Mortgages

Two Ideas to Relieve Unemployment Pressure

Thumbnail image for Two Ideas to Relieve Unemployment Pressure by Janice Conard March 5, 2012

Ever since I read “An Idea for Changing Unemployment Benefits” by my colleague, Kasey Steinbrinck, I’ve been trying to think more creatively about what can be done to help the unemployed. Having only recently returned to work myself after being unemployed for two and a half years, I think I’m as qualified as anyone to [...]

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How We Sold Our House in a Down Market

Thumbnail image for How We Sold Our House in a Down Market by Janice Conard January 26, 2012

In September 2008, just as the so-called housing bubble burst, my partner and I sold our house in Louisville for just a few thousand dollars under our asking price. We tried a FSBO approach for one month and had only nosy neighbors for foot traffic. Luckily, the daughter of a friend (who just happens to [...]

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Renting? Why You Could be Getting Ripped Off!

Thumbnail image for Renting? Why You Could be Getting Ripped Off! by Kasey Steinbrinck January 13, 2012

The housing market may be a bust. But the rental business is booming. Demand for a place to rent is high, but apartments are somewhat scarce. The law of supply and demand tells us that means prices are going to rise. The cost of renting an apartment went up 8.6% for New Yorkers in 2011. [...]

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Forget the “What Ifs” of Your Personal Finances

Thumbnail image for Forget the “What Ifs” of Your Personal Finances by Kasey Steinbrinck October 31, 2011

The other day I was looking through the real estate listings in the Sunday paper and immediately regretted it. Every time I see how far home prices have fallen in the past several years it makes me wonder if my wife and I made a bad decision when we bought a home in January 2006. [...]

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The CFPB – Good Watchdog or Bad Watchdog?

Thumbnail image for The CFPB – Good Watchdog or Bad Watchdog? by Kasey Steinbrinck July 22, 2011

While the fighting over what to do about the debt ceiling continues in Washington…something else just happened that could have a much more direct effect on your life and money. The federal government’s new consumer watchdog agency officially opened for business this week. The idea behind the U.S. Consumer Financial Protection Bureau is to hold [...]

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The U.S. Housing Market – Getting in the Game

Thumbnail image for The U.S. Housing Market – Getting in the Game by Kasey Steinbrinck June 21, 2011

More discouraging numbers concerning the state of the U.S. housing market were just released. But some folks have a hopeful view about what could happen next… Homes sales dipped to a 6-month low in May falling to a pace of 4.8 million units sold, which was down from 5 million in April. The median sale [...]

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Reverse Mortgages – Why Baby Boomers Want In and Big Banks Want Out

Thumbnail image for Reverse Mortgages – Why Baby Boomers Want In and Big Banks Want Out by Kasey Steinbrinck June 17, 2011

Is a reverse mortgage a good idea? It can be a way for people entering the winter of their lives to have a stream of income that will help them save for retirement or provide living expenses when they no longer have a regular paycheck. As the Baby Boomer generation enters retirement age – many [...]

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Stay Prepared – Learn How Foreclosure Works

Thumbnail image for Stay Prepared – Learn How Foreclosure Works by Kasey Steinbrinck May 24, 2011

The following is a guest post from blogger Shannen Doherty. No, not that that Shannen Doherty. She writes for numerous blogs and financial advisory firms. We all are scared of the term ‘foreclosure’ but we hardly have any clear idea what foreclosure exactly is and how and when the creditors foreclose the property? If you [...]

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How to Stay Out of the Poorhouse When You’re House Poor

Thumbnail image for How to Stay Out of the Poorhouse When You’re House Poor by Kasey Steinbrinck February 17, 2011

If you’ve never heard of the term house poor before that’s probably because it’s a concept that only became commonly known after the housing bust and the so-called Great Recession. Being house poor basically means that a disproportionate amount of your income goes into your house. That includes not just your mortgage – but also [...]

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One-Million Had Homes Repossesed in 2010

Thumbnail image for One-Million Had Homes Repossesed in 2010 by Kasey Steinbrinck January 13, 2011

There was a record number of foreclosures last year that forced many Americans out of the place they called home. According to a RealtyTrac report released today, there were almost 2.9 million foreclosures in 2010. Out of those foreclosures, one-million had their homes repossessed. RealtyTrac’s president thinks foreclosures would have easily topped 3 million, but [...]

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