Answers by Mark Gordon

Right of First Refusal (ROFR) gives a tenant or another party the first chance to buy a property if the owner decides to sell, but it doesn’t give them the power to force a sale. If it’s written into a lease, the tenant can match another buyer’s offer once the owner chooses to sell. If the owner passes away, heirs inherit the property under estate law, but the ROFR stays attached—meaning if the heirs ever decide to sell, the ROFR holder gets their opportunity.

Refinancing your mortgage can cause a small, temporary dip in your credit score because lenders pull your credit during the application, but the impact is usually minor and short-lived. If you make on-time payments after refinancing, your credit score often recovers quickly and can even improve over time thanks to lower monthly payments and better debt management. The bigger question is whether the savings from locking in a lower interest rate outweigh that short-term credit hit—and for most homeowners with “ok” credit, refinancing is a smart long-term move to save money and strengthen financial stability.