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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.

  • Selling Land When You Can't Find One of the Owners - Here's the scenario. Your mother inherits some land when your father dies. She then becomes "friendly" with a neighbor who is about 25 years younger. She sells her new friend half the land without telling anybody. Now, years later, you and your mother are looking into selling the property, but the friendly neighbor moved away years ago and nobody knows where he is.

  • Revocable Living Trust And A Life Estate Deed - A reader wants to know the difference between a revocable living trust and a life estate deed. Ilyce explains that life estates are quite different from a revocable living trust. 

  • Tax Problems Should Lead To Payment Plan With IRS - A reader owes the IRS money for payroll taxes but is having difficulty getting equity out of his home. Ilyce suggests making a payment plan with the IRS and working to improve his credit rating.

  • Writing the Perfect Offer - Looking for the perfect formula to put together an offer? Unfortunately, there is no generic perfect offer that will get the seller to say “yes” every time. Each offer to purchase has to start to be built like a tower of wooden blocks, with enough structure and pizzazz to get the seller’s attention.

  • Using Home Equity To Pay Off Second Loan - A reader wants to use the equity they have on a house to pay off a trailer home on the same investment property. Ilyce thinks the reader could save a load of money with a home equity loan.

  • Refinancing With No Income - A reader is refinancing their home after a divorce and without any income. Ilyce suggests an interest only loan program.

  • Make a Smart Investment – In Your Neighborhood. - Paying attention to the neighborhood, and how it grows and changes directly affects the value of your home – and whether it appreciates, depreciates or pretty much stays even.

  • Time Limit For 1031 Exchange - A reader has closed on the sale of a rental property and would like take advantage of the 1031 tax free exchange. Ilyce explains that you have 45 days to designate the property that is to be exchanged.

  • Work Out Tax Bills At Closing - A reader has received a tax bill for the year previous to his closing. Ilyce emphasizes that all costs, including taxes, should be determined at closing.

  • Buying Family Home - reader is hoping to buy the family home but wants to avoid any hard feelings with their siblings. Ilyce suggests starting by talking to the extended family about the plan.

  • Networking Your Way To New Clients - A reader is a new loan agent. Ilyce suggests networking to build base of new clients.

  • Suing Tenants for Cigarette Burns - Tenants leave a landlord with cigarette burns on the carpet and kitchen floor. Damages exceed the security deposit. What can the landlord do to recover the damages?

  • Avoid Scams When Refinancing - A reader fears they have been scammed on the fees for their refinancing. Ilyce emphasizes the importance of shopping around for a lender.

  • Homestead Exemptions - A couple has two properties, one in California and one in Michigan. Can they declare two homestead exemptions, one for each property?

  • Change In Life Plan Will Entail Large IRS Bill - A reader is planning on selling a number of rental properties in order to pay off other properties and live off of the rental income. Ilyce suggests that a good accountant will be necessary because the IRS will want their share of the sales.

  • Protecting Personal Assets From Suit On Rental Property - A reader would like to transfer their rental property to an LLC to avoid any personal liability. Sam and Ilyce discuss how to protect yourself from suit and explain why the mortgage holder may not approve the LLC.

  • Basement Envy - While "researching" articles by walking through new homes, Ilyce gets a taste of enviable basements.

  • Estate Planning Considers Rental Property - A reader is helping their mother make decisions regarding the deeding of rental property. Ilyce suggest contacting a real estate lawyer in order to avoid gift taxes and estate hassles.

  • Partner In Vacation Home Wants To Sell - A reader is wanting to sell his portion of his deceased wife's family camp. He is meeting resistance from his wife's siblings. Ilyce gives advice on how to heal the family rift and move the real estate transaction along.

  • The Three Escrows Of Real Estate - In real estate jargon, escrow is a confusing word. There are three separate and distinct uses for the word "escrow" in real estate and to those unfamiliar with the intricacies of real estate language, they can be fairly difficult to understand.

  • Naked Truth: Tips For Selling Your Vacant Home - Price your vacant home competitively. Walking into a vacant home, a buyer will infer that the seller is motivated and may even be paying two mortgages.

  • Landlord's Right To Keep Deposits - A landlord disagrees with Ilyce regarding the right to keep a security deposit for an apartment without a signed lease. Ilyce discusses the various issues surrounding deposits.

  • Using 1031 Exchange For Building Owned With Friends - A reader wonders if they can do a 1031 exchange with the profits from a building they own with friends. Sam and Ilyce report that it depends if the owners own the building as tenants in common or as joint tenants.

  • Creditors "Charged Off" Credit Account - A reader wonders what it means when a creditor put "charged off" on his credit account. Ilyce explains how debt is sold to credit agencies.

  • Increase In PMI A Result Of Bad Lender - A homeowner is having difficulty finding out why her PMI is so much more than was stated in the original good faith estimate. Ilyce helps the homeowner file a complaint and states that a real estate attorney would have helped avoid this problem.

  • Borrowing against your house – to pay for Super Bowl Tickets? - A homeowner uses their home equity line of credit to purchase Super Bowl tickets. Ilyce discusses the appropriate uses of a home equity line of credit.

  • Refinancing With Poor Credit Score - A homeowner is looking to refinance even though their credit rating is in the 500s. Ilyce cautions the homeowners to get a legitimate lender and credit counselor.

  • Tempered Expectations: Most Buyers Must Compromise On Their Home - Unless you have unlimited funds in your home buying war chest, you will usually have to give up some things you want in order to get everything you need.












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