Tax reform has caused a lot of confusion in 2018 for taxpayers, tax-preparers, and homeowners looking to deduct home loan interest. The recent Tax Reform Act has caused consternation for taxpayers, tax-preparers and even syndicated columnists. In a recent column, we addressed the issue of the deductibility of interest in an equity line of credit [...]
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 [...]
Is your mortgage loan forgiven when you outlive the lender? Certain legal loopholes may make it a possibility, but don’t bet on it. Q: I have paid $30,000 of a $60,000 mortgage on vacant land but then got behind on payments. The owner has failed to foreclose. I have continued to pay the real estate [...]
Handling tax issues with a rent-to-own home can cause some tension between the landlord and tenant. You’ll want to have all the details before you make your next move. Q: I’ve been renting-to-own a home for a little over a year now. The owner of the home told me he would continue to pay the [...]
What is the right way to title a home purchase to reduce future taxes? Should you choose joint tenancy with rights of survivorship or a trust? What impact will the way you hold title have on capital gains or inheritance taxes? Q: My mom sold her property and put all of the proceeds into [...]
Ilyce appeared on WGN's Steve Cochran Show in Chicago recently, and was inundated by listeners who wanted to know how to appeal their property taxes. Here are three steps you shouldn't miss if you want to successfully appeal your property taxes. Q: I heard Ilyce on the radio recently talking about how to lower your property [...]
When you live in a home owned by a family member, transferring the home title from owner to tenant can be complicated. Just because you've been living in a home for an extended period of time and paying the expenses (as in this case), that doesn't make you the homeowner. Q: How do we get the [...]
Tax season is officially here and we’ve rounded up our most popular (and useful) tax articles to help you file and get your full refund. Whether you have questions about your children’s taxes, your tax documents or home-related tax issues, we’ve got answers. Here are our top 10 tax articles to simplify this year’s tax [...]
If you’ve paid off the mortgage, you might be ready to celebrate. Except don’t get too excited: While you’re done with the mortgage, and hopefully your home equity line of credit, you won’t be living in the house for free. Here are four post-mortgage expenses every homeowner has to handle and a few things [...]
Is buying cheaper than renting? You’ve probably heard that buying a home is cheaper than renting an apartment. And since the housing crisis, when mortgage interest rates dropped to historic lows while rental rates were rising, that was mostly true. Now that mortgage interest rates are rising, that's no longer a slam dunk. And, there [...]
