Home Improvement Content Index - Page 1

Whether you are building a deck, putting in a new fence, or doing a gut rehab, we've got lots of advice here. If you're going the DIY route or wanting to hire professionals, home improvements can make a difference in your home value and in selling a house. Look here for more home improvement ideas and advice.

**Qualifying For a Mortgage Loan Stricter For Home Equity Lines Of Credit** Today, bank requirements for a loan are stricter for new home equity lines of credit than they were just a few years ago. Banks and lenders are tightening the requirements for home equity lines of credit and other personal lines of credit to make sure their funds are safe. Now, banks might require higher credit scores, more equity in your home, and other strict requirements before they will give you a line of credit. However, if you shop around, you may be able to find a bank willing to give you a home equity line of credit.

**Getting financial help on a budget.** Thousands of people come to ThinkGlink.com for financial and personal finance help. If you are in need of financial help and you are on a budget, here are some tips that might help you. You can also think about your financial future and use the information on our site to help you out. You can visit with a top consumer credit counseling service, take advantage of all of the free financial help on ThinkGlink.com and check out some of our free books and other products at the [ThinkGlink Store](http://thinkglinkstore.com/).

Ilyce Glink Show Notes - November 15, 2009. Today on the show, we discussed the new Fannie Mae Deed For Lease Program in Detail; the new CreditKarma Survey on credit card debt; The October 2009 Realty Trac Foreclosure survey; Divorce and Mortgages; Mike Rose, a senior loan officer with Bank of America, came on to talk about some of the new mortgage rules with regard to divorce and FHA; Peggy Abkemeier, President of Rent.com discussed a new survey of investment property owners. NEW EBOOKS ON INVESTING IN REAL ESTATE; EBOOK SPECIAL.

**Should I Refinance My Mortgage?** Mortgage interest rates keep falling, now below 5 percent. Should you refinance your mortgage? It's more difficult to get a mortgage refinance in today's lending market, but it might be worthwhile to try to refinance your mortgage. Will it reduce your monthly mortgage payments? Will a mortgage refinance shorten the term of your loan? You need to determine why you want to refinance your mortgage to determine the best refinancing scenario for your loan.

Real Living and GMAC Real Estate hope to provide an even higher level of customer service. The real estate companies have announced a merger with plans to target a female audience and for an emphasis on customer service. Real Living and GMAC will rebrand under the Real Living name, with offices across the country. Real Living will focus on female customers, with a plans for an exceptional customer service experience. The Real Living, GMAC merger comes after Brookfield Residential Property Services acquired both GMAC and Real Living.

Ilyce Glink Show Notes - November 8, 2009. Big news week: $8,000 first time home buyer tax credit was expanded to include trade-up buyers, and extended until June 30, 2010; Unemployment numbers are out and awful: Nationally, unemployment rose to 10.2 percent, 17.5 percent if you include a broader measure of unemployment; Fannie Mae introduced its Deed For Lease program; Five more banks closed, bringing the total for the year to 120; the House passed health care reform. NEW EBOOKS ON INVESTING IN REAL ESTATE ARE AVAILABLE; Get your FREE books and Ebook deal.

**Divorce Decree vs. Quit Claim Deed** You get divorced. You refinance your home. Your ex-spouse gives you a quit claim deed. End of story? Not so, says this reader whose ex-spouse wants half of the proceeds from the sale of the home 13 years after the quit claim deed and and 14 years after the divorce. Does the divorce decree trump the quit claim deed? Does the quit claim deed trump the divorce decree? What should the ex-spouse get in this real estate problem.

Winterize Your Home And Get a Tax Credit. The IRS has advised taxpayers that the Expanded Recovery Act Tax Credit will help homeowners winterize their homes so they can save energy and save money at the same time. But the IRS cautions homeowners to check the tax credit certification before they buy winterizing tools.

$8,000 Tax Credit: Administration Calls on Congress To Pass $8,000 Tax Credit And Other Pro-Housing Measures. The White House supports three pro-housing measures including the extension and expansion of the $8,000 tax credit, continuing an expansion of the loan limits, and support for the Housing Trust Fund. These pro-housing measures were announced by Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner and HUD Secretary Shaun Donovan at a press conference Thursday morning.

**$8,000 First Time Home Buyer Tax Credit: Trying to Buy and Inherit a Home At The Same Time** The first time home buyer has all kinds of restrictions: income, how long you must live in the home, how long you couldn't have owned a home and who can sell you the home. There are even restrictions on whether you can qualify for the $8,000 first time home buyer tax credit if you plan to rent the home or receive the home by inheriting it.