Tag: Homeowners
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The Deed Holder’s Ace in the Hole: Home Equity in an Emergency
Deed holders are racking up debt these days. Fuel, electricity, and food all cost more. And don’t get us started on insurance premiums and property taxes. All it takes is one surprise—a tree falling on a roof or a broken pipe—to push a hardworking person over the financial edge. But the cash-strapped deed holder might…
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A Q&A on “Assessed Value”: How Tax Officials Decide What Your Deed Is Worth
Deed holders pay taxes for owning property. The value of a deed to a tax assessor is not the same as the value assigned by the market or by a real estate appraiser. The property’s tax basis is called its assessed value. To simplify: the deed holder pays taxes on the assessed value of the…
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Playing Dirty With Deeds: Listing Scammers Swarm Social Media
Agents from coast to coast are sending out warnings about a scheme on TikTok. Bogus listings are attracting hopeful renters and buyers, then taking off with fees and deposits. The advertisements on TikTok, Facebook Marketplace, Instagram, and other popular platforms show attractive prices—but they’re designed to pick the pockets of innocent people. At the same…
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Read and Keep This Info: A Deed Holder’s Disaster Preparation and Recovery Guide
The scout’s motto works well for the homeowner. Be prepared. Know where you can receive the kinds of services and support that enable deed holders to rebound after a disaster. You might like to bookmark this page for future reference. You might also wish to go through its content with other members of your household.
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Financial Planning for Deed Holders: Keep the Mortgage?
Some deed holders, hoping to pay their loans down early, send extra money toward their mortgage principal each month. Why are they eager to pay down a mortgage balance faster than the loan agreement requires? Is that the best approach from a financial planning standpoint? Here, we go through some factors that prompt some deed…
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Will Pennsylvania Criminalize Deed Theft?
Deed fraud, or deed theft, is the improper transfer of property ownership by deceit. In most states, it’s a very rare incident. But when it happens, it’s devastating. State criminal laws do generally deal with theft, forgery, and fraud. And yet, many don’t have a specific law for deed theft. In Pennsylvania, Representatives Christopher…
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Some Offices Are Bringing Their Remote Workers Back. Will This Force Homeowners to Sell?
“They need us. They won’t force us to come back to the office!” Or will they? During the pandemic, remote work became a survival tactic. Some companies liked the new ways. They said they’d keep remote or hybrid working options available indefinitely. For a time, stories abounded of employees who went remote, moved out of…
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Deed Theft Crackdown: New York’s on a Roll
New York State Attorney General Letitia James is championing a cause near and dear to our hearts: safe and secure deeds. On the last day of July 2023, the A.G. announced an indictment of a Long Island resident for deed theft. Joseph Makhani faces two counts of criminal possession of stolen property and one count…
