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Articles By Ilyce

Ilyce Glink is an award-winning, nationally syndicated columnist, television reporter and radio talk show host who is widely known for her expertise on trends and issues in real estate and finance. Her syndicated column REAL ESTATE MATTERS offers common sense information and practical insights for anyone thinking about buying, selling, rehabbing or refinancing a home.

  • Buying a House with Bad Credit - Americans are starting to wake up to the idea that if you have bad credit – or even so-so credit – it might prevent you from doing things you want to do, like buy a first house or refinance your mortgage.

  • The Risks Of Buying With Family - My husband and I are buying our first home but will share the home with my sister who cannot qualify for a loan due to a bankruptcy. What financing options are available to us?

  • The Limits Of A Good Faith Estimate - A home buyer wonders about the limits of a good faith mortgage estimate. Ilyce points out several good online resources to help the buyer select the right mortgage

  • Saving with Bi-Weekly Payments? - You can create your own bi-weekly mortgage by making one extra monthly payment per year. On a standard 30-year mortgage, you'll cut your mortgage term by about 7 years simply by making that one extra payment.

  • Using Rental Income for College - A couple disagrees on how to save for there children's college education. Should the use traditional methods such as CDs and stocks or the income from there rental properties?

  • Homes Co Owner Refuses To Refinance - A co-owner refuses to sign refinance paperwork. Ilyce and Sam help determine who the home owner truly is and what options the writer has.

  • Inspection Contingency Refused - home seller refuses to pay for any repairs and did not accept an inspection contingency on the offer. The buyer wonders if the seller can be made to pay or if the real estate agent can kick in some cash.

  • Testing Kits Simplify Environmental Testing of Your Home - One way to keep a lid on environmental hazards is to regularly test your home for them. You could hire a specialist, but if you don’t have a problem, it’s silly to spend hundreds or thousands of dollars having your home tested that way.

  • Neighbor's Downspout Ruining Property - A neighbor's new downspout is ruining a Florida property. Ilyce and Sam discuss what recourse the owners have.

  • Revisiting Sale of Investment Property to Renters - A reader adds valuable information to a previous question about selling investment property to renters.

  • New Construction Lender - Often new construction companies and builders partner with a lender. The only way to figure out if they are offering the best deal is to shop around to other lenders.

  • No Down Payment Home Loans - If you're not going to put down any cash on your home, you have to expect to pay a higher interest rate than the going best rate of about 5.5 percent for a 30-year fixed rate mortgage. The reason for the higher interest rate is that years of research have shown that the small the down payment the higher the chance the homeowner will be late on his or her mortgage payments. It has also been proven that the smaller the down payment, the more likely it is the home will ultimately go into foreclosure.

  • Confused About Property Values - A new property buyer is confused by the difference between property values and assessed values. Ilyce and Sam give the basics about home values.

  • Financing New Business Debt - A small business owner wonders how to handle the start up costs that are currently on two low interest credit cards. Ilyce comments that the answer depends on how you set up your business and if the debt is personally guaranteed.

  • How to Setup an Online Smart Payment and Reduce Credit Card Debt - Learn how to setup an online smart payment and reduce your credit card debt

  • New Fence Violates Building Code - Honest differences of opinion can exist between a buyer and a builder as to the quality of construction and what constitutes a defect in construction. If you are unreasonable in your demands, and make outrageous claims that are without merit, the builder could sue you. A newly-built home is surrounded by a fence that is against the building code. The new owners wonder what recourse they have against the builder.

  • Paying Credit Card Bills Online - Interested in paying credit card bills online? Just as you can prepay your mortgage, and save thousands of dollars in interest, you can also prepay your credit card debt, saving hundreds or thousands of dollars over the life of the loan.

  • Mortgage Help for First Time Homebuyers - It may seem odd, but you may be able to be considered as a "first-time home buyer" even if you have owned a home before. Many local first-time buyer programs will consider you as a candidate if you have not owned a home in the past three years -- even if you owned a home before that.

  • Cleaning Out Your Household Files - While a simple filing system is inexpensive to purchase and easy to put together, it can quickly get out of hand if you don’t purge unnecessary documents at the end of the year. Just after tax time is an excellent time to purge what you don’t need from prior years.

  • Warranty Expires on New Home With Problems - An owner of a new home is experiencing many problems. The builder made a list of his concerns, but now the one year warranty has expired. Ilyce and Sam discuss home warranties and home inspections.

  • Late Mortgage Commitment Leads to Cancelled Deal - If a buyer is late with a mortgage commitment can the deal fall through? Ilyce and Sam go through the various scenarios that can cause a cancelled contract.

  • Owner Financing Offered to Rental Tenants - An investment property owner wants to sell their property to the tenants and offer owner financing. Ilyce and Sam suggest an installment purchase.

  • New Driveway May Be On Neighbors Lot - After building a new home, an owner discovers the driveway may be on the neighbors lot. Ilyce and Sam discuss surveys, easements and builders contract.

  • Seller Must Have Title Insurance - In many places, a home seller has the burden of proving that he or she has good title to the home. The common way to prove you have good title is to buy title insurance. Title insurance companies provide the service of searching the public records and furnishing a report called a title insurance commitment. The commitment outlines who owns the property and what, if anything, affects the title to the property. Some of the items that may appear on a title commitment are mortgages, other liens, recorded easements, homeowner association declarations and restrictions.
















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