Guides for homeowners
The situations we see most, explained without jargon and written for the rules that apply here in the Washington metro.
Selling a House During a Divorce: Options When You Need a Clean Break
When a marriage ends, the house is often the largest shared asset and the hardest to untangle. This guide explains the main options, how DC, Maryland, and Virginia courts generally treat the family home, and the tax and mortgage issues to raise with your attorney.
8 min readInherited a House in DC, MD, or VA? A Step-by-Step Checklist
When you inherit a house, a handful of early steps protect the property and your family's options. This checklist walks through the first 90 days in DC, Maryland, and Virginia, from securing the home to deciding whether to keep, rent, or sell.
9 min readSelling a House That Needs Major Repairs: Fix, List As-Is, or Sell Direct?
A house that needs major work can be repaired and listed, listed as-is, or sold directly to a buyer. The right choice depends on your cash, your time, your tolerance for risk, and what you walk away with after all costs.
9 min readCode Violations, Vacant Property Tax, and Liens in DC: What Owners Should Know
In DC, a house that sits empty or falls into disrepair can be taxed at much higher rates, and unpaid fines and taxes can become liens on the property. This guide explains how those rules work, what exemptions exist, and how liens are handled when a property is sold.
8 min readSelling a Rental With Tenants in Place: What DC Landlords Need to Know
In DC, tenants have strong rights when a rental is sold, including notice rights and, in some cases, the right to buy the property first. This guide explains the Tenant Opportunity to Purchase Act, recent changes, and the practical paths for landlords who want to sell.
8 min readIs It Time to Sell Your Rental? A Simple Hold-vs-Sell Test
Deciding whether to keep or sell a rental comes down to a handful of questions about cash flow, upcoming repairs, your time, your equity, and local rules. This article gives you a simple scorecard and worksheet, and explains the tax issues to discuss with a tax professional before you decide.
8 min readMaryland vs. Virginia Foreclosure Timelines: How Much Time Do You Really Have?
Maryland and Virginia sit side by side but handle foreclosure very differently, and that changes how much time a homeowner has to act. This guide walks through each state's steps and the minimum notice periods set by law.
8 min read6 Ways to Stop or Avoid Foreclosure (and When Selling Makes Sense)
If you have fallen behind on your mortgage, you usually have more options than you think, and several of them let you keep your home. This guide explains each one in plain terms, with honest trade-offs, so you can choose a path with a clear head.
9 min readCan You Sell a House Before Probate Is Finished?
In many cases, yes. An inherited house can often be sold while probate is still open, but only by the person with legal authority, and the rules differ in DC, Maryland, and Virginia.
8 min readGot a Notice of Default in DC? What It Means and Your Next 30 Days
A Notice of Default on Residential Mortgage is a serious warning, but it is not a foreclosure sale, and it gives you about 30 days to request DC's foreclosure mediation program. This guide explains the notice, your options, and a practical checklist for the next 30 days.
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The Landlord Exit Guide — Selling a Rental in DC, MD & VA
A hold-vs-sell scorecard with a fill-in worksheet, what changes when tenants are in place (including DC's tenant purchase rights and the 2025 changes), rent stabilization pointers, tax considerations, and three exit paths compared side by side.
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The Inherited Property Checklist — First 90 Days
What to do in the first 90 days after inheriting a house in DC, Maryland or Virginia. Securing and insuring the home, opening probate in each jurisdiction, who actually has authority to sell, what to do when heirs disagree, a document worksheet, and questions worth asking a probate attorney.
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The Foreclosure Options Guide — DC, Maryland & Virginia
Every path open to a homeowner behind on a mortgage in DC, Maryland and Virginia — including the ones that don't involve selling. Timelines by jurisdiction, your options with honest trade-offs, a first-seven-days checklist, a call script for your servicer, and where to get free help.
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The homeowner letter
One email a month: what's changing in DC, Maryland, and Northern Virginia, and what it means if you own a house here. No sales pitch, and one click to unsubscribe.
We'll call once. If you tell us you're not interested, that's the end of it.
We reply the same day, usually within a couple of hours.
We never sell your information. See our Privacy Policy and Terms of Service.
Talk it through with someone who knows the options.
A free 20-minute call, and the 48-Hour Options Report if it's useful to you.