Should I Put Inherited Property In LLC? Reader wants to know if using an LLC to transfer property ownership after death is the best way to avoid probate Q: I inherited a parcel of land upon my father's death. His wishes were for the property to remain in the family for my children. In order [...]
Timeshare Horror Story Inheriting a timeshare caused family drama after niece and nephew demanded a share of the sale. Q: My parents purchased a timeshare with a floating week in a nearby town many years ago. One of the nicer aspects of the timeshare was that if your name was on the deed, you and [...]
2024 Personal Finance Resolutions Every year, Ilyce and Sam offer their readers New Year’s resolutions for home buyers, sellers and their personal finances. These are their 2024 Personal Finance Resolutions. Have you made your 2024 Personal Finance Resolutions yet? Before you do, consider this: Are we in a Silent Depression or a booming economy? Since [...]
2024 Home Seller Resolutions Every year, Ilyce and Sam offer their list of New Year's Resolutions for home buyers, home sellers and financial resolutions for everyone. Have you made your 2024 home seller resolutions yet? The last few years have been an unprecedented gift for home sellers. With few homes listed for sale, home prices [...]
2024 Home Buyer Resolutions Every year, Ilyce and Sam offer their readers New Year’s resolutions for home buyers, sellers and their personal finances. These are their 2024 Home Buyer Resolutions. Have you made your 2024 home buyer resolutions yet? It’s been a tough few years for home buyers. Since the start of the pandemic, mortgage [...]
Passing Inspection Before Sale A reader wants to know how to avoid a village-required inspection that will require updates to their property Q: This may be a question for Sam. We live in a village that requires us to purchase transfer stamps in order to sell our home. But for us to get the stamp, [...]
Escrow Account Misuse Lender takes escrow account funds to make last mortgage payment instead of refunding to homeowners Q: Our local paper published your letter from the folks who had to send a certified check for their final mortgage payment after 30 years of monthly payments. We experienced an unexpected final payment on our mortgage [...]
Fidelity National Financial's Cyber Attack Recently, Fidelity National Financial, a Fortune 500 provider of title insurance for buyers and sellers, was hit by a devastating cyber attack. Fidelity National Financial submitted regulatory documents to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission acknowledging the attack on November 21, 2023 and describing how it handles the situation. “Among [...]
A reader wonders how to calculate the square footage of a home Developers calculate the square footage of a home in different ways. Which can be confusing. Q: I read your column regularly and have a question. I recently attended an open house for a 2-bedroom, 2-bath condo in a south suburb of Chicago. [...]
Electronic Vehicle (EV) Charging Concerns Readers are concerned about electric vehicle (EV) charging in condominium buildings. Reader Comment on Electronic Vehicle Charging Concern - Fire You missed a very real concern with the questions of EVs charging – fire. Standard sprinklers will not extinguish a battery-based fire. Water can't smother it and even if it [...]
