Home Office Content Index - Page 1

For those of us who work out of our homes, there are several issues to keep in mind when looking for the right property - size of the home, the neighborhood and local ordinances. Look here for more information about how to set up a home office, and product reviews for all the bells and whistles for your home office.

**Bad Neighbors Fight Over Access To Yard** Neighbors can turn into bad neighbors when fighting over fences or yard access and maintenance issues. The best way to deal with a bad neighbor is usually through communication, but you may be able to get some legal help. Look up your local ordinances to see what kind of rights you're given to your neighbors land to maintain your own property. A bad neighbor can ruin an otherwise perfect home for you, so try to resolve bad neighbor situations so both neighbors are happy.

**Fannie Mae Deed For Lease Program Rules.** Fannie Mae announced an innovative program designed to help homeowners avoid foreclosure. Called Deed for Lease, the program allows struggling homeowners who are unable to qualify for a loan modification under the current Obama Loan Modification Plan to hand their keys over to Fannie Mae, but then rent back their house at current market rental rates. Here are the Deed for Lease program rules.

**$8000 First Time Home Buyer Tax Credit Extended and Expanded: Questions and Answers** **UPDATE: (11/9/09) The new $6,500 tax credit for trade up buyers is effective as of the day the bill was signed, November 6, 2009, according to Sen. Isakson's office.** With the extension and expansion of the $8000 first time home buyer tax credit, lots of our readers are happy. But some are rather angry. Some of the people that would have benefited from the expansion of the tax credit have purchased homes and won't get the benefit of the tax credit. Others want clarification to see if they will qualify for the "new and improved" home buyer tax credit.

**Contractor's Liens and Foreclosures** Worried about contractor's liens? When you buy a foreclosure, check to see if there are any contractor's liens against the property that have survived the foreclosure. Often, the lender will wipe out all other subordinate liens, including contractor's liens, in the foreclosure process. But in some cases, those liens may still exist and be valid. If you suspect there might be other liens that will be filed against the property even after you close, be sure to purchase a title insurance policy with coverage over contractor's liens. You will want to have this insurance in place to have a title company cover the costs of litigation and the costs to remove the contractor's liens with the purchase of the title insurance even if you bought the property after a foreclosure.

Taylor Bean and Whitaker: From reader comments and questions, we have some answers for Taylor Bean and Whitaker customers. Dealing with the failed mortgage servicer has been frustrating for customers who are concerned about the state of their mortgage loan. Most answers won't come until after the October 31 court deadline, but we have answers to some of the most common and pressing customer service issues with Taylor Bean and Whitaker.

**Transferring Home To Children When You Co-Own The Home With Them** Many parents want to transfer their home to their children during their lifetime, rather than wait until they have died and transfer the property by will. In some cases, transferring a home to a child when the parent is living may be a mistake. In other cases, if the planning is done right, the parent can get his or her wish of having the home pass on to the child during his or her lifetime without adverse tax consequences for the parent. When you co-own a home with your children, you need to be extra careful in the way you transfer your interest to them.

Debt overload or overboard? A small business owner is facing off with the recession. On one hand, he has to refinance his debt to stay afloat. On the other hand, navigating the complicated waters of small business loans has him confused. A miracle phone call seems to answer all of his needs and provide him with the money he needs to retain his employees. How can you find out if an offer is a scam or if it can truly help save your business?

Protesting Property Taxes: Tips For Getting It Done Right. These days every penny counts and as more and more government entities need more money, many of them will rely on property taxes. That means, you have to make sure you understand what your tax bill means and how you should go about determining if your tax bill is accurate. If the bill is not accurate, you'll need to take some action by protesting or fighting your property taxes. You may need to hire someone to contest and protest your taxes or help you by appealing your property taxes, but your ultimate goal by fighting your property taxes is to reduce the amount you'll pay in real estate or property taxes on a yearly basis. As real estate taxes go up, more and more people will find themselves protesting their property taxes.

Dave Ramsey says credit scores are irrelevant. Are they? A WSB listener claims Dave Ramsey says to get out of debt and that FICO credit scores are not what they seem. Dave Ramsey says FICO credit scores are the "I love debt" score because there's no way to get a great FICO credit score without getting into debt and staying in debt. While I agree with a lot of what Dave Ramsey says, I disagree with that premise. Here's why I think FICO credit scores are relevant to your life today.

House Raffle Is Possible For Some Sellers in Some States. In the past, we have written about house raffles and how only charities or other qualified not for profit organizations can legally conduct house raffles. Now, however, it seems that homeowners have teamed up in at least one state to set up, conduct and sell homes using house raffles. Will you be able to sell you home using a house raffle? That will depend on the laws in your state and the willingness of the authorities to allow them.