A quality home inspection is crucial, but it's important to vet your home inspector before you sign a contract. Q: Can you please provide more information on one of your articles I recently read about home inspectors? The article paints home inspectors in a bad light. No home inspector should have a "liability buyout" clause. [...]
Buying a home can be stressful, especially if it’s your first home purchase. CPA Michael Trickey, managing director of The Berkshire Group in Lake Zurich, Illinois, hopes his new book, [amazon_textlink asin='1681022915' text='Finding Home: Everything You Need to Know - and Do - For Home Buying Success,' template='ProductLink' store='thinkglink-20' marketplace='US' link_id='becfb09b-6d76-11e7-a2e1-674bfee7d6fe'] will help first time [...]
After years of work, you’ve finally made your last mortgage payment, jumped for joy and popped the Champagne. Congratulations! It’s a big accomplishment – but don’t forget to wrap up all the loose ends. The first step is to start watching the mailbox for your cancelled mortgage documents. These documents prove that you own your [...]
It’s been a decade since the housing market collapsed, and home prices have finally regained their previous peak. According to the State of the Nation’s Housing 2017 report, released today by the Joint Center for Housing Studies at Harvard University, U.S. home prices rose 5.6 percent in 2016, beating out their pre-recession highs. Across the [...]
It’s hard to find ways to save more money, and living in one the country’s most expensive cities makes that goal even more difficult. The good news? I’ve got three tips that can help you save more money without having to pack up and flee the neighborhood. Last month, a GoBankingRates study looked at the [...]
Luxury housewares are getting smarter. Smart home technology is automating everything we do at home, from turning on the lights and locking the doors to turning off the oven when we forget. When I visited the International Home and Housewares Show (IHHS) here in Chicago a few months back, there were so many new high-tech [...]
Need a credit card fast? If you choose that credit card wisely, it can reduce financial stress caused later by soaring APRs and a multitude of late fees. And remember: While credit cards and credit card debt can be a huge source of financial stress, particularly if you build up a significant balance, they can [...]
Last week, a federal jury in Texas imposed a nearly $93 million penalty against Allied Home Mortgage Capital Corp. and Allied Home Mortgage Corp. (now known as AllQuest Home Mortgage Corp.) and CEO Jim Hodge for issuing thousands of bad loans and leaving the Office of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) on the hook for [...]
How do hybrid cars work?
