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Epic Heat? New Study Links Racial Deed Restrictions to Temperature Risk

What impact do racial covenants in property deeds have on heat-related health risks? You might be surprised.

In a first-of-its-kind effort to answer this question, researchers looked at greater Minneapolis. They mapped out the places where homes have a history of white ownership, maintained by racial deed language.

These historically exclusive neighborhoods are cooler, with more trees and less concrete. Maybe that finding comes as no surprise.

But heat extremes in the United States can kill. Heat waves do, in fact, kill more people every year than fierce storms and floods do. Heat, by the way, also makes storms fiercer, and flooding more severe. And that affects the economic value of a home.

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Buying a Home on Disability: What to Know

For all hopeful buyers, whether or not they have disabilities, getting a mortgage comes down to a rather simple formula. It’s about how much a loan applicant spends, versus the applicant’s stable income. And yes, stable income includes disability benefits such as Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) and Supplemental Security Insurance (SSI).

Disability income might also mean personally purchased or employer-covered insurance. And there can be other sources, like the Department of Veterans Affairs.

Indeed, disability insurance pays many recipients enough to be their whole basis for applying for a mortgage loan.

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What’s the Latest With AI in Real Estate? Ask Claire.

A company named reAlpha is a publicly traded firm focused on property technology — proptech. And it’s very big on artificial intelligence.

But who’s Claire?

That’s reAlpha’s Smart Buyer’s Agent. Claire is powered by generative AI. Claire helps the home buyer pick out the best homes to consider. Claire then provides data-informed virtual tours, and offers support all the way through closing day.

With round-the-clock support, Claire is poised to make a home purchase, well…user-friendly. And if Claire’s your agent, you needn’t worry about paying commission.

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I Inherited a Home. Should I Sell It, or Rent It Out?

Many heirs receive real estate because it’s a valuable asset — not necessarily because they need the homes to live in. So, for the heir who doesn’t want to live in the inherited home, what’s the best decision to make? Rent or sell the home?

The answer is clear: It all depends! It’ll turn on the precise blend of the heir’s circumstances and the real estate market.

While we have no blanket best answer for all readers and all markets, we can certainly go over the factors an heir would want to consider.

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Michigan Deed Holders: Your Property Rights Could Change

Living in Michigan? It’s time to check your deed restrictions. Michigan deed holders should know that changes made to the state’s Marketable Record Title Act (MRTA) took effect March 29, 2024. And there’s a new deadline to record a notice under the MRTA.

KEY POINT TO KNOW: Michigan deed holders now have until September 29, 2025 to keep certain conditions on their deeds that originated 40+ years back. Otherwise, the law will effectively delete certain longstanding “rights and interests” including deed covenants, restrictions, and easements — by letting them sunset.

Now, let’s go into some details about deeds, restrictions on deeds, and how Michigan’s changes could apply to you and/or your homeowner’s association.

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Now They’re Holding Titles for Ransom? Here’s How Real Estate Scammers Target Floridians (and the Rest of Us)

St. Johns County, which includes St. Augustine Beach, has plenty of attractive real estate. Just beware the trickster who holds a deed for ransom.

One of the seniors who lives in St. Johns sounded the alarm. Some shady firm told her to pay $20K to get her title back.

It’s a trend in which local “investment companies” (or run-of-the-mill fraud rings) take the title of a home hostage, for a payoff. Now, St. Johns County officials are warning the public about these real estate ransoms.

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Deed Records Go Digital: Getting Up to Speed in Delaware County, PA

Delaware County (“Delco” to the locals) is home to more than a half-million residents, making it Pennsylvania’s 5th most populated county. It borders the southwest edge of Philadelphia. It’s a little bit country, a little bit urban. It includes scenic Ridley Creek State Park. Several universities stand at least partly within it: Cheyney, Villanova, and Widener.

The Delaware County Recorder of Deeds’ office, which holds 240 years’ worth of documents, is putting them all online. The public can already take advantage of the county’s new system. And this year, the Delco Recorder of Deeds has deployed keyword search software.

Search through public documents using keywords? What a novel idea! Let’s see what else people can do with this new online resource.

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Risky Business? Minnesota Home Buyers Skip the Mortgage, Preferring Contracts for Deed

Land contract financing, a.k.a. the contract for deed, is a go-to method of home buying in Minnesota — especially in urban neighborhoods. These contracts allow homeowners to sell directly to buyers, bypassing the scrutiny of a mortgage lender. Each year, thousands of Minnesota buyers use them to finance their home purchases.

Federal lawmakers across the political spectrum say it’s high time for Congress to apply stricter oversight to Minnesota, and to all states.

But why? What’s going on? Would more regulation make sense? Let’s take a look.

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Register of Deeds Blasts Crooks Who Steal Homes Out From Under Owners’ Funerals

The Register of Deeds of Shelby County, Tennessee recently took to a live television newscast to warn the public about scammers scouring funeral listings and obituaries. They’re looking for dead people whose homes they can steal.

They forge deeds. They record bogus title transfers.

Once they have control over their ill-gotten homes, criminals sell them, borrow against them, rent them out, and evict rightful owners.  

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