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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.

  • Joint Tenancy With Rights and Tenancy In Common - A reader would like to change the title to their home from "joint tenancy with rights of survivorship" to "tenancy in common." Ilyce and Sam explain the differences between the two types of titles and how to change the title itself.

  • Evaluating Real Estate Company Fees - A reader has noticed that a local real estate company is charging a flat fee for service versus the traditional percentage of sale price. Ilyce discusses the different approaches to hiring and evaluating real estate brokers and the fees they charge.

  • Before Buying A Home, Look At Your Credit Score - A prospective home buyer is wondering how to handle their credit limit before applying for a mortgage. Ilyce discusses the best way to handle credit limits and balances when trying to have a high credit score. She also explains why it is important to pull your credit score before applying for a mortgage.

  • Keeping Up With Your Credit  - The difference between the Generation X and Generation Y is simply this: Today’s teenagers and toddlers will never have a time when their credit scores aren’t the most important number of their financial lives. Ilyce explains how to teach kids that every financial transaction they make, whether it is a purchase, opening up a credit card, or making monthly payments on a home loan, is mathematically weighted and then crunched together to form a three-digit number.

  • New Owner Receives Summons For Former Owner - A new homeowner received a summons for problems the previous owner had with his tenants. Ilyce states that you only have to worry about the summons if you were named in the summons, but this buyer may want to have an attorney look it over.

  • Seller Didn't Pump Septic Tank - A reader has purchased a new home with the contingency that the seller pump the septic tank. Two months after moving in, the buyer discovers there are two septic tanks, and one of them has resulted in a $680 bill. Ilyce shares strategies to help avoid these types of problems and recover some of the expenses.

  • Dividing Up Real Estate After Divorce - A reader was able to gain sole ownership of her home and pay off her husband prior to filing for divorce. Now she is worried that he can make a claim for the house during the divorce proceeding. Ilyce explains that the house may be safe, but all her assets will be considered when the divorces proceeds.

  • Setting Up Real Estate Business as LLC  - Thinking about buying and flipping low end housing for a profit? Ilyce and Sam explain how to set up a business to protect you and any partners you wish to include.

  • Refinancing A Balloon Loan - A reader has a balloon loan on a second property. He is worried that interest rates are going up and that he should refinance before the loan comes due. Ilyce Glink suggests listening to the owner's banker and waiting until April when the balloon loan is due.

  • The Cost to Homeowners of Simplifying the Tax System - Information regarding President Bush’s advisory panel on tax reform has begun to leak out. It is clear that the panel has talked about abolishing federal deductions and credits for mortgage interest, state and local taxes, charitable contributions, and the costs of higher education, among others. Ilyce interprets the news and how it will affect you.

  • Changing The Title To Your Home - A reader would like to add her bankrupt boyfriend onto the lease of her home and writes Ilyce Glink for real estate advice. Ilyce suggests never adding someone to the title of a home without also having them on the mortgage.

  • Backing Out of Timeshare is Difficult - A reader purchased an option to buy a timeshare in Las Vegas. After changing their mind, they are having trouble getting their money returned and have written Ilyce Glink for real estate advice. Ilyce advices writing the Attorney General and the Better Business Bureau.

  • Mistakes When Selling a House - What are common mistakes when selling a house? There are many mistakes that can be made and they can trap even the smartest sellers. In this article, Ilyce Glink discusses some home selling mistakes made by a seller who is not happy with her broker.

  • Water Damaged House - After buying a home, the buyer discovers that there are some plumbing problems that the seller never disclosed. Is the seller liable for the damage to the house? In their weekly column about real estate law, Sam Tamkin and Ilyce Glink discuss seller disclosure laws.

  • Quit Claim Deed Tax Implications - What are the tax implications of quit claim deeds? There are two issues that need to be looked at. First, is the property transfer itself taxable? Second, do gift taxes need to be paid?

  • Sarah Susanka Interview - Read the edited text of Ilyce Glink's interview with Sarah Susanka, author of the Not So Big books.

  • Architectural Details - The devil is in the details. Ilyce Glink discusses a new book, "Inside the Not So Big House", with real estate author Sarah Susanka. A key takeaway for new homebuyers is to think quality, not quantity. Susanka believes architectural details can transform your home into your dream home, and she shows you exactly how to do it.

  • Renting Apartment Instead of Buying Condo - A young married couple wonders whether they are doing the right thing: subsidizing their love for travel by renting an apartment instead of buying a condo. Ilyce Glink provides some helpful real estate advice to a couple in need.

  • Real Estate Contracts - Real estate contracts often contain the answers to your real estate questions. In this article, the buyers rejected the seller's response to a request for repairs. The seller claims they never got the fax and assumed the buyer accepted their response. Now, the buyer wants to walk away, but can they walk away? Ilyce Glink and Samuel Tamkin offer some helpful real estate advice to a homebuyer in need.

  • Inherited Real Estate - After inheriting real estate, ten siblings are in the midst of figuring out what to do with the residential properties they inherited. Ilyce Glink provides some helpful personal finance advice and real estate advice regarding inherited real estate.

  • Real Estate Business - A couple contemplates moving to Tucson and starting a real estate business. How many real estate agents are in the area already? It turns out this is one of the hottest real estate markets in the country.

  • How to Research Neighborhoods - Wondering how to research neighborhoods when buying a house? HomePages.com, a new site, makes it easy to learn about neighborhoods before you buy a home.

  • Paying Points When Refinancing - A reader is planning on refinancing their home and the lender has mentioned points. Ilyce explains how points and discount points work.

  • Purchasing Home From Mother - A reader is hoping to buy their mother's home but is unsure if the property should be placed in trust. They are unclear if the home would then be a gift and therefore, be liable for gift tax. Ilyce explains the best way to handle real estate deals with an elderly family member.

  • Gas, Credit Cards and Your Credit Score - The rising cost of a gallon of gas has overloaded consumers leading them to miss credit card payments. Ilyce talks about the dangers of not paying, or only making the minimum payments, on your credit card.

  • Paying Off The Cost Of Refinancing - Being smart about refinancing isn’t about picking an arbitrary time – say, 6 months, 2 years or 5 years -- in which you’ll pay off the loan. It's about breaking even before you sell the home or refinance your loan again.

  • Taxes When Flipping Properties - A new real estate investor has questions about the taxes they will be required to pay when flipping a property. Ilyce explains that you must live in a property at least two years before being able to avoid capital gains tax.

  • Earnest Money - Is the seller entitled to the buyer's earnest money if the buyer has not met his or her contract obligations? Yes, but it's a little more complicated than that: the key to getting the earnest money is keeping a good paper trail!

  • The Next Hot Housing Market - A reader is looking for the next hot housing market. Could it be Orlando, Austin or San Antonio? Ilyce says the next great buy could be right around the corner from where you live!

  • Selling Half a Home - Selling half a home? That’s what this reader would like to do. He shares title in the property with his brother and wants to know if he can his half of the house to anyone he wants.

  • Top Five Resume Mistakes - Resume mistakes will stop your job search in its tracks. Here are five resume mistakes you don’t want to make when writing a resume.









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