HOA Won't Pay Repair Bill Here's why the homeowners association won't agree to foot the entire bill for water damage to an owner's unit. Q: We own a condo in Atlanta as a secondary residence. About a year ago we discovered a portion of our floor was saturated with water. We discovered, and the [...]
Revocable and Irrevocable Trusts A reader wants to know if it is a problem that their revocable and irrevocable trusts aren't funded. Q: On the advice of an attorney, many years ago my wife and I each created a revocable trust. We never funded the trusts because all our major assets, including stocks, bonds and [...]
My 2023 Holiday Gift ideas for billionaires and everyone else I surfed the Internet and found a few things I thought were just awesome gifts - if money is no object. I mean, what do you get your special someone who already has everything in the world? It would have to be a very [...]
Why my credit score drop? Paying off loans or credit card debt may temporarily drop your credit score. Even as it seems paying off debt should raise them. Q: So my mortgage got sold again to a new loan servicing company. And, again my credit score went down. My score went down when they closed [...]
Should I Put Inherited Property In LLC? Reader wants to know if using an LLC to transfer property ownership after death is the best way to avoid probate Q: I inherited a parcel of land upon my father's death. His wishes were for the property to remain in the family for my children. In order [...]
Timeshare Horror Story Inheriting a timeshare caused family drama after niece and nephew demanded a share of the sale. Q: My parents purchased a timeshare with a floating week in a nearby town many years ago. One of the nicer aspects of the timeshare was that if your name was on the deed, you and [...]
2024 Personal Finance Resolutions Every year, Ilyce and Sam offer their readers New Year’s resolutions for home buyers, sellers and their personal finances. These are their 2024 Personal Finance Resolutions. Have you made your 2024 Personal Finance Resolutions yet? Before you do, consider this: Are we in a Silent Depression or a booming economy? Since [...]
2024 Home Seller Resolutions Every year, Ilyce and Sam offer their list of New Year's Resolutions for home buyers, home sellers and financial resolutions for everyone. Have you made your 2024 home seller resolutions yet? The last few years have been an unprecedented gift for home sellers. With few homes listed for sale, home prices [...]
2024 Home Buyer Resolutions Every year, Ilyce and Sam offer their readers New Year’s resolutions for home buyers, sellers and their personal finances. These are their 2024 Home Buyer Resolutions. Have you made your 2024 home buyer resolutions yet? It’s been a tough few years for home buyers. Since the start of the pandemic, mortgage [...]
Passing Inspection Before Sale A reader wants to know how to avoid a village-required inspection that will require updates to their property Q: This may be a question for Sam. We live in a village that requires us to purchase transfer stamps in order to sell our home. But for us to get the stamp, [...]
