Mold Content Index - Page 1

According to the Environmental Protection Agency, mold is the leading cause of allergies in the United States. A microscopic organism, it's found everywhere - both inside and out of your house. But your home may be a repository for mold, and you may not even know it. Learn more in these articles, columns, radio shows, blog posts and videos about mold, what to do when you discover it, and how to remove it.

FHA cash reserves fall to the lowest level in history, below the congressionally mandated level. The Federal Housing Administration's mortgage insurance cash reserves fell to the lowest levels in recorded history, 0.53 percent. The FHA announced today FHA cash reserve levels have fallen below the congressionally mandated threshold. The annual independent accounting survey of the FHA came with the assessment that additional action needed to be taken to manage risk to prevent further losses.

The $8,000 first-time home buyer tax credit will expire on November 30, 2009, unless Congress votes to extend the deadline. But with positive housing news coming out and with health care sucking the oxygen out of the room, is there the political will to extend and expand the $8,000 first time home buyer tax credit? Sen. Johnny Isakson (R-GA) thinks so, but instead of pushing his $15,000 home buyer tax credit for everyone, he is going to propose a $10,000 tax credit for everyone, including millionaires. He believes he can attach it to upcoming legislation as an amendment and get it passed. I spoke with Sen. Isakson this morning about his efforts to get the tax credit legislation passed.

How much should I save each month? That's a question many Americans are pondering in the aftermath of the Great Recession. Some things never change: The more you save earlier in life, the more savings you'll have for retirement. This article includes money-saving tips, as well as a discussion of short-term and long-term financial goals, including saving for retirement. Also included are tips to help you plan our how much you should save each month.

Since Taylor Bean & Whitaker Mortgage Company shut its doors on August 5, 2009, hundreds of thousands of customers have not understood what is happening. We have information for those customers whose loans were not picked up by Bank of America but by CENLAR. This information is from the CENLAR website as well as from the Georgia Department of Banking and Finance. Check back frequently, as we will be updating the information as often as possible.

Taylor, Bean and Whitaker Mortgage Company filed for bankruptcy earlier this August, and problems for the customers continue. The Taylor Bean and Whitaker Mortgage Company situation continues to change. The latest news comes from the Director of Mortgage Supervision at the Georgia Department of Banking and Finance: Bank of America is going to take over the servicing rights for FHA loans and Ginnie Mae loans previously held by Taylor Bean and Whitaker Mortgage Company. Property owners and Taylor Bean customers should be aware of information on where they should send their payments (to Taylor Bean or Bank of America). Payment information for Taylor Bean customers is listed in the article below.

If you put down earnest money or a down payment on a home and you have a seller disclosure issue, you better make sure you have a way to get out of the contract. If the seller disclosure form failed to disclose mold in a home, and you signed a contract to buy the home, you should have the right to also inspect the home to make sure you want to move forward in the deal. If as a buyer, you don't understand issues like contracts, earnest money, seller disclosure and home inspections, you might want to reconsider buying a house or hiring a real estate attorney and a home inspector before signing a contract to buy a home.

Seller disclosure laws have developed to assist buyers in their home buying quest and to keep seller's honest. Seller disclosure laws require a seller to disclose to the buyers all know material defects in the home. A seller is not required to disclose everything about a home, just material problems known to the seller. If you are buying a home in foreclosure, your seller -- the bank -- may not give you any disclosure and it will be up to you to make sure you perform a good home inspection to protect yourself. Seller disclosure laws do not replace a home inspection and a good home inspector. The best real estate advice you can get is to read the seller disclosure form carefully and perform a thorough home inspection of the home.

The $8000 first time home buyer tax credit is quite a bit of money. But you must meet all the guidelines and restrictions. Some of the restrictions may seem unfail To qualify for the $8,000 first time home buyer tax credit, it must be your primary residence and you must fall under a certain income limit and the purchase of the home can't be from a relative. You can claim the $8000 first time home buyer tax credit if you make up to $75,000 for individuals, $150,000 filing jointly. The tax credit begins to phase out after that, and is eliminated at $95,000 ($170,000 for joint filing) of income. If you buy the home from a relative, you won't qualify for the $8000 first time home buyer tax credit.

Credit history and credit score ruined by lender while borrower applies for loan modification under the Obama Making Home Affordable Plan. While applying for the Making Home Affordable Loan Modification Program some lenders may require borrowers to make temporary payments into escrow or hold accounts while their applications are being reviewed. But the lender will also report those borrowers as late or delinquent to credit reporting bureaus and borrower's credit history and credit scores will suffer.

The IRS issued a scam alert to taxpayers notifying them that there are new IRS scams and rip-offs that target identity theft they need to watch out for. These scams, including the "Making Work Pay Refund" Scam and phishing rip-offs like those telling you that you have inherited funds, won the lottery or claim a scheme for cash consignment, are ensnaring U.S. taxpayers. Here are the latest IRS identity theft scams and rip-offs to avoid, along with information on how to protect yourself.