Why is being a first time home buyer important? The first time you buy a home you may be eligible for special discounts and financing. First time home buyers tend to be inexperienced and so they are more likely to experience pitfalls during the home purchase process. Learn what you should look out for when you’re a first time home buyer here.
Do You Need a Closing Attorney When Buying a Home?
Do you need a closing attorney when buying a home? Closing attorneys facilitate real estate transactions but they can’t give legal advice on the deal. Q: I'm a little embarrassed to ask this question, but do I need to hire an attorney for closing? I'm a first-time homebuyer purchasing a new construction home and I [...]
First-Time Home Buying Tips for 2020
First-time home buying tips for 2020. A look at the real estate market heading into 2020 and four tips for homebuyers in the new year. In a few days, we’ll start a new decade. Rarely has a decade produced the kind of wild swings in residential real estate prices as we’ve seen over the past [...]
Is a Condo or Townhouse a Better Investment?
Is a condo or townhouse a better investment? These readers want to buy property in San Francisco they plan to rent out when they move in a few years. Q: I just read the AMA Ilyce did on Reddit about a year ago on buying a home. Thank you for all the information that you [...]
How Much Can I Afford to Spend on a House?
How much can I afford to spend on a house? There are four factors home buyers should evaluate when setting a budget to buy a house and avoid this situation. How Much Can I Afford to Spend on a House? Taking a realistic look at finances and setting a firm budget is a crucial step [...]
What Is the Purpose of a Home Inventory?
What is the purpose of a home inventory? A home inventory list can make filing an insurance claim in the event of a major loss much easier. Seventy percent of Americans have gone through a natural disaster at some point in their lives, according to research by Farmers Insurance. With that in mind, it’s surprising [...]
How Do I Pay My First Mortgage Payment?
How do I pay my first mortgage payment? After closing the sale on buying a home it’s time to start sending payments to your mortgage servicer. Buying a home is the most stressful event of modern life. Now that it’s done, you can breathe a sigh of relief, settle into homeownership and pay your first [...]
Are Millennials Buying Homes?
Are Millennials Buying Homes? Millennials now have the largest share of new mortgages by dollar volume, but most of them have regrets about buying a home. Are Millennials buying homes? It looks like the answer is yes: Millennials are finally becoming homeowners. Millennials now account for the largest share of new mortgages by dollar volume [...]
Ilyce Glink Book Interview: MoneyLife Radio Hosted By Chuck Jaffe
ThinkGlink.com publisher Ilyce Glink was recently interviewed by MoneyLife Radio host Chuck Jaffe about her latest book, 100 Questions Every First-Time Home Buyer Should Ask, fourth edition. Chuck, who for decades was a columnist and blogger for MarketWatch, said that the book is what he's going to give his own children when the time comes [...]
Will Tax Reform Kill The Housing Market and Tank Home Prices?
Is the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act going to kill the housing market and tank home prices? With the passage of Tax Reform in the House of Representatives, real estate industry groups have gone on the warpath to prevent legislation they believe is ultimately damaging to real estate. Is tax reform going to kill the [...]
How Much House Can I Afford?
While we all have seen shows on dream homes, we may not be able to afford those homes and may not want to actually live in those dream homes. You need to know how much you can afford when buying a house. When you know the amount, you still need to feel comfortable spending that amount on a monthly basis. A big mistake home buyers make is thinking they can afford a home and then realizing that they are spending too much of their money trying to keep their home. It's a common home buying mistake to buy more than you can comfortably afford. Make sure you are comfortable with your monthly home budget.