Thinking of buying a vacation home with IRA Funds? Watch out for higher fees when purchasing a vacation home in a self-directed IRA I listen to you every Sunday morning on WGN and I have a question. I'm thinking of buying a vacation home with IRA funds. Can I do that? A: The short answer [...]
Every year, Ilyce and Sam offer their readers New Year’s resolutions for home buyers, sellers and their personal finances. These are their 2023 Home Buyer Resolutions. My, how the tide is shifting for home buyers, sellers, renovators, investors, and owners. At the end of 2021, we wrote that “Covid is a trend accelerator.” When it [...]
In 2018, there were a million electric cars on the roads in the U.S. By 2025, there will be more than 18 million electric cars on U.S. roads, according to PolicyAdvice and Business Insider. Electric car owners will want to charge their cars at home, at the mall, at work or in every parking garage. [...]
Update: June 16. 2021. According to the National Association of Realtors, the U.S. is now short between 5 million and 6.8 million housing units. A new study has called for a "once in a generation" governmental response to push builders to add more single family homes, townhomes, condos, multi-family and rental properties. "We're four [...]
Buying vs renting a home in 2021. Home prices are rising across the country but it might still be more affordable to buy a home than rent one in 2021. Buying vs Renting a Home in 2021 Home prices are rising faster than rents in 83 percent of the 915 U.S. counties ATTOM Data Solutions [...]
Buying a duplex with friends: primary residence or investment property? This reader wants to know how taxes work if all four of them are on the financing and title. Q: My partner and I plan to purchase a duplex with friends. We would live on one side, and our friends (who already own their forever [...]
What to do about unpermitted work when buying a house. How to look up work done on a home and who you can ask to help you make an informed decision. Q: I saw your recent column about buying a home that might not have all of the required permits for work done. You left [...]
Should I amend my living trust when I buy more property? This reader moved and purchased two new properties since they last amended their trust in 2006. Q: I live in Florida and have a living trust which was amended in 2006. My daughter is my only heir and has now married. I have moved, [...]
Do I need a real estate attorney to buy a house? This reader can’t find a residential real estate attorney and wants to know how to proceed without one. Q: I have a goal of becoming a first-time homebuyer soon. I picked up Ilyce’s 100 Questions Every First-Time Homebuyer Should Ask book and found it [...]
What’s scarier than buying a haunted house? Approximately 70 percent of Americans believe in the supernatural, but most of them are more afraid of this. Halloween is just around the corner and the spooky season is in full swing. While you and your family are watching some classic horror movies (Poltergeist, The Amityville Horror or [...]
