From an old torn-out page from Domino Magazine I found here in the house while packing things up, here is a list of the top ten most cost-effective renovations you can do to increase the value of your house. With foreclosures occurring at the rate of 1 every 13 seconds in this country, those looking [...]
Well, at least that’s what a columnist in Time magazine thinks. (It is in the current paper issue, so it’s not available online yet.) I never really thought about it that way, but he is kinda right – owning a home does provide the homeowner with a kind of welfare in several different ways. [...]
I received this question from Jennifer L. over the weekend – “My husband and I are about to start the pre-approval process for a home loan, and I was wondering what you thought of 15 year versus 30 year mortgages. We are considering and will probably qualify for either, but we are not sure [...]
My friends are in the midst of finalizing their first home purchase this week, and after going through the home inspection with them, I have a new-found respect for people who really put the work into their home in order to help it sell. The house they are buying is immaculate, and a lot [...]
If you are one of the millions of people having trouble with your mortgage, the government is going to try to help you out a little. They are putting about $75 billion dollars into the housing industry to help homeowners refinance and/or modify their mortgages. However, not everyone who is having [...]
Own your own home? Looking for more ways to reduce your tax burden other than just the normal interest write-off? You might want to check out this article at Kiplinger.com which outlines some new tax breaks that you probably don’t want to miss. A few highlights?
First-time buyers who purchased a home between April [...]
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Are you the type of person who has to have everything updated in their new house? Do you shudder at the [...]
As I am sure you are well aware of by now, the government just bailed out Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac with our tax dollars. Yep, you are now the proud part owner of $5.4 trillion in mortgages, some of which are sound and many of which are not. Over the last two [...]
For just about two years now I have been working from home, and 80% of my work & income has been from freelance jobs. This includes my own websites and blogs, consulting on additional ones, any design work I have done, etc…the other 20% is from a company I am still on payroll for [...]
Although we are just starting to look for our first home, and I think buying a vacation is kind of waste of money unless you use it 50% of the year, Smart Money has come up with a list of places to buy a vacation home. So if you and yours are thinking about [...]
Another incentive for us to really start looking at more homes around here is the new $7,500 tax credit available to first time home buyers:
Buyers who have not owned a home in the past three years can take a tax credit worth 10% of a home’s sale price, up to $7,500, whichever is smaller. [...]
Sure, it needs a little work…and it is in Detroit. But when it last sold for $65,000 a few years ago, it was the nicest house on the block. But now, it has just been sold for $1.00. Yes, you read that right – One Dollar.
So desperate was the bank owner of 8111 Traverse Street [...]
As any regular reader will know, I am not a fan of A. bailing out anyone that took on more mortgage than they can chew or B. letting people walk away from mortgages they cannot afford. Both A and B cost me money as a taxpayer, which I am not happy about. However, [...]
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I just finished reading a recent article about Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson saying that there are many foreclosures that cannot be helped; but I would venture to say that there were even more than he thinks that shouldn’t be bailed out, [...]
