How to divide inherited property. There are several ways to divide real estate inheritances without resorting to lawsuits between heirs. Q: I have an interesting situation. My aunt recently died and left behind an estate which includes a luxury condo in Illinois. My aunt had no family of her own, and left 40 percent of [...]
Too sell a home with an IRS tax lien, you should remove the tax lien before closing the deal. Q: I am an enrolled agent with 20 years of practice, and 30 years working for the IRS. I thoroughly enjoyed your recent article dealing with IRS liens. I had a few thoughts to add. A [...]
If you're looking to file taxes for previous years, the good news is that you may still get refunds from the IRS. Q: I’m trying to get pointed in the right direction. I was in a motorcycle accident back in 2000. I have not filed taxes since then because I really haven’t been working. I [...]
Home ownership and the Great Recession. A study reports that 79 percent of people view the housing market from a new viewpoint after the burst of the housing bubble. Jim Gillespie, CEO of Coldwell Banker is a guest. And as usual, providing personal finance advice, real estate advice and consumer advice on the Ilyce Glink [...]
When buying or selling a home, finding the best Realtor or real estate agent that knows the housing market, listens to you and fits your personality is a must. Q: We are selling our home possibly next year and would like to know how to find the right agent to represent us. We will obviously [...]
Home value protection insurance might not be worth the cost when property prices are the lowest they have been in decades. Several weeks ago, we were asked a question about whether someone should buy insurance on their property value that would pay off if the value of the property declined. We suggested that buying property [...]
If you are looking to buy a co-op but get rejected by the board, you recourse for getting back the money spent on fees and costs of purchase is low. Q: I was trying to buy a co-op. I found a property and paid fees for appraisal, lawyers’ fees to my attorney and to the [...]
Declaring bankruptcy is an option to help underwater homeowners. When in default you can consider a strategic bankruptcy. Q: About a month ago, you wrote an article about strategic default options for underwater homeowners. I was surprised that you didn't mention bankruptcy with surrender as an option for underwater homeowners. Going beyond strategic default, there's [...]
Q: We own a home in Georgia, but due to a job change, my husband moved out of state and took a large pay cut. I stayed in the home for a year after he moved and we depleted our savings during that time. We were finally able to rent the home, but the rent [...]
What if you could give the economy a huge shot in the arm without costing the taxpayers anything extra? What if at the same time, you could make it easier for people now living at the margins to stay in their home? For the last two years, mortgage interest rates have been falling to the [...]
