Ilyce Glink's Blog

Welcome to Ilyce Glink's blog! Here you'll find Ilyce's latest insights on personal finance advice, real estate advice and consumer issues. Come back often for timely and interesting posts on a wide variety of topics.

Video: Tools to Help You Unclutter Your Life

If you're always trying to get organized, check out these ideas for housewares products that will help you keep clutter at bay:

Labels: Expert Real Estate Tips, Video

posted by Ilyce Glink at 11:43 AM 0 comments

Subscribe to Ilyce Glink's YouTube Channel: Expert Real Estate Tips

We're going to upload videos 193 to 200 this week. If you want to be the first on your block to see what we're uploading, be sure to subscribe to my YouTube channel: Expert Real Estate Tips (www.youtube.com/expertrealestatetips).

Once you're there, be sure to send me a friend invitation.

Every time we upload a video, we instantly send it to all of the ExpertRealEstateTips friends who have signed up. Everyone else will get notified once a week, when YouTube sends subscribers the update.

So if you want to see the videos first, be sure to SUBSCRIBE, and then FRIEND ME.

Ilyce

Labels: Video, YouTube

posted by Ilyce Glink at 3:19 PM 0 comments

Video: The coolest one-stop-shopping appliance I've seen in awhile

When I was at the Housewares Show, this do-it-all appliance was a lot of fun. We watched the company spokesperson demonstrate all of the different things that it does, and how the piece fits back together.

Want to open a can of cat food? No problem. Want to open up one of those plastic clamshells? No problem. Take a look at all of the problems this nifty kitchen appliance from Hamilton Beach solves.

Labels: Housewares, Video

posted by Ilyce Glink at 3:16 PM 0 comments

New Video: Next Generation of Vacuum Cleaners

Dirt Devil has taken another step in the evolution of vacuum cleaners. In this video, which we shot at this year's Housewares Show, I talked with a representative from Dirt Devil about new product innovations that might help make cleaning up around the house a little easier.

Labels: Housewares, Video

posted by Ilyce Glink at 3:08 PM 0 comments

Video: Hydroponics in Winter: Growing Greens and Herbs

If you live up north, like I do, you already know that by 4pm, the sun has just about fallen below the horizon. You also know that by now, every living thing in your garden has just about frozen.

In my backyard, the trees have just about lost their leaves (except for the trees whose leaves have turned but stubbornly won't let go of their branches). The grass is covered with frost and a hint of snow that fell the other night and hasn't melted. The big pots that a few weeks ago were still bursting with color have been dug up. The big Costco purple mum plant has died and the pumpkins have been eaten.

Fall is here and if I want to see green, I have to go to the local grocery store and stalk the vegetable aisle.

Which is why the idea of hydroponic gardening is so appealing this time of year. Imagine growing greens and herbs without soil and bugs in the comfort (did I mention warmth?) of your own home or office. Salad without the salad bar!

Here's a product we found at this year's Housewares Show that allows you to take advantage of hydroponics year-round.

Labels: Expert Real Estate Tips, Green, Hydroponics, Video

posted by Ilyce Glink at 4:34 PM 0 comments

New ExpertRealEstateTips Video: Do you love chopped salads? Chop this!

I love chopped salads. Whenever we go to a restaurant, I ask the waiter if I can have my salad chopped. It's much easier to eat than trying to shove a huge piece of lettuce into your mouth (and still look somewhat normal).

One of the newest OXO gadgets out this season is their salad chopping set. I can't wait to buy it. What do you think?

Labels: Expert Real Estate Tips, Housewares, Video

posted by Ilyce Glink at 4:33 PM 0 comments

New Video: What's Cool, Green, Small and Fast?

Check out our latest video from ExpertRealEstateTips. The Proctor Silex Blender is a relatively inexpensive gift you may want to put on your wish list this holiday season.

Labels: Expert Real Estate Tips, Housewares, Video

posted by Ilyce Glink at 11:50 AM 0 comments

It's All About the Color: Color Trends in Housewares Products

When I went to this year's International Housewares Show, the one thing that hit me was the color.

It wasn't just the amazing colored light displays, with so much incredible flat-paneled technology that you might have well thought you were at the Consumer Electronics Show instead.

No, this was about bringing color into your home, your kitchen and your life. Eggplant (read: purple) and Pear (read: green) and their respective color families were in bloom all over McCormick Place.

We talked to some housewares experts about color trends and what they saw coming down the pike during this rather dreary recessionary time.



What's your favorite new color? Have you bought a purple iron, green Mixmaster, or speckled dinnerware?

Labels: Green, Video

posted by Ilyce Glink at 4:17 PM 0 comments

New Video: Grills and Green from the Housewares Show

The last time I talked about grills and grilling on my radio show, I ignited a firestorm: Everyone had an opinion about what new grill I should buy.

I guess I should have expected that: I'm a huge grilling fanatic, and I love to try out new recipes on the grill (like Fish, pizza and fruit on the grill). I love gadgets and reading about how to use different woods to get great flavors out of various pieces of chicken and meat.

Anyway, while at the Housewares Show this year, we shot some video about grilling. Here's what we found out:

Labels: Green, Grill, Video

posted by Ilyce Glink at 4:09 PM 0 comments

What's New, Hot, Happening, and Green in Housewares? Video #2

Housewares manufacturers will spent millions of dollars doing focus group testing about various housewares concepts. They want to be as certain as possible that they are introducing products that are meaningful to consumers.

It's so incredibly expensive to develop new products, that companies can't afford for them to fail. In fact, even "modest success" stories often are a drain on a company's finances.

The big question, of course, is what do consumers want in housewares products? Walking around this year's International Housewares Show, it was interesting to see what different manufacturers think will catch a consumer's eye. Here's a video that looks at what you want, based on the focus group testing manufacturers do.

Labels: Expert Real Estate Tips, Housewares, Video

posted by Ilyce Glink at 3:54 PM 0 comments

What's New, Hot, Happening, and Green in Housewares?

Here's the first video in a new series from ExpertRealEstateTips.net. It's a series of videos about what's new, hot, happening and green in the housewares arena. We spent a day at this year's International Housewares Show in Chicago and came away dazzled, amused, and at times bored with what's being introduced for this holiday season. But these videos represent the best of what we found -- and there's a lot of it.

Enjoy. We'd love your feedback. Please leave a comment here on the blog, or go to the YouTube channel to comment on all of the videos. Also, if you have an idea for another video series, something that you'd like to learn more about, please email me at Ilyce@thinkglink.com or leave a comment here.

Thanks. Ilyce

Labels: Expert Real Estate Tips, Housewares, Video

posted by Ilyce Glink at 3:43 PM 0 comments

Mistakes Home Buyers Make

In my best-selling book, 100 Questions Every First-Time Home Buyer Should Ask, I include a list of 10 mistake home buyers often make. I should probably revise those 10 mistakes to include some new ones that have come up in the current housing recession/credit crisis.

In the meantime, here are some of the common home buyer mistakes this top California agent often sees. The idea of this Expert Real Estate Tips video is if you know what the common mistakes are, you can hopefully avoid them.




Don't forget to subscribe to our YouTube channel: YouTube.com/ExpertRealEstateTips so you'll be up on the latest video releases.

Do you have a video idea? Email me at Ilyce@thinkglink.com.

Labels: Expert Real Estate Tips, first time home buyer, Video

posted by Ilyce Glink at 9:18 AM 0 comments

Buying a Home? Here Are The Questions You Should Ask Your Agent

We've added another couple of videos to our Expert Real Estate Tips YouTube channel this morning.

The first is a look at what questions you should ask your real estate agent before you hire him or her.



Are there other questions you should ask? Feel free to post them here.

Labels: Expert Real Estate Tips, real estate agent, Video

posted by Ilyce Glink at 9:02 AM 0 comments

Expert Real Estate Tips Video: What is a Comparative Marketing Analysis (CMA)?

How can you figure out what your home should sell for? Ask three agents to step in and do a Comparative Marketing Analysis (CMA). A CMA has three basic components:

1. An assessment of the sales price of homes comparable to yours that have sold recently in your neighborhood.

2. A full-blown marketing plan for your property.

3. A suggested list price.

There may be some other bells and whistles included, but every CMA has to have these pieces to be valuable at all. For more details, take a look at one of our newest ExpertRealEstateTips videos:

Labels: Expert Real Estate Tips, Home Selling, Video

posted by Ilyce Glink at 12:07 PM 0 comments

Expert Real Estate Tips Video: How Tough Is It To Sell a Vacant Home?

I've published two more videos on the YouTube channel this morning.

Here's the first one: Selling a vacant home.

If you're a real estate agent, you know the answer is mixed. Sometimes it's easier to sell a vacant home if the owners are messy, disorganized, and the house is full of mis-matched junk and clutter. In that case, empty looks a whole lot better.

But buyers often have trouble figuring out how big a space really is when there isn't any furniture to help them gauge how the space works. Double-edge sword, really.

Here's one agent's best advice on selling a vacant home:

Labels: Expert Real Estate Tips, Home Selling, Video

posted by Ilyce Glink at 12:03 PM 0 comments

What Can Go Wrong When You Buy A House?

What can go wrong when you buy a house? Everything from water in the basement, a leaky roof, and faulty faucets to the air conditioning system blowing.

But if you're very unlucky, something could go wrong at the closing. Take a look at our newest ExpertRealEstateTips Video: What can go wrong when you buy a house.

Labels: Expert Real Estate Tips, Home Buyers, Video

posted by Ilyce Glink at 8:28 AM 2 comments

New ExpertRealEstateTips Video: Mortgage Loan Tips for Borrowers

If you're getting a loan in these tough times, you'll probably want to watch this video. Noted mortgage broker Victor Benoun walks borrowers through the landscape borrowers face when applying for a loan in a credit crisis.

Don't forget to watch in "high quality." We're now uploading these videos in all their high-def glory.

Labels: Expert Real Estate Tips, Mortgage, Video

posted by Ilyce Glink at 9:36 AM 1 comments

1031 Tax Free Exchange - Reverse Exchange

What is a reverse exchange? You can sell first and buy second. How does this work?

Labels: 1031 Exchange, Expert Real Estate Tips, Video

posted by Ilyce Glink at 9:32 AM 0 comments

Check Out Our Newest 1031 Tax Free Exchange Videos

We've uploaded a few new 1031 Tax Free Exchange Videos. Check them out:

Labels: 1031 Exchange, Expert Real Estate Tips, Video

posted by Ilyce Glink at 10:16 AM 0 comments

1031 Tax Free Exchange: Three additional videos posted

We're building up to our 22 episodes in the 1031 Tax Free Exchange series on ExpertRealEstateTips. Today we uploaded another three videos. Check them out here or at www.youtube.com/expertrealestatetips:

1031 Exchange: Property Holding Period How long must you hold onto a property for a 1031 tax free exchange to work?



1031 Exchange & Capital Gains Tax




1031 Exchange - Eligible Assets What can be included in a 1031 exchange?




Are you finding these videos helpful? Please let us know. In the meantime, please subscribe to the YouTube channel so that you'll be the first to know when our newest videos are posted. You can subscribe by clicking on the YOUTUBE button on this page or by going to www.youtube.com/expertrealestatetips.

Thanks.

Labels: 1031 Exchange, Video, YouTube

posted by Ilyce Glink at 2:08 PM 0 comments

1031 Tax Free Exchange Videos Posted

As promised, here are the first two of a series of more than 20 videos about 1031 tax free exchanges. Enjoy!


1031 tax free exchange: How does it work?



Why use a 1031 tax free exchange?

Labels: 1031 Exchange, Expert Real Estate Tips, Video

posted by Ilyce Glink at 7:52 PM 0 comments

Subscribe to Ilyce Glink's YouTube Channel: Expert Real Estate Tips

This year, we're planning to produce hundreds of videos. We already have 132 videos up at my YouTube channel, ExpertRealEstateTips, and we'll have nearly 300 videos up by the end of the year.

The videos cover all aspects of real estate and personal finance, from buying and selling, to how to improve and manage your credit history and credit score. We also have some of the latest home technology from the Consumer Electronic Show and the International Housewares Show.

Coming up this fall, you'll see a whole series of videos on 1031 tax free exchanges, more videos from the International Housewares Show, a series on identity theft, and another on improving your credit. We're also planning additional videos on staging your home, and buying and selling in a tough market.

If you want to be the first one on your block to know about these important videos, all you have to do is subscribe to my YouTube channel. Simply go to youtube.com/expertrealestatetips and log in.

If you don't have a log in, it's easy to get one. Then, you can subscribe to the ExpertRealEstateTips channel.

BTW: All of these videos are for sharing. You're welcome to pull them directly from YouTube to use on your site. I hope you'll do that. If you're interested in using high-quality, high-def versions of the videos, email me at Ilyce@thinkglink.com, and we'll see what we can work out.

We have 200 subscribers to the YouTube channel. I'd like to be at 300 subscribers soon. Let me know when you've signed up.

And, if there's a topic you'd like us to cover in video format, please email me and let me know. Thanks!

Labels: Expert Real Estate Tips, Video, YouTube

posted by Ilyce Glink at 3:51 PM 0 comments

Architect Sarah Susanka and the Home Design Process

If you're in the process of thinking about building a new home, you've probably spent some time thinking about design and what would work for you.

Check out my videos with Sarah Susanka, author of the "Not So Big House" series and an architect. She talks about the process of designing a house and what you should think about before you commit.



While good design can be expensive, you don't necessarily have to spend a fortune to get what you want. In this video, Sarah talks about how design and money work together.



Finally, the design process is great -- if you have a great architect to help you think through every aspect of the project. This can't be rushed. Here's what Sarah has to say about finding the right architect for your job.

Labels: Home Design, Sarah Susanka, Video

posted by Ilyce Glink at 3:44 PM 0 comments

Sarah Susanka Videos Debut on YouTube

Architect Sarah Susanka shares her philosophy and more in these new videos, just posted to YouTube:

Labels: architecture, Green, Home Design, Sarah Susanka, Video

posted by Melanie G. Rogers at 2:40 PM 0 comments

Title Insurance Videos

If you're in the market to buy a home, it's good to know all the different parts of the closing. One part is title insurance. Learn what title insurance is and what it includes in a series of new videos at Ilyce's YouTube channel: http://www.youtube.com/profile?user=ExpertRealEstateTips



For more information on title insurance search ThinkGlink.com.

And for more videos visit the TV/video tab here: http://www.thinkglink.com/TV.asp

Labels: closing, title insurance, Video, YouTube

posted by Melanie G. Rogers at 11:03 AM 0 comments

Worried About Your Kids Going Deaf? Try These Headphones

When I'm on the radio, I use headphones. But I have them turned so far up that some folks think I'm going deaf! While that's fortunately not the case, I tried some cool headphone technology while at this year's Consumer Electronics Show. Take a look at what these headphones can do:

Labels: Consumer Electronics Show, Headphones, Video, YouTube

posted by Ilyce Glink at 6:00 PM 0 comments

Buying a Home? Don't Forget to Inspect the Electrical Panel

The next installment of Expert Real Estate Tips is being uploaded into YouTube as I write this. There are 30-odd videos on home products, technology and gadgets and about another 20+ videos on what a great inspector will do to properly inspect your house.

Here's the first of these videos. I'd love to hear what you think about them. Feel free to take them (and all of our videos) and post them on your website and in the blogosphere.

Labels: Expert Real Estate Tips, inspection, Video, YouTube

posted by Ilyce Glink at 3:53 PM 1 comments

Subscribe to my ExpertRealEstateTips YouTube channel

My new site, ExpertRealEstateTips.net, is an all-video website designed to provide you with expert tips and solutions for real estate and personal finance problems. I have posted several videos on various forms of identity theft, as well as some videos on buying your house.

We have 23 videos posted so far, and we have shot around another 40. I hope you'll check it out and subscribe to the channel. (It's free, just like everything else.)

Here's a video that introduces you to the website.

Labels: Expert Real Estate Tips, Video

posted by Ilyce Glink at 11:58 AM 0 comments

Videos up at ExpertRealEstateTips.Net

I've started to post videos from my new all-video site, http://www.expertrealestatetips.net/. Here's one of the newest videos.

Labels: Expert Real Estate Tips, Video

posted by Ilyce Glink at 11:49 AM 0 comments

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