Weighing risks, rewards of adjustable-rate mortgages
Fixed mortgage rates remain below 5 percent, and these days fewer homebuyers seem to be opting for adjustable-rate loans.
Get the full story >>Determining the value of inherited house
Q. Where can a person find the value of a home on a particular date? My last surviving parent passed away on Sept. 29, 2005, and my...
Get the full story >>Live-in mate could lose shared property in estate battle
Q. My mother and her boyfriend lived together for 18 years. He owned the house by himself. He has two surviving adult children. He always...
Get the full story >>Association nails homeowner with repair bill
Q. We live in a town house. Many of the outdoor structures, fences, etc., outside many of the houses that I've seen are not in compliance...
Get the full story >>Fixed mortgage rates fall to 2011 lows, at 4.60%
Fixed mortgage rates hit the lowest point of the year for the third straight week.
Get the full story >>Gift tax keeps on giving until 2012
Q. In a recent column, you indicated that a giftor's lifetime tax exemption is $1 million. However, after searching this out, I believe that...
Get the full story >>Laws vary in dealing with neighbor's tree branches
Q. My neighbor has a Bradford pear tree that is probably about 15 years old. The other night during the heavy wind a branch of the tree...
Get the full story >>Mortgage rates dip again to 4.61% for 30-year fixed
The interest on fixed-rate mortgages edged down for the fifth straight week to hit a new low this year, as mixed indicators from the housing...
Get the full story >>Survey reveals consumer confusion on mortgages
A sizable number of American consumers appear to be clueless about home loans, judging by the responses to a survey by the Mortgage...
Get the full story >>Simpler mortgage forms drafted
The blizzard of complex disclosure forms required in getting a mortgage soon could ease a bit as a new federal agency tries to streamline...
Get the full story >>When a mortgage puts buyer at a disadvantage
For homebuyers who need to finance their purchase using a mortgage, a cash buyer can be their worst enemy.
Get the full story >>These days, buying a home wins over renting
For the first time in years, buying a home may beat renting.
Get the full story >>Property owner divided on how to deal with fence
Q. I am a 78-year-old single woman living alone. Some weeks ago, my next-door neighbor fenced in his backyard with Gothic picket fencing....
Get the full story >>Beware of timeshare maintenance fees
Q. My husband and I bought a time share years ago, and over time we upgraded and then converted to the point system. In that time, the...
Get the full story >>Quitclaim could be a major misstep
Q My dad passed away in 2009, and yet his name is still on the title to my parents' property as well as a mortgage and home equity line of...
Get the full story >>Buyer finds pitfalls in seller's financing arrangement
Q. I purchased a condo in January 2009 and was able to get a second mortgage through the sellers to help me purchase. Dealing with the...
Get the full story >>How to polish your credit score
Sherelle Villacorta had a good credit score, but like many people she wanted a higher score.
Get the full story >>IRS tax guide should be on every reader's top 10 list
Q. I was wondering if you could list your top five to 10 real estate-related books.
Get the full story >>HUD drops harsh rule on reverse mortgages
The Department of Housing and Urban Development has thrown out a rule it put in effect in 2008 for reverse mortgages that was causing grief...
Get the full story >>Pay state fee to get loan off records
Q. I own a manufactured home and recently paid off my chattel loan. However, to clear the lien, our secretary of state requires that I pay...
Get the full story >>When the mortgage market goes private
In a rare instance of like-mindedness across the political spectrum, most everyone agrees that Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, the infamous...
Get the full story >>Prices are low! Mortgages cheap! But you can't get one
NEW YORK (CNNMoney) -- Yep, mortgage interest rates are low, but there's a catch: It doesn't matter how cheap rates are if you can't get a...
Get the full story >>How to drive the hardest car bargain
Most new-car shoppers know that if they pay invoice price for a vehicle, they're getting a bargain. But does that mean the dealer makes no...
Get the full story >>Search for real estate document likely will reach dead end
Q. I seem to have misplaced my HUD-1 form when we bought our house back in 1972. What can I do to obtain a copy and where?
Get the full story >>Job hunting? Make your expenses count
When you're out of work, the last thing you need to do is waste money.
Get the full story >>Tenants refuse to pay new owners of foreclosure property
Q. We purchased a foreclosure property. The tenants have not paid rent for the past 18 months while the bank was the owner. The tenants...
Get the full story >>Obama administration officials' personal finances 'more or less appropriate,' investing experts say
Obama administration officials are trying to steer the nation out of its biggest financial crisis in decades.
Get the full story >>Is lender being upfront about fee?
Q. On July 30, I had settlement on the purchase of my first home. It was an FHA mortgage and the mortgage insurance premium (MIP) was...
Get the full story >>THE JOURNEY
Janet Kidd Stewart if Your Money columnis. Have a retirement question? Write to yourmoney@tribune.com, or via mail at Your Money,...
Get the full story >>Surviving layoffs may mean new job responsibilities
Congratulations--you dodged layoffs, at least this time around. So why is the boss at your elbow wanting to talk? Because the job you've...
Get the full story >>GAIL MARKJARVIS
Gail MarkJarvis is a financial columnist at the Chicago Tribune. E-mail her at gmarksjarvis@tribune.com.
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