When it comes to buying a home, Millennials are taking about 5 years longer to become homeowners. Here, I take a look at some factors that may be causing this shift in the average first-time homebuyer age. I live for a happy ending. Whether it’s in the movies, a fairy-tale wedding (hello, Harry and Meghan!), [...]
Mortgage rates are on the rise and hurting buyers. Here's what you need to know if you plan to buy a home this year. The worst of all possible confluences for home buyers got a bit worse this week: Mortgage interest rates jumped up again, to the highest level in five years. At the same [...]
How to get started with long distance home buying to make sure your big move goes as smoothly as possible. Q: After living in the same house for over 40 years, my wife and I are planning to move across country a year from this summer. How does one go about finding a house from [...]
Home titles and property taxes: What you need to know to make sure you don’t end up with a defective deed. Q: We purchased a house and have been going through a lawyer to get our deed from the previous owner. In the meantime, we’ve been living in the house for well over a [...]
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 [...]
Buying a home under the new tax laws can be a daunting task, especially since we still have so little information. Here is what you need to consider before buying. Q: I just read your article on what to expect in the real estate residential market for 2018. I liked your perspective and have a [...]
Will a loan from a family member impact my taxes? The IRS will treat the loan differently, depending on how you pay it back. Q: My mom is giving us money to buy a vacation home. We will pay her back monthly but it's more of a handshake agreement. Will there be any tax implications [...]
When a lack of seller disclosure and a bad home inspection collide, it causes expensive problems for these buyers. Here are a few suggestions for how they can move forward. Q: What are sellers required to disclose to buyers? We recently purchased a home in Houston, Texas. When we had the home inspected prior to [...]
How do I measure house square footage? Square footage is measured in surprising ways, and is done differently around the country, here’s what you need to know. Q: I'm buying a house in Pawling, NY. The measured indoor space (all rooms, closets, hallway, vestibule) equals 1,430 square feet while the house is listed at 1,680 [...]
When your short sale is a foreclosure in sheep’s clothing, what can you do to make sure you don’t lose any of your deposits? Here’s what I suggest. Q: I read with interest your definition of a short sale in a recent column in the real estate section of our paper. We have a contract [...]
