Adjust Listing Price When You're Selling A Home
When you're a new real estate agent and you're selling a fixer-upper, you may need to work with your client to adjust the listing price. While your client may want a certain listing price, what ultimately matters is what comparable homes are selling for in the same area. Research listing price…
Home Repairs And Improvements Before Selling
When selling a home, you have to consider whether to do home improvements or repairs. That decision will play into whether you want to sell your home in "mint" or "as is" condition. Mint means ready to move in, while as is means it needs some home improvement or home repair. Obviously, mint…
ThinkGlink Radio Show for Jul 24, 2005
Ilyce kicks off the show with a discussion about problems involving health insurance and healthcare billing. Ilyce then takes calls on topics from problems with home contractors to changing real estate agents within a real estate company.
When a builder won't make repairs, is it OK to hold back the last payment? Will the builder then be able to put a lien on the homeowner's new house? What recourse you might have with a builder depends on the contract.
Enhance Curb Appeal When Selling Your Home
When you're selling your home you'll want the outside to look as good as the inside. Outside of the home you'll want to enhance curb appeal by improving landscaping. How can you enhance your home's curb appeal? Learn tips on how to put your home's best foot forward so you can sell your home.
How To Resolve Missing Building Permits
When you buy a home that's had home improvements made without building permits, it's up to you to rectify that with your local government. In many cases, the local government will allow you to buy the building permits after the fact and consider the work in compliance with the building code. If you…
When Selling Your Home, Hire Your Own Inspector
Before you list your home for sale, it's a good idea to get a pre-listing home inspection. A pre-listing home inspection will alert you to items that may need repair in and around your home. Getting a pre-listing inspection will reduce the surprises that could appear during a home inspection…
Suing Tenant For Extensive Damage
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? The lease may provide that in case the tenant damaged the apartment, you have the right to restore it to the condition in which it was…
Home Warranty Programs Worth The Money?
Is getting a home warranty program a good idea? Usually, home warranty programs are not worth the money. Home warranty programs are expensive and still include a service fee for a service call.
Seller Disclosure Includes Material Defects
When you sell your home you will have to share if the home has material defects as part of seller disclosure. Does seller disclosure include sharing what kind of wiring your home has? Do you have to share items under seller disclosure that weren't made public to you when you bought your home? Seller…
Home Improvement: Plan Ahead For Budget
Most remodeling projects require some planning, and the best ones are typically planned far enough ahead so that the details can sink in: How you use and live in a space should dictate the design, scope and cost of the project. Learn about planning a remodeling project including the budget.
Research Water Damage Contractors Through BBB
When you get water damage on your roof and it begins to leak you'll need to hire a contractor to repair your roof. How can you find a reliable roofing contractor? Ask friends, family, colleagues, and local real estate agents to provide referrals. Contact the Better Business Bureau to check the…
Releasing Escrow For Home Repairs
A buyer and seller agree to set aside money in escrow for the repairs needed per the home inspection. Now the seller won't release the funds. The buyer and seller should have some agreement of file that indicates what the escrow money was for.
Paying For Vacation Home Repairs
What should you do if you have property, like a vacation home that is in need of major repairs but your trust has no money to pay for them? One option for taking care of the vacation home could be taking out a home equity loan to repair the vacation home. A option that wouldn't be allowed for a…
Management Company Obligated To Pay For Fence
A home owner would like to replace their fence and believes the management of the development is obligated to pay one half the cost. They could try sending a letter to the property manager by certified mail (return receipt requested) along with a copy by regular mail. In the letter, they need to…
Home Repair Adds To Real Estate Investment Costs
When you buy a home as a real estate investment you need to also consider the costs it will take to maintain the home. Home repairs, home improvements and home maintenance can all add up and increase what it costs to keep your real estate investment in fine shape. Learn the different kinds of home…
Home Improvement And Home Repair Needs? Hire A Handyman
With time at a premium, an increasing number of Americans are hiring one of an estimated 30,000 handymen to tackle small home improvement and home repair jobs. Handymen can make home improvement and home repair jobs stress free. Because many Americans don't have the skills to handle even small home…
Find Good Contractor For Home Improvement Projects
When you're ready to tackle a home improvement project you'll want to make sure you find a reputable contractor. To find a good contractor for a home improvement project you can check with the Better Business Bureau (BBB) or the National Association for the Remodeling Industry (NARI). You can also…
Home Repairs After Natural Disaster
Thousands of homeowners file home repair fraud complaints with their state attorney general's office each year. The National Association of the Remodeling Industry recently offered up ten warning signs that your contractor may not be legitimate.
How To Combat The Rising Tide Of Flood Insurance
In the wake of Hurricane Isabel, the lights for many Americans on the Eastern Seaboard are stillout. But what hasn't even dawned on most Americans who live in flood zones is that over the past few years, insurers have been stealthily changing insurance policies as they relate to hurricane and other…
How do I know if my refinance is the best deal I can get? Should I invest in major home repair or sell it as a fixer-upper? And how can I cut costs on my energy bill? WGN's Money Saving Expert Ilyce Glink answers these questions.
Choosing The Best Colors For Your House
Choosing the right color for your home can beautify and make it a welcoming place to live. Pick a unifying color palette for the inside, and try to match the colors of the environment for the outside.
Reverse Mortgages For Seniors On Fixed Income
A reverse mortgage can be a good option for seniors on a fixed income. A reverse mortgage allows a home owner over age 62 to use his home's value to get a loan in a lump sum or monthly payments. The home owner doesn't pay anything back on the reverse mortgage until he moves out or sells it. Several…
Home Improvement Can Become Ongoing Home Repair
What starts out as a home renovation or home improvement project can become an ongoing home repair. Not long after you complete your home improvement project, your home may again begin to show signs of wear and tear. Should you keep making home improvements or home repairs?
Making Smart Decisions When Renovating
Nearly $200 billion will be spent on home improvements this year. But a lot of that cash will be wasted because homeowners don't always think things through before home improvement demolition begins. Here are a few things to think about before you start this fall's home improvement project.
