It's no secret that now seems like a good time to buy a home: Affordability is high and interest rates are low. But those positives aren't translating into sales. Why? Mortgage issues and down payments remain choke points for buyers.
In these shaky economic times, your credit score carries more weight than ever, which means building a credit history is vital. Paying bills on time is one thing that buffs up your score, but until now, paying your rent meant nothing. Credit bureau Experian and RentReporters.com are changing that.
The housing crisis continues unabated, and millions of unemployed Americans remain at risk of ending up homeless. But additional government help is arriving from the Obama administration, and nonprofit agencies are making a difference in the efforts of some families to get help from their lenders.
With proposals from both President Obama and GOP leaders to broaden the tax base, it seems likely that some cherished income tax deductions may be reduced or even eliminated, and one leading candidate for the chopping block is the deduction for mortgage interest.
The Empire State Building is perhaps best remembered as the site of King Kong's last stand, but in real life, the monkey on the building's back wasn't a giant gorilla -- it was a giant electricity bill. But that was before one of the most remarkable green renovations ever undertaken.
For years, the property management business has been stuck in the Dark Ages -- using faxes, paper ledgers and out-of-date spreadsheet software. But as the foreclosure crisis adds millions of people to the rental market, new startup RentJuice is aiming to bring property management into the Internet Age.
