Category Archives: Buying a Home

When relationships get serious, couples generally want to live together in apartments for rent in jersey city. Many couples choose to rent a home together as they begin their life together. Following are the top six renting tips for LGBT couples. 1. Know your rights before renting. In many states, it is not illegal for landlords to refuse to rent to unmarried couples or because of religious beliefs. You should find out if your state has laws that prohibit discrimination based on marital status, sexual orientation or sexual identity. This […]

The idea of buying real estate in utah is certainly appealing.  Many buyers feel like they’re simply throwing away their rent every month—they’re not putting it towards anything.  Plus there are many limitations imposed upon renters by their landlords.  Renters may not be able to have certain pets or change up the property as they’d like.  But even though buying may look like a great option, before you jump in, you need to take a good, hard look at your finances to make sure you can afford to buy now.  […]

Buying your dream home is a major step in life that you will presumable be living in for a long time. When you find the perfect home for you, it would be wise to take a walk around the neighborhood and talk to some of the neighbors. Failing to do this is one of the most common mistakes that buyers make. Neighbors can give you a lot of information about the house and about the neighborhood. Following are 5 questions to ask the neighbors before buying home. 1. Ask what […]

There are several ways that same sex couples can finance a home purchase including traditional mortgage lenders and possible other options. Following are the top 3 ways for same sex couples to finance a home. 1. The U.S. Finance and Administration, FHA, is a division of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, HUD. Because discrimination based on marital status is prohibited, it makes no difference if you are married or not when applying for a loan. Federal law also prohibits FHA from considering sexual orientation or gender identity […]

The Colorado Civil Union Act, C.R.S. 14-15-101, became effective on May 1, 2013 making it the only remaining state that allows civil unions. Other states that previously recognized those partnerships have adopted same sex marriage laws and converted civil unions, with the exception of Vermont, into marriages as a matter of law. Vermont enacted its same sex marriage law in 2009. All civil unions entered into before that date are still recognized as civil unions. Note that New Hampshire enacted its same sex marriage law on January 1, 2010. All […]

Protecting yourself when purchasing a home with your partner should be one of your priorities. Following are the top five ways that you should consider to protect yourself when purchasing a home with your partner. 1. Create a partnership agreement that outlines each of your responsibilities. For example, who pays the mortgage,who pays for maintenance and repairs, will one partner pay more money while the other partner provides more labor, and what happens if the relationship ends. Creating an agreement can help resolve disputes without the need for mediation or […]

When you purchase a home, the actual piece of paper that says you own that property and everything on it is the deed.  Without the deed, or without clear title to the land, it’s possible someone else can make a claim on your property, which is why you’ll most likely see something called title insurance on your closing paperwork. A title examination is crucial to ensure that you’ll get a legitimate deed or title that basically says anyone else’s claim to the land is null and void. There are four […]

Unfortunately, there are real estate agents, lenders and others involved in the process of purchasing a home that may discriminate against you because you are gay or lesbian. Some examples include agents charging you a higher commission, or refusing to allow you to make an offer on a particular home that you are interested in, possibly steering you away from certain neighborhoods, and/or inflating the asking prices of homes. Mortgage lenders may discriminate by refusing to give you a loan, or charging higher interest rates than it would heterosexual people […]

Gay couples that live in states that do not recognize same sex marriages have unique concerns when it comes to estate issues and real estate. Below are some legal avenues that you can use to protect your gay partner and ensure your assets are distributed according to your wishes. Wills Wills are important estate planning documents that allow you to distribute your assets according to your wishes upon your death. If you do not create a will, your estate will be distributed according to the intestate laws of the state […]