Tax Tips From Fox Business

Tax Tips: The 7 Things to Do Before January 1

By Kate Rogers

Published December 29, 2010

| FOXBusiness

Although springtime and warm weather may seem distant, tax season will be here before you know it. With 2010 on its way out, here are the seven things you can do now to get your taxes in order before January 1 -- to make life easier when it’s time to file your return, and maybe even to save some cash.

1. Get organized. By January 31, taxpayers should have all of their W-2 paperwork in hand, and according to Mark Steber, chief tax officer at Jackson Hewitt, there is no reason to wait to file your return in 2011. “Make a plan to get your returns started early,” Steber said. “Gather your documents and file by a certain date.” Last year’s refunds averaged around $3,000, according to the Internal Revenue Service.

Click Here For Full Article 

CNN Money- Panel of Experts Debate Over Housing Prices in 2011, Will They Drop?

Study: Exterior Improvements Bring Better Returns - RealEstate.com

December 17, 2010

A report from the National Association of Realtors finds that those looking at potential home improvement projects before putting their properties up for sale should focus on exterior jobs, because they generally bring in a better return.

The study found that of the 10 projects that brought in the best return for the investment involved, nine of them were exterior projects. The most cost-effective project was the installation of a steel entry door, which actually brought back an average of more than 102 percent of the investment after the home was sold.
Study: Exterior Improvements Bring Better Returns - RealEstate.com

NBC washington Blog Reports: Raise Your Kids in College Park!

College Park Tops With Families

City touted for good schools

By URIAH KISER

When it comes to raising children, College Park is the best place to do it in Maryland.

The city, which is home to University of Maryland, won over the runner-up city, Bel Air, for it’s good schools and proximity to the nation's capital. It’s also served by Metro, which helped the city earn high marks in Bloomberg Business Week’s survey of the best places to raise kids. The city boasts 26,167 people and has a median income of $83,749 and includes historic sites and the nation’s oldest continually operating airport.

In Virginia, the Ashland community -- about 30 minutes north of Richmond -- came in as tops for the state.

The area is home to Randolph Macon College, a small liberal arts college that hosts concerts and lectures offered to area residents. It has a smaller population of about 6,500 and a median income of $57,832.

More than 5,000 locations were surveyed nationwide, using real estate information from Onboard Informatics, a real estate company in New York.

First Published: Dec 18, 2010 2:02 PM EST 

VISIT NBC WASHINGTON BLOG

CNN Money Reports- What Will Happen With Real Estate Market?

Bull vs. Bear: Will housing rebound?

Posted by Nin-Hai Tseng, writer-reporter

December 27, 2010 3:00 am

It's a question many Americans want answered: Will the value of my home rise or fall next year? Smart minds fall in both camps -- here are both sides of the coin on real estate.
One of the most closely watched sectors in 2011 will continue to be real estate – a wildly emotional and divisive topic that's puzzled investors and economists since the housing bubble burst around 2007. Earlier this year, many observers thought the market would turn around in a big way as federal tax credits spurred home purchases and the economy added jobs following hundreds of billions of dollars of government stimulus spending.
CLICK HERE FOR FULL ARTICLE

Foreclosure Fiasco!

Record plunge in foreclosures, thanks to robo-signers

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) -- The number of foreclosure notices filed in November plunged 21%, the biggest month-over-month drop ever recorded by RealtyTrac, the online foreclosure marketer. Filings fell 14% compared with November 2009.
The number of Americans who actually lost their homes to bank repossessions plummeted even more steeply -- to 67,428. That was off a whopping 28% from 93,236 in October. Repossessions are down a third since September. CLICK HERE for Full Article






 

CNN Money Report- Good Time to Buy?

Buying a home now is a no-brainer

 
By Ali Velshi, CNN chief business correspondentDecember 10, 2010: 2:43 PM ET

(MONEY Magazine) -- Is now the right time to invest in a house?
Trick question. Actually, it's two questions.

Question No. 1: Is now the time to buy?
Question No. 2: Is buying a house a good investment?
The first answer is easy: With a few exceptions, if you have 20% to put down and good credit, now is a great time to buy. That's been the case all year, and I'd argue that we're probably closer to the end than to the beginning of the really great time. Let me explain.
Back in January home prices had dropped 28% from their peak. More important, interest rates were at historical lows. By locking in a mortgage for 15 or 30 years on a value-priced home, you were getting an incredible deal, even if home prices decreased. (I took my advice and bought a New York City apartment.) CLICK HERE for full article

Former HUD Official Offers Advice to Home Buyers

Former HUD secretary Cisneros weighs in on how to help home buyers

Henry Cisneros addresses the CEO Technology Summit in San Antoinio, in this Aug. 4, 2000, file photo. (William Luther - AP)

By Katherine Salant

Friday, December 10, 2010; 9:23 AM

How can homeownership be a more sustainable proposition for middle- and low-income households? When I posed this question to former Housing and Urban Development secretary Henry G. Cisneros, his response was immediate and surprising.

Click Here for Full Story

CNN Money Reports Foreclosures Frozen During Holiday Season

Foreclosure Fiasco



By Les Christie, staff writerDecember 3, 2010: 3:34 PM ET


NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) -- Several of the big mortgage players are playing Santa Claus again this year, saying they will not evict borrowers in default during the two weeks surrounding Christmas.Freddie Mac (FMCC) and Fannie Mae (FNMA), the two government-controlled mortgage giants, are freezing all foreclosure evictions on mortgage loans they own or back from Dec. 20 through Jan.3.
 
Click Here for full article

Washington Post Reports - DC Now Requires Mediation Offers Before Foreclosures

Mediation offer now required before D.C. foreclosures

Thousands of foreclosures are put on hold

During the housing boom, millions of homeowners got easy access to mortgages. Now, some mortgage lenders and government officials have taken action after discovering that many mortgage documents were mishandled.

By Benny L. Kass

Friday, December 3, 2010; 10:23 AM
Click Here for Full Article