One of the greatest misconceptions about credit scoring is the idea that it's good for your score to carry a balance. Your best bet for maintaining a good credit score is to pay off your balances but keep the account open to create a history. The longer you have a credit account open, the the higher your credit score, provided you're making at least your minimum payments on time.
Ilyce discusses the latest news about the economy and Warren Buffett's take on the economic situation with the government bailouts. Liz Weston, the author of the updated book "Your Money And What's At Stake," joined Ilyce to talk about what's going on in the world of credit. The second hour of this week's show is a rebroadcast of the first hour of Ilyce's Tax Special that aired earlier this year. Come back next week for the second hour of the tax special.
You may have noticed the mood around your office change since the start of the financial crisis. Managers may be more worried about the bottom line. E...
For our friends in the Atlanta area, Ilyce is hosting a special half-day event, "Makeover Your Money" Buy tickets early for less than $10! Or get the...
Home sellers received a letter that the furnace in their sold home has been recalled. If a product is recalled, typically the company that manufactures it will repair or replace it. The contract will determine if the buyer or seller is responsible for getting the recalled furnace fixed.
A home seller is selling by owner but having trouble listing the home in the local multiple listing service (MLS). Several for sale by owner companies provide the option to be included in multiple listing services.
New homebuyers wonder if the closing costs for their new construction home are too high. The builder for their new home agreed to pay a certain amount toward closing costs. Closing costs for a home depend on the home price and where you live.
Before starting any sort of major home renovation or remodeling project, you will want to get bids from contractors and compare price estimates. A bid from a contractor should not be a single number estimate. You will want to see a detailed, multi-page report with a line item for everything that will go into your home remodeling project. With a detailed line item report, you will be able to better estimate your costs and plan for changes later in the renovation project. Watch this Expert Real Estate Tips Video for more help with how to prepare for a home remodeling project.
When you get divorced your divorce settlement should outline who gets what property and how it's divided up. Property issues that can be resolved in a divorce settlement can include rental property or primary residence issues. If you and your ex-spouse own rental property together and one of you wants to sell, you must both agree or one of you must take on responsibility for the property on your own. If the divorce settlement didn't clearly decide who owns the rental property and an exit-plan for it, you may need to involve lawyers.
As you get older, in order to protect your property, you may want to transfer property titles to your children's names. When you transfer title to property before you die you may see your children fight about the property and whether to sell it. If your children feel one of their siblings is getting a free ride or cheating, the property situation could get ugly. To sell the property your children may have to involve a real estate attorney who can help with a partition lawsuit or enable swapping property.
