by kramoltz@hotmail.com | Oct 29, 2020 | Real Estate History
At Halloween in previous years, I have told stories of scary homes for sale (in Horrifying Home Stories for Halloween). But houses not on the market may be cursed too. Built in the mid-1800s, Ashton Villa is a mansion in Galveston, Texas said to be haunted by previous...
by kramoltz@hotmail.com | Jan 21, 2020 | Real Estate History
In the mid to late 19th century, the front room or parlor of most homes was strictly formal. Funerals and wakes took place at home then, and because deceased family members were laid out to receive their final respects in the parlor, it became known as the “death...
by kramoltz@hotmail.com | Feb 19, 2019 | Home Buying, Real Estate History
When purchasing coastal property in Mexico, a Fideicomiso is necessary. A Fideicomiso is a living trust format, used to circumvent the prohibition against the acquisition of ocean front land by non-Mexican citizens. Its probable origin is the fideicommissum originated...
by kramoltz@hotmail.com | Jan 28, 2019 | Real Estate Facts & Figures, Real Estate History
The modern Anglo-American trust is a unique legal device. In the U.S. we use trusts primary as methods to hold and convey property, often to heirs as an estate planning device. There are a couple of theories concerning the origin of the trust, with the latest being...
by kramoltz@hotmail.com | May 18, 2017 | Real Estate History
In the U.S., its common for a buyer to receive a gift after they purchase a home. In Germany the tradition is to give a small cup of salt and a loaf of bread to someone who’s moved into a new home. These food staples symbolize lifelong prosperity.
by kramoltz@hotmail.com | Mar 24, 2017 | Mortgages + Lending, Real Estate History
It would seem that the payment of a mortgage is a relatively recent activity historically. But lending has a long history, and may be as old as writing. For example, there is evidence of lending in Mesopotamia for grain purchases as far back as 3000 B.C.E. As to real...
