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Can I replace half a roof?

Dear David, We plan to sell our house and downsize in the next few years. The back (south-facing) side of our roof is in need of replacement, but the roofer says we can likely get four or five more years out of the front. Should we replace the back half of the roof now and

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Trees that cross property lines

Dear David, My house is about 30 years old, and I’ve lived there for 25 years. Several years ago, my neighbour planted a cedar hedge to separate our yards. The roots and branches now extend about 12 inches over my side of the property line, and when the trees get heavy with snow, they lean

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Bully offers in a bad market?

Dear David, It seems like every day brings more bad news about interest rates and real estate in general. As someone who is trying to buy a house, this leaves me with two questions: (i) why am I facing multiple offers if the market is so bad, and (ii) if my agent knows I’m competing,

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Advice for first-time buyers

Dear David, My wife and I are first time homebuyers. After saving for years, we’ve paid off our existing student loans, car loans and credit card debt. We used an online mortgage calculator to get pre-approved for about $600 thousand. What steps can we take to get started? – ON THE HUNT DEAR HUNT: The

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Should I install a pool?

Dear David,Our kids will be starting school this fall. We hope they’ll make new friends. In anticipation, we want to finish our basement with an extra bedroom and maybe install a pool. We’re not really committed to our current school zone and are trying to figure out if this plan makes sense. – LOOKING AHEAD

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Establishing property value

Dear David, I’ve lived in the same house for over 50 years. I have a new significant other who wants to buy into the property. We want to ensure that if something happens to one of us, our respective estates are treated properly. I called a Realtor to do a market analysis for us and

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