Deb Agliano's Q&A

Hi Mia,Yes you can upload a video to your Zillow profile.  I've just finished a short introduction video and embedded it easily on my profile by just cutting and pasting the embed information (which you can get once you host your video on a video sharing site like YouTube, WellcomeMat etc).  Check out how my video looks on my profile.

There's no set answer.  Real estate agents work for a variety of different fees and under different business  models.  My best recommendation is to interview several local agents and choose the one with the best marketing plan, good sales experience and most importantly - the person you feel comfortable with.

My understand is that you can't have owned a house for 3 years prior to your purchase.  The normal definition of "owning" a house is being on the deed.  I would check with your tax preparer to make sure that you do qualify.

I'm sorry to hear about the fire in your house.  I worked with a client a few years ago in the same situation.  His house had a fire that destroyed everything but the foundation.  The house was rebuilt and was now the newest and nicest house in an area of older homes.  We were able to sell the house for more than what the neighborhood usually sold for.  To determine the current value of your house, follow Randy's advice and good luck!

Hi Sue,It really depends on what your competition, so check to see if other houses in Sugar Land have bathtubs in their master bedrooms.  If they do, then it's best to go along with the crowd and put in a bathtub.  I'm in Medford, 5 miles north of Boston.  Since our housing stock is older, many homes don't have master baths, so just the fact that a house has one is a plus and a tub isn't necessary.  In your area, if almost everyone has a master bath with a tub and you don't, your house won't compare as well.

I'm in Massachusetts and the rule of thumb here to figure out Gross Living Area is any finished, heated space above ground level.  So even if a basement space is finished, it doesn't count in the GLA, but if an attic was finished and heated, that would count.

Thank you for your question.  Owner occupying both units of a 2 family home doesn't change the legal classification of the house.  This means there won't be any change to your real estate taxes, mortgage or insurance because the house is still a 2 family home regardless of who's living there.  If you are looking to have a change to your real estate taxes etc. you would need to go to the city of Malden and have the house officially changed to a single family home.There is one advantage of owner occupying both units and that comes when you sell.  You'll want to talk to an accountant if you have rented out part of the home at any point or taken depreciation, but owner occupying both units can potentially mean no capital gains when you sell.  (Of course, this is only an advantage if you sell the property for a gain.)

Normally the outstanding liens are paid from the proceeds of the sale so that even a seller who doesn't have the cash to pay the liens off beforehand can do it as part of the sale itself.Besides the sale I had on Winslow for $130,000, there are two other house lots that have sold in the last 6 months in Fulton Heights.  They were both on Landry Road (near the back of the old Malden Hospital) and both lots needed to be cleared and are on the side of the hill and will probably need some blasting work as well.  Both were buildable lots (no variance needed) and they sold for $60,000 and $75,000.The new construction house on Winslow is asking $439,900.You can do a lot with modular.  Have you seen the modular house they've just put on a lot on Fulton Street itself?I'm actually on vacation (but as you can see, my computer is attached to my hip) but if you'd like to continue the conversation privately, feel free to email me at Deb@DebOnTheWeb.com or I'd be happy to chat in person when I get back.

Thanks for the update!  The good news is that the building department thinks it could work, but you're right - there's a good amount of work ahead of you.  For the plot plan, you can call Medford Engineering and Survey at 781-396-4466. I've just checked with a contractor I work with and she recommended a structural engineer named Carmine Guarracino 617.834.2653.Typically the seller is responsible for paying any outstanding liens in a real estate transaction, so unless you have a different agreement with this seller, you won't have to pay the outstanding water bill and taxes.  Good luck and keep us posted!

I've found that the seller had to go in and "unclaim" the house so that I could then claim the house as the listing agent.