What happens to your taxes when you co-sign a mortgage for your child? It all depends on how you decide to hold title on the home. Q: If I co-sign a mortgage so my son can buy a house, how will that affect my taxes for the profit when it is sold? He will make [...]
Best summer vacation ideas for families on a budget. Budget-friendly summer vacation ideas for families who can't afford to travel this summer. Are you struggling to plan a summer vacation on a budget? You’re not alone, according to a recent Bankrate survey 60 percent of Americans who aren’t planning a summer vacation have decided they [...]
Trees, neighbors and insurance coverage: What you need to know when nature strikes and your homeowner's insurance gives you the runaround. Over the past few weeks, we’ve received a number of letters on our recent column about trees, neighbors and insurance coverage. A reader wrote in that a tree fell on his neighbor’s garage and [...]
With an underwater mortgage, this senior homeowner is desperate for help. Thanks to the Great Recession, this older homeowner is struggling with selling at a loss or staying in their home. Q: My mother is 90 and needs to soon move from her condo to an assisted living facility. She bought her condo at the [...]
Gen Z: homeowners by age 30? Gen Z wants to buy a home in 5 years, but most early adults still receive financial support from parents. Nearly 60 percent of Gen Z wants to buy a home within the next five years, meaning they would become homeowners by the age of 30, according to research [...]
What happens to the good faith deposit when the homebuyer backs out? If the buyer doesn’t ask for it back, the seller needs to take control of the situation. Q: We accepted an offer on our house a year ago. Unfortunately, the buyer walked away at the eleventh hour – the night before the moving [...]
If you want to take out a loan on an inherited home, finding the right lender and knowing your credit score can start you off on the right path. Q: My grandparents passed away years ago. Then, last year, my mother passed. My grandparents owned a home and I paid a title company to complete [...]
Mortgage delinquency rates are down, credit delinquencies are up. CoreLogic reports 30-day-plus delinquency is the lowest it’s been in over a decade. It’s a good news, not-so-good news situation. First, the good news: More people are paying their mortgages on time. Unfortunately, credit delinquencies are up as more people are having trouble getting their [...]
Does seller disclosure cover plumbing problems? If there was misrepresentation on the disclosure sheet, you may have a case. Q: Three months ago, I bought a house. I didn’t have a septic inspection. A few days ago, the septic pump failed. I had it pumped, then had a plumber come to inspect. He found that [...]
What to consider before purchasing property for friends. No matter how long you’ve known them, a detailed title and promissory note are always necessary. Q: My father purchased a fixer-upper for a friend and hand-wrote a mortgage payment plan they both agreed upon. Well, after a few payments, the buyers stopped making the mortgage payments. [...]
