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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.

  • Time Share Companies - A couple asks about paying for their time share after the time share company went bankrupt. Time share companies are affected in this poor real estate market too. You have to pay time share companies no matter what.  

  • Earnest Money - A condo buyer complains that the master bedroom is too small and wants his earnest money back. The buyer asks whether the bank could keep the earnest money if the deal fell through rather than suing him.  

  • Heating Bill - An elderly couple has been paying their heating bill using a credit card. They fear they’ll lose their home because they can’t afford the high heating bill as well as their other bills.  

  • Moving Company - How can you pick the right moving company? Ilyce offers some tips from the Better Business Bureau to help you select a moving company. Moving company scams abound. Here are some of the most common.  

  • Deed In Lieu of Foreclosure - If you know for sure you have to give up your home but you don’t want to go through a lengthy foreclosure process, sign a deed in lieu of foreclosure. A deed in lieu of foreclosure transfers ownership of your house to the bank and allows you to move on without a foreclosure on your credit history.

  • Taxes On Home Sale - A couple asks about taxes they owe on the sale of a deceased parent’s home. Taxes on a home sale vary depending on the sale’s timing and the home value.

  • Short Sale of House - A homeowner asks about doing a short sale of a house when he has good credit. Doing a short sale of a house means selling the property for less than the mortgage amount.  

  • Tax Sale Properties - How can someone buy properties through tax sales? If a homeowner fails to pay taxes, a jurisdiction may conduct a tax sale and sell the home for the amount of unpaid taxes. 

  • Mortgage Fraud - The mortgage industry divides mortgage fraud into two categories: fraud for housing and fraud for profit. Florida had the most mortgage fraud in the U.S. in 2007.

  • Mortgage Loan Fraud - A homeowner wonders about mortgage loan fraud alleging her husband applied for loans without his name on the home’s deed. How was he able to possibly commit mortgage loan fraud?  

  • Tax Liability - A family wants to sell a rental property and asks about the tax liability. The family can either pay the tax liability right away or do a 1031 exchange to defer the tax liability. 

  • Real Estate Career - A real estate instructor writes in to say that a real estate career has lots of costs. Most real estate pros earn about $40,000 a year. A real estate career can be lucrative but it’s not an instant path to riches.

  • Interest Rate on Savings Accounts - A reader asks about getting a good interest rate on savings accounts. He says he put money in an online bank to get a good interest rate on savings accounts. Interest rates on savings accounts will be low for a while. 

  • Marriage Property Rights - A woman asks about her marriage property rights. Her marriage is ending and her husband sold the property but does he have rights to sell it? To find out her marriage property rights she can talk to a legal aid clinic. 

  • Housewares Show - The 2008 International Housewares Show featured recycling and color trends. The Housewares Show offered a rainbow of colors and new innovations on familiar tools. Some Housewares Show items debuted there. 

  • Breaking a Realtor Contract - A reader asks about breaking a contract with her Realtor since her agent was doing a poor job. Ilyce says breaking a Realtor contract is really breaking a brokerage contract. Ilyce suggests asking for another agent. 

  • Moving Household Goods - A mover writes in to say movers say they move household goods, not “stuff.” Moving household goods is mover jargon. Ilyce says she has “stuff” on her counter not household goods for moving.  

  • Mortgage Hotline Number - A reader asks Ilyce to provide the federal government’s mortgage hotline number. The mortgage hotline number is 888-995-HOPE. Call the mortgage hotline number if you can’t pay your mortgage. 

  • Warranty Deed - A couple wants to remove one person’s name from the deed. Is it better to use a quitclaim deed or a warranty deed? A warranty deed discloses that the person giving up property interest owned part of the property. 

  • Foreclosure - This ThinkGlink reader is considering renting out a property that he may have to foreclose on. Ilyce explains his risks.

  • Selling Property - A ThinkGlink reader is considering selling an empty lot and is wondering if now is the right time to sell property. Ilyce explains how to determine when to put a property on the market.

  • Housing Grant - If you buy a home with a housing grant with a set timeframe you may be penalized if you sell early. Housing grants often have terms and conditions. Read your documents to understand your housing grant.

  • Inherit Property - A reader asks about the best way to inherit a property from his father. He asks about inheriting the property using an irrevocable trust or buying it before his father passes. Ilyce says to buy the property outright.

  • Moving Tips - Moving can be a stressful experience. Following these moving tips can make your move go smoother. Moving tips include researching movers, getting moving cost estimates and getting the best prices for boxes.

  • Real Estate Career - Want to start a career in real estate? You should research real estate career factors like salary and training first. Real estate career salaries can vary widely with top agents earning more than $111,000 a year.

  • Buying a New Home - A reader asks about buying a new home with or without a real estate agent. The reader talks about negotiating directly with the builder when buying a new home. Ilyce encourages the reader to hire a real estate agent.

  • Earnest Money - A condo owner puts earnest money down on a new condo. The owner can’t sell his condo and worries about losing the earnest money. The builder says he’ll keep the earnest money. What should the buyer do?

  • Water Leak - A home buyer finds a water leak at his new home. The seller’s agent agreed to look into the water leak since it was pre-closing. The buyer wonders whose responsibility it is to fix the leak and it depends on the contract.

  • Mortgage Fraud - A reader asks about saving a cottage co-owned with a brother who may have been involved in mortgage fraud. The reader worries the mortgage fraud fallout could lead to loss of the cottage.

  • State Residency Requirements - A reader asks about claiming state residency in a state that’s one mile away. State residency requirements require you to physically live in that state. You can’t claim state residency unless you live there.

  • No More Mortgage - A reader asks when to have no more mortgage. To pay off the mortgage or have no more mortgage makes sense if it will help you sleep better or if you’re losing money on your other investments.

  • Pay Down Your Mortgage - A teacher writes asking how to pay down her mortgage. To pay down your mortgage you can get another job or get a tenant to live with you. To pay down your mortgage you have to increase your income or lower expenses.

  • Home Remodel - A reader asks about buying a home that needs remodeling. He wonders about the costs of the home and remodeling it. How much less should the buyer offer for the home that will be remodeled, if it’s facing foreclosure?

  • How to Buy a Foreclosure - Foreclosure expert Ralph Roberts provides tips on how to buy a foreclosure in Ilyce’s column. Becoming familiar with real estate documents is essential to know how to buy a foreclosure.

  • Bank Commitment Letter - A buyer says his contractor wants a bank commitment letter. A bank commitment letter states that the bank agrees to fund a mortgage. Ilyce suggests he hire a real estate attorney so he’s not doing the deal blindly.

  • IRS Home Sale Exemption - A reader asks whether his mother can still get an IRS home sale exemption after his father died. Ilyce responds that yes, she can still get the IRS home sale exemption so long as she lived there two of the past five years.

  • Pay Off Credit Card Debt - A reader asks how to pay off credit card debt. He wonders about paying $5,000 on one credit card debt or spreading it out. If you pay off some credit card debt on each card you can increase your credit score.

  • Bankruptcy Information - If you can’t pay your bills you may want to get information on filing bankruptcy. Another source for bankruptcy information is John Ventura’s book, “The Bankruptcy Handbook.”

  • Mortgage Lender - A mortgage lender approves a borrower but does not say it in writing. The borrower calls and writes the mortgage lender. The mortgage lender does not respond to the borrower. What can the borrower do?









































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