Photography is the central component of home marketing. It increases the effectiveness of web marketing. It increases the effectiveness of print media. It makes the agent look good because it reduces market time* and increases net sales price*. It will help you compete for more listings. Few real estate agents have the equipment, and or [...]

Filed under: Art, Money-Saving, Photography | 2 Comments »

Image by Getty Images via Daylife American health officials on Sunday declared a public health emergency over increasing cases of swine flu, saying that they had confirmed 20 cases of the disease in the United States and expected to see more as investigators fan out to track down the path of the outbreak. Although officials [...]

Filed under: Current Events, Disaster Preparedness, Health, LA Area | No Comments »

You’ve already filed your 2008 tax returns and maybe you’ve already received your refund. That means it’s too late to obtain the $8,000 tax credit for first-time home buyers enacted by President Obama‘s Stimulus Plan, right? Wrong. The great thing about this tax credit is that you can still get the cash this year, even [...]

Filed under: Current Events, Tax Issues | 3 Comments »

With 2 million layoffs recently, the employment websites are busier than ever. And it’s not just jobseekers who are making these sites so popular. Consumer-protection and law-enforcement groups and better-business bureaus are reporting that a whole new breed of scammers and “phishers” are also logging on to get your personal information to steal your identity. [...]

Filed under: Identity Theft, SCAM ALERT | No Comments »

Image by AFP/Getty Images via Daylife Apply for your travel card today made available by the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative. Visit www.GetYouHome.gov to learn how. The June deadline is fast approaching. Enjoy peace of mind knowing you have approved docs to reenter the U.S. from land, air or sea from Canada, Mexico and the Caribbean [...]

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Image by Getty Images via Daylife DEAR BENNY: My husband and I are looking to purchase some homes for investment that are being foreclosed. Because many of these loans are the first deed of trust that are defaulted and the legal notice mentions nothing of second or third deeds of trust, if purchased at auction, [...]

Filed under: Foreclosure, Legal Advice in Common Scenarios, Mortgage, Selling | No Comments »

Image by Getty Images via Daylife DEAR BENNY: Our home is in the process of foreclosure. Bad economic times and the loss of work resulted in our failure to make two mortgage payments. The bank will not work with us to help solve this issue. What happens if a house is foreclosed by the bank? [...]

Filed under: Foreclosure, Legal Advice in Common Scenarios, Real Estate Market, Renting | No Comments »

DEAR BENNY: I have an older friend whose neighbor has approached her regarding doing a reverse mortgage. They want to acquire her property after her death or when she goes to an assisted living facility. She has a niece and two nephews who will inherit her estate when she is gone. They are not in [...]

Filed under: Legal Advice in Common Scenarios, Mortgage, Retirement, Selling, Tax Issues | No Comments »