washingtonpost.com - Housing CounselHousing CounselMeans Test, Counseling Requirement Lead a Host of Bankruptcy Changes- April 23, 2005 It will no longer be as easy to erase your debts under the bankruptcy law that President Bush signed this week.http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A10648-2005Apr22.html?nav=rss_realestate/col... Promissory Note Spells Out How Much You Owe and When You Must Pay- April 23, 2005 Last in a series of articlesOne of the most important papers you will be asked to sign when you close on a mortgage, whether to buy a house or refinance a loan, is a promissory note. It is your promise to pay back to your lender the money you are borrowing, your IOU.http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A17298-2005Feb11.html?nav=rss_realestate/col... Late Payments Don't Always Spell Doom for Homeowners- April 23, 2005 Q We made a big mistake three years ago and now we are in potential trouble. We took out an interest-only mortgage loan and put down 5 percent of the purchase price. I just lost my job and cannot afford the high monthly payments. We have considerable equity in our house, but we have started to receive threatening letters from our mortgage lender. What should we dohttp://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A57730-2005Apr15.html?nav=rss_realestate/col... Buy a Home With Cash As Always, It Depends- April 23, 2005 I plan to move out West next year. I am 63 years old and semi-retired. My home is valued at about $300,000. I have a 15-year mortgage and the principal balance is about $46,000. I believe I can buy a small house for less than $200,000 in the area where I plan to live. Does it make sense to buy the new house with no mortgage What if I find the new house before I sell herehttp://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A8018-2004Dec17.html?nav=rss_realestate/colu... Homeowners Should Try To Unload PMI- April 23, 2005 Several years ago, we paid $200,000 for our house. We barely were able to scrape up $20,000 and took out a 90 percent loan for $180,000. Because we did not have enough for a 20 percent down payment, we had to obtain private mortgage insurance, called PMI. Since then, in addition to our regular mortgage, we have been paying about $75 a month for PMI. Because of this wonderful real estate appreciation, our house is now worth almost $300,000. Is there any way, other than refinancing our loan, to..http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A38697-2005Apr8.html?nav=rss_realestate/colu... Keeping Old Paperwork Can Pay Off- April 23, 2005 Last in a series of articles: As taxpayers, we are legally required to keep accurate records in case the Internal Revenue Service ever seeks justification or documentation of our tax returns. But how long should you keep these recordshttp://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A44838-2005Jan28.html?nav=rss_realestate/col... Put 'Fixtures' in Sales Contract- April 23, 2005 Q We have signed a contract to buy our first house. Before we signed the agreement, there were two refrigerators in the house -- one in the kitchen and the other in the basement. The real estate agent told us that both refrigerators would stay with the property. Settlement is scheduled for next week, and now we have been advised that the basement refrigerator will be removed. I do not understand when a refrigerator is a fixture and when it is not.http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A20016-2005Apr1.html?nav=rss_realestate/colu... Not Such a Simple Deduction- April 23, 2005 First in a series of five articles designed to assist homeowners in understanding tax laws as they relate to real estate matters, so that you can take advantage of every tax benefit that is available.http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A40005-2004Dec31.html?nav=rss_realestate/col... Utilities, Neighbors Receive Easements to Use Your Land- April 23, 2005 Q We have just settled on our new house. The title attorney gave us a copy of the title report and there is a reference to a "utility easement" in favor of the local telephone company. It looks as if this easement is somewhere in our back yard. What is an easement Does this affect us We plan to expand our house in the back and also have a vegetable garden there.http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A1221-2005Mar25.html?nav=rss_realestate/colu... Homeowners Must Act Quickly to Avoid Losing Benefit of Capital Gains Exclusion- April 23, 2005 A couple owns a house valued at $800,000. They understand that if they do not sell the house before the end of this year, they will have to pay a lot of capital gains tax. They want to know if there is any way that they can avoid paying the capital gains tax if they can't sell by year's end.http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A55771-2004Dec10.html?nav=rss_realestate/col... |