Upgrading your landscaping and fixing the exterior of your home can really boost the value of your property. Most people will decide by looking at a photo on the internet whether or not they want to see the inside of your house. Summer is a great time to work on your house's curb appeal.
Want to get a good mortgage loan? Be sure to shop around, compare prices, and negotiate with mortgage lenders to get the best mortgage loan for you. Just remember, the best loan for you may not be the cheapest loan you’re offered by the mortgage lender.
When a family member wants to bequest property to another family member you need to do estate planning. If the property owner has liens against her property, that is she owes money to creditors who want to be paid when the property is sold, then the new property owner may be liable for those debts. Rather than transferring the property through probate, it's better to sell the property ahead of time and take care of the liens now.
If you're thinking of setting up a revocable trust for a parent or have been asked to be an administrator of one, you will need to make sure you retitle assets that are placed in the trust. Assets include primary residences, vacation properties or even stocks and bonds. Trusts are often used in estate planning.
Ilyce's husband Sam, Tod Mark and Ilyce talk about real estate law, practical travel advice, rising real estate prices around the world, and "What a million dollars doesn't buy." Call in topics include: increasing your cash flow through stocks and real estate, and how to refinance your house.
You cannot escape capital gains tax by rolling over your profit from one property to another. There are tax implications and some exceptions to the capital gains law. When selling a home, you must have lived there for two of the past five years to qualify for capital gains tax exemptions.
When you're a first time home buyer it may be difficult to figure out how much to offer on a home. To determine how much to offer you should look at the neighborhood you're interested in, what other homes are selling for in that neighborhood and what the tax assessor says about the homes in that location. Once you've done your research as a first time home buyer you'll be more knowledgeable to make an offer on a home.
If you're going to buy a house or refinance your existing loan this year, you should take the time to organize your finances now. Gathering your paperwork together will make it easy to apply for a loan later. Keeping your insurance policies, checking and savings accounts, retirement accounts, investments, tax returns and trust information organized will pay off when you really need the information.
