Real Estate Investment Content Index - Page 3

**Refinancing An Interest Only Loan** If you have an interest only loan, it may be a good time to refinance the mortgage loan. You will owe the same amount today on your Interest only loan as you will in ten years. On an interest only loan you never pay down the principal balance. If the interest on your loan is high, you should consider refinancing the interest only loan. If you plan to live in a home a short period of time, refinancing an interest only loan may not be right for you.

**More Reasons Why Your House Won't Sell** If you are getting the showings, but your house won't sell, what should you do. Make sure that you understand the listing price of your home and that it is competitive with other homes. Make sure that the condition of your home is in as good a shape as possible. While you can't change the location of the home, location, location, location is still the norm in real estate and you should understand how that affects your home. Finally, make sure you understand the market when it comes to the commission you are paying your broker and how much of that commission will be paid to the agent that brings a buyer to buy your home. If you don't understand each of these issues, you have added more reasons to why your house won't sell.

**$8,000 First Time Home Buyer Tax Credit and Nonresident Aliens** The $8,000 first time home buyer tax credit is quite popular these days and everybody that might qualify for it wants to qualify for it. But there are strict rules relating to who can qualify for the $8,000 first time home buyer tax credit. If you are a nonresident alien you do not qualify for the tax credit. But if you buy a home with someone who does qualify for the $8,000 first time home buyer tax credit, the nonresident alien won't get the benefit but the other person should get the benefit of the tax credit.

**S Corporation vs LLC: Tax Consequences For S Corp and LLC** More and more real estate investors are using LLCs to hold their properties. Some still prefer using S corporations but most accountants today recommend that their clients use LLCs or limited liability companies.

Ilyce Glink Show Notes - October 4, 2009; Atlanta Flood update; September job cuts and unemployment rate rises; Moving to Montana; Section 8 real estate investing; how to find an estate attorney; HUD-certified housing counselors and Net Present Value (NPV) calculations and why people can't get loan modifications; FREE BOOKS and EBOOK DISCOUNT DEAL; Taylor Bean 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.

**Home Buying Risks, Pitfalls and Tips For New Construction Homes Part 2** Home buying has risks associated with it, particularly the purchase of a new construction home in a new development. There are pitfall all along the way. What should you do to protect yourself? How do you handle the uncertainty of buying a new construction home in a new development? One reader suggests that the buyer should share any risks in that new construction purchase with the lender that give the buyer the loan. Would you agree? What about municipal inspections and certificates of occupancy? The builder's or developer's reputation? What about using a real estate attorney? Leave your comment below.

Taylor Bean and Whitaker Update -- September 25, 2009: With all the confusion happening with Taylor Bean and Whitaker, there are more situations arising where people can't find the information they need. More answers should come after the October 31 deadline set by bankruptcy court, but for now, ThinkGlink wanted to know, "Where are the Mortgage Records and Closing Documents Kept?" Please continue to leave comments and join in the Taylor Bean and Whitaker discussion. We will do our best to help find the answers to your questions.

**Holding Title To Real Estate in an LLC** When you decide to invest in real estate, you'll have a choice as to how you want to hold title to your real estate investments. One choice is to hold title to real estate in an LLC (limited liability company). A limited liability company protects the individual owners from personal liability and for federal income tax purposes those investors can ignore the LLC when they complete their tax returns. The LLC exists but the owners can take the losses and gains from the investment directly on their individual tax returns. For these reasons, most real estate investors choose to hold title to their real estate investments in an LLC.