Investing in foreclosures can lead to big gains. Ilyce Glink talks about real estate investing and foreclosure in today's Real Estate Minute. There are two key factors that will predict your success as a real estate investor: How savvy you are about what you buy, and how patient you can be. Typically, single-family homes appreciate [...]
Have a failed home inspection on your hands? Ilyce Glink explains what to do when a home inspection goes bad in today's Real Estate Minute. When you have a home inspected, you have to be prepared for your inspector find something wrong with the property you’ve fallen in love with. When a home inspector finds [...]
Home buyers should get sellers to cover their home warranty when buying a new home. Watch Ilyce Glink in today's Real Estate Minute. Here’s some more good news for home buyers. Many sellers are so desperate to unload their property that they will pick up the cost of a home warranty as a marketing tool. [...]
Getting approved for a home loan is scary if you don't know how much home you can afford. Ilyce Glink explains in today's Real Estate Minute. Getting a home loan doesn’t have to be scary. You just have to know your limits when it comes to taking on debt. The housing bubble and great recession [...]
Understand the pros and cons of real estate investment trusts before jumping in. Real estate investment trusts have both advantages and disadvantages. Q: We are retired and our investment advisor suggested that we invest in REITS. Would this be a good idea? We have about $270,000 in assets and he wants us to invest about [...]
Thinking about paying off your second mortgage with a home equity loan? Make sure you don't pay more than nominal fees. Q: My first mortgage will be paid in full in a couple of weeks. My home is worth around $300,000. I have a second loan of less than $30,000 with an interest rate of [...]
Thinking about co-buying your home? Before buying a home with another family member, consider problems that can occur. Q: My husband, sister, and I are buying a home. My sister would like to pay one-third of the cost of the house and we’d finance the rest of the purchase. My husband and I would pay [...]
If you're having trouble selling your home, don't blame the real estate agent. It could just be the real estate market in your neighborhood. Q: I’ve been trying to sell my house for the past few years and have hired and fired a bunch of agents because none of them was able to find a buyer. [...]
People keep asking TaxMama® how much tax they’ll have to pay on something they inherited. The good news is, generally the answer is “none.” The heirs don’t pay. The estate of the decedent pays any taxes due when the estate is large enough to be subject to estate taxes. This leads to more good news: In [...]
In spring, we turn to thoughts of gardening, home repairs, refurbishments, and maybe even remodeling. Let’s look at common tasks and see what the tax ramifications are. Is anything deductible? Probably not—but don’t despair. I have some tax tips for how to find a tax credit (or two) available to you. Before going forward, set up two [...]
