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What Home Buyers Really Want
Tweet Share on Facebook April 21, 2011 Comment (2)If your house is on the market then you might be at the point of tearing your hair out. After all, some sellers have had their home up for sale for years at this point. It can be maddening, and the competition is only getting more intense as prices continue to fall and more foreclosure homes flood the market.
So what, exactly, are buyers looking for this spring? In short, they're looking for homes that are going to save them money. And when you think about it, it just makes sense. Mortgage loans are harder to come by, and thanks to an uncertain economy, people are less likely to splurge on a McMansion they're going to have to pay to heat and cool for the next five years (i.e. save money on utility bills).
[See the best personal finance stories from around the Web at the U.S. News My Money blog.]
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How Positive Thinking Can Improve Your Finances
Tweet Share on Facebook April 20, 2011 Comment (2)Have you ever attempted a task that you thought was insurmountable? Go back in your mind as far as you have to. Perhaps it was as a child, when you thought you'd never run faster than your best friend. Or maybe, as a teenager, you thought you'd never get that driver's license. Or the time at work when you thought you'd never finish that big project. If you've succeeded in any of these goals, you did it through goal setting and a positive attitude—whether you know it or not.
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The Truth About Credit Cards & Cell Phones
Tweet Share on Facebook April 19, 2011 Comment (2)Cell phone carriers take in a good deal of profit from selling warranties, which is why wireless salesmen are often trying to scare you into paying for protection. What you may not know is that many credit cards offer similar protection, so if you’re worried about your phone, take the following two points into consideration:
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7 Ways to Lower Your Medical Expenses
Tweet Share on Facebook April 19, 2011 CommentMedical care in the United States is very expensive. According to 2009 data from the Kaiser Family Foundation, we spend about 17.6 percent of our gross domestic product on health care and it is far more than any other OECD nation. It's stunning how much money we spend on health care and how little we get for it.
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5 Ways to Save When Mortgage Shopping
Tweet Share on Facebook April 19, 2011 Comment (2)Did you know that borrowers spend twice as much time researching a car purchase than they do a home loan, even though the average home costs five times more than the average car? It’s true. In a survey commissioned last year by Zillow and Harris Interactive, it was learned that the typical borrower only spends five hours researching their home loan, while car shoppers spend 10 hours.
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Living With Your Ex to Make Ends Meet
Tweet Share on Facebook April 18, 2011 CommentWelcome to your worst nightmare: you and your significant other, the person you thought you were going to be with forever, have broken up. You were planning on a future together and had taken the first step towards having that future, moving in together. Not only are you devastated, but now you are stuck living with your ex because you signed a long-term lease.
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6 Secrets of Cell Phone Carriers
Tweet Share on Facebook April 15, 2011 Comment (11)Raise your hand if you hate your cell phone carrier. If your hand is in the air, you’re not alone. From long term contracts to expensive data plans to early termination fees, our cell phones plans and service can be extremely frustrating and costly. A recent Consumer Reports study ranked customer satisfaction among cell phone carriers with mixed results. And with the current financial climate in mind, it’s more important than ever to get the most bang for our buck when it comes to cell phones.
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7 Easy Ways to Trim Your Mortgage Costs
Tweet Share on Facebook April 14, 2011 Comment (14)As with most homeowners, your mortgage payment is probably your largest monthly expense. Wouldn’t it be nice to trim this huge cost and perhaps shorten the life of your loan? We have listed seven tips below to help save you money on your mortgage.
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5 Questions to Ask Before Buying an Old House
Tweet Share on Facebook April 14, 2011 Comment (8)With home prices down as much as 30 to 50 percent from their peak several years ago (especially certain real estate markets), many people are deciding with good reason that now is the time to jump into home ownership or invest in real estate. While living in a brand new home has its perks, these newer homes are also often lacking in charm and personality.
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5 New Banking Trends for 2011
Tweet Share on Facebook April 13, 2011 Comment (3)It’s March, but it’s not too late to publish our predictions for 2011. First of all, banks usually go into hibernation for the winter months, and leave interest rates alone until springtime. Second, the 2011 game-changer is the Durbin Amendment, and when and how the Federal Reserve decides to regulate debit merchant exchange fees will have profound implications for the entire industry.
