Q: I live in San Antonio, Texas and looking to buy a condo. If there is a foundation problem with the property, who is responsible for repairing the problem? It's a small condo complex of about 8 to 10 units, and I’m worried about buying into a small complex with a very expensive problem. A: [...]
Homeowner’s Insurance Costs: It’s Not How Much Your House Is Worth but How Much It Costs to Rebuild Loretta Worters, Insurance Information Institute What is your house worth today? Real estate website Zillow indicates through its Home Value Index that home prices nationwide are down this spring by 8.2 percent. S&P/Case-Shiller Home Price Indices also [...]
Celebrity Tax Scandals Eva Rosenberg, EA The tabloids make millions of dollars chasing after celebrities, knowing readers are titillated by their every action. The IRS also makes millions of dollars chasing after celebrities, having read about their financial antics in the tabloids, or having been tipped off by unhappy hangers-on, or simply because celebrities do [...]
When I was 18, I decided I needed a tattoo. Very original, I know. But I was determined. A friend of mine and I went to a new tattoo shop in our college town. I had a coupon for 10% from the local Penny Saver-type paper. In my defense, I was a broke college-kid. My [...]
Anyone who drives a car is keenly aware of the swift rise in the price of gas. This is largely a result of political uncertainty in the Middle East. What impact will the increase in oil and gas have on your portfolio? The answer varies. In some cases, you’ll see a direct positive impact on [...]
Early last week, the LexisNexis® Mortgage Asset Research Institute published its 13th Periodic Mortgage Fraud Case Report, which evaluates the current conditions of verified residential mortgage misrepresentation in the country committed by industry professionals, based on data submitted by the Institute's subscribers. While reports of fraud decreased 41% from 2009 to 2010, according to statistics [...]
I started out today's show talking about the decisions you make every day about how you spend your money will dictate how wealthy you are later in life. I firmly believe that with a very little bit of effort, everyone can find an extra $1,000 to $1,500 in their budget that is essentially wasted money. [...]
Can I Save My Home From Foreclosure? By Ilyce Glink I’ve been traveling across the country this month, speaking to hundreds of employees about financial wellness. The speech is called “Everyday Money,” because I believe it’s the basic choices you make every day with your money that will determine whether you have enough or not [...]
It sounds like another round of bad news for the mortgage industry. The government has made it clear that no one is constitutionally entitled to a government-backed mortgage of up to $729,750, no matter where you live. Even in places where the cost of buying a house is far above the national average. The recession [...]
Q: My lender is one of the big box lenders that has had all kinds of trouble with their loan modifications. I went through the total disaster HAMP program and it took a year for the bank to finally give me a loan modification. I finally got my loan modification in May, 2010, and the [...]
