She was startled by what happened next. When she swiped her debit card at the grocery store, it was declined. It turned out Capital One Bank had taken $224.25 from her paycheck, a quarter of her wages for two weeks of work at a retail chain, and her bank account was overdrawn.

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Image by Amit Gupta via Flickr DEAR BENNY: I am retired. About 18 months ago (before the economic crash), I bought a fixer-upper and renovated it, but have been unable to sell it. If I let the property go into foreclosure, can/will the bank that gave me the mortgage try to get at my other [...]

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The Basics of Making an Offer A written proposal is the foundation of a real estate transaction. Oral promises are not legally enforceable when it comes to the sale of real estate. Therefore, you need to enter into a written contract, which starts with your written proposal. This proposal not only specifies price, but also [...]

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Image via Wikipedia DEAR BENNY: I recently purchased a home and directly next to it is a piece of railroad property that separates it and two other properties. All properties have access to the streets. The railroad took the land by eminent domain many years ago, and the prior owners are now long gone. When [...]

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Image via Wikipedia DEAR BENNY: My husband and I own a rental property that is paid off. We have been talking about separating, and my husband has said that I can keep the house. How can I get his name off the house and put my name on, or should we just sell it? I [...]

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DEAR BENNY: My parents’ house is paid off. The house is in my father’s name only; my mother has his power of attorney (and I have hers). My father is in a nursing home, recovering from a stroke, but we do not foresee him coming home (he’s 86); he’s wheelchair bound, and conversant, though with [...]

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DEAR BENNY: I have just found out that my neighbor’s septic tank leach line and leach pit is on my property. I was going to buy the property when it was recently up for sale, but I was not given the chance. I did file a lawsuit against the seller. The contract purchaser has not [...]

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Image via Wikipedia DEAR BENNY: I was told by a prominent accountant that there is a loophole in the law that states that you can be exempt from paying capital gains (if you are in a home less than the two-year period) if there are “unforeseen circumstances” involved. Are you aware of this? Can you [...]

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