted use with "special conditions" until all of the required conditions have been met.
…
Home occupation (residential). A home occupation is an occupation carried on as an accessory use in the main structure of home by a resident without the employment of additional persons, without the use of a sign to advertise the occupation, without offering any commodity or service for sale on the premises, which does not create obnoxious noise or other obnoxious conditions to abutting residential property such as emission of odor, increased traffic or generation of light or smoke. A home occupation shall specifically exclude the operation of a repair garage, plumbing shop or similar activity.

Does this mean that I can run a small business out of my apartment? There would be no extra people going in and out of the apartment and there will be no signs or loud music. I would be the only person working there.

As long as you are not selling anything, or having any one come to the apartment for the business you could do it. (well you could sell things online, just not physically from the building).

All the law pretty much says is that you can set up an office from home, but you can not open a shop of any sort without a permit.

Please read my 360 blog and let me know what you think. Important information contained within. Please answer the poll question, too. I am still at a loss as to how, In America, they can legally prevent me from advertising my home for sale by owner in the MLS. What do you think?
leaptad , I can ask it in both places, if I want, to get more INFORMATIVE answers. Your answer isn’t one of them.

After reading your blog/rant, all I can say is, "Jeez, Louise, who lit the fuse on your tampon?"

They can legally refuse to list your home simply because the MLS is a private company and as such can do business with or refuse to do business with whomever they choose. So long as they do not discriminate based upon certain prohibited criteria (generally race, creed, color, religion, national origin, gender or family status when it comes to housing transactions) they are completely legal in refusing your listing.

I think you need to find a cut-rate realtor who will get your home listed with the MLS if you want it listed there. Keep in mind that unless you offer a full 3% split to the selling broker/agent, you’ll not likely get any benefit from the listing.

BTW, Dearie, it’s not the law that bars you from listing as you allude with your voting question on your blog/rant site. It’s the MLS. And they are fully within their rights to block your listing.

Can be used temporarily on a construction site when building a home – located in Llano, CA -

I often see older moblie homes advertised toward hunters to use on leases.

is there any truth in these tax estate sales at all? The infomercial on tv looks convincing, but as they say, If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is! Does any one know if this can be done? ANy legitimacy in this at all ? Thanks

If a municipality isn’t paid property taxes they can foreclose on the house to get paid. They have to severely delinquent (usually on the order of 2 years). The amount listed on the tax auction sites (most counties put their auction notices and the properties on line at the county web site – you don’t need infomercial material to do this, that’s just a rip off) is the amount that is owed to the municipality.

You have to read the auction notice and terms very, very carefully. Many times tax auctions do NOT wipe out other liens, meaning if there is a mortgage on the house you’d have to pay that off to get possession of the house. On top of that, many municipalities have rules about a redemption period. This redemption period is a period of time after the auction that the original owner can pay the taxes and ownership reverts back to them. This period can be a year or more in some places. That means you’d have to win the auction, pay the money, evict the previous owner (or get them to pay you rent), clear other liens on the property (including a mortgage?) and then wait for the redemption period to expire before it was truly yours. Sounds like a game that is a little too much for the average investor/part timer.

So the answer is – I’m sure it has happened that someone has bought a property for $300. It’s also true that people win the lottery – just not you. It would be incredibly rare for it to happen. You are right, if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.

Another way to think about these things is to imagine it in reverse. You own a house (free and clear, let’s say) and you owe $300 in taxes. You’ve owed it for a long, long time. Are you really going to let it go for $300 in taxes? Wouldn’t you sell it first? Wouldn’t getting that $300 to save your house be a top priority? Of course it would be… You wouldn’t let someone else come in and ’steal’ your equity.

good luck!

Pretend you’re a real estate agent, showing a 5 million dollar home to a nationally known sports star. This sports star and his beautiful actress wife really like the house. If the sale is made…the commission will allow you to buy a new luxury car and pay off a lot of bills.

As the sale is about to be closed, the athlete’s cell phone rings and his smile turns to a frown. He has just been traded and will be leaving town. He relays the message to his wife who breaks down and cries.

Question: how old is the real estate person?

I guess how old I am right? Because it says pretend you are a relastate person. lol. idk. :]

I’ve been looking at some Foreclosures listings and I’m wondering which companies are real and which ones are not. I have a partner who purchased from the auctions, but he ended up paying 80% of market value on a "good deal" I’ve heard of one company called 21khomes.com that sales homes for 30 cent’s on the dollar. I’ve heard that they are legit. They claim to be direct with the banks. Only trouble is that they want proof of funds before they will show foreclosure listings. Is this normal?

I went to the bank and I asked the mortgage manager and he gave me a list.

My home was appraised at $338,000 8 weeks ago. I have dropped the selling price down to $275,000. Still no offers. My market is very soft due to over surplus of homes being sold. I can’f afford to drop into the 260s. I’m thinking of de-listing my home for a month or so. Is this a wise strategy? I’m thinking it will be a fresh, new listing with new potential buyers then.

There is nothing wrong with my home, it’s just the market sucks right now and not much is selling unless sellers are willing to really take a beating. What to do?

I have a listing right now that is in the exact same situation, it is very frustrating for my sellers and myself as well. I think the best thing you can do is keep it on the market another 8 weeks. Truth is this is the buying season and even though the market is slow this is the best chance you have to sell so I wouldn’t pull it just yet. I would try to ramp up your marketing efforts and Open Houses, get some exposure on the new price and advertise that it is below apprasied vaule so for the new buyer they have instant equity!! Make sure your home shows like a model, with so much competion out there you have to really make your home shine!! Best of luck to you, email me at srmheath@yahoo.com if I can be of any more help

Are there any good home finder websites, where you can search for homes for sale? I already know about Realtor.com and some other ones… almost all the houses that come up are gated community houses and no regular houses, why is this?

What State do you live in or What State do you want to move in?

My family is interested in moving but I can’t find any good websites.

Like the previous answer stated – realtor.com is probably the best site. I’ve also hear that redfin.com is good too.

I want to work for a developer or in property management. I have 4 years of experience selling and taking care of single family home buyers. What’s a good way to get my foot in the door, but still make enough to support the fam?

First of all, brush up on your tax analysis skills. Commericial lending requires that you analyze business plans and financials and be able to make recommendation for credit based on a company’s strengths.

Then apply with a bank. They often offer a salary in addition to commission and will train the right individual.

You may also be able to work for a bank in your residential lending capacity while training for a commercial position.

Best of luck to you!