Q: We bought a house with a major problem, a covered-over sinkhole, that was not disclosed to us. No one wants to help us with it -- our agent, the seller, everyone has turned his or her back. The house is so torn up to fix the problem that we have been staying in a hotel. Is there anything we can do? -- Edythe

A: Most people have heard the ...Read more

While rising interest rates have sharply reduced the number of mortgage borrowers who can refinance into a lower rate, rising home prices create opportunities for some borrowers to refinance into mortgages that are less costly in other respects. Previous articles looked at refinancing a mortgage that is burdened by mortgage insurance, or by a ...Read more

While rising interest rates have sharply reduced the number of mortgage borrowers who can refinance into a lower rate, rising home prices create opportunities for some borrowers to refinance into mortgages that are less costly in other respects. Previous articles looked at refinancing a mortgage that is burdened by mortgage insurance, or by a ...Read more

South Florida real estate agent Sara Dorfman hit the jackpot this month when she arranged the sale of a multi-unit complex in Fort Lauderdale's Victoria Park for $1.65 million. The chief selling point: The property was set up for vacation home rentals. And the buyer is eager to continue that business.

"We see more investors who are looking to ...Read more

Critics panned it, but there's a great line from the 1979 film "The Main Event" that pretty much sums up our weird relationship with money.

Barbra Streisand played an entrepreneur who has just learned her business manager has run off with virtually all of her financial assets.

"When you say I have no money, do you mean I have to be careful at ...Read more

For roughly a decade, millions of consumers could afford to focus on the rewards and ignore the rates on their credit cards.

"They haven't really had to think too much about interest rates because they didn't change that much," said Robert A. Dye, chief economist at Comerica Bank.

Game over. Get ready for higher rates on your credit cards ...Read more

The world's first community foundation was established in Cleveland in 1914. Today, there are almost 1,900 community foundations -- 75 percent of them created in the last 25 years. Among these are 1,033 in North America, 670 in Europe, 62 in Asia, 56 in Oceania, 31 in Africa and 11 in South America.

Community foundations are independent ...Read more

LOS ANGELES -- Jerry Bruckheimer can call it a wrap in Brentwood. The prolific film and television producer, whose credits include the "Pirates of the Caribbean" and "CSI" franchises, has sold his architectural home in the Westside neighborhood for $11.5 million.

Set on three-quarters of an acre, the pristine International-style home was ...Read more

While rising interest rates have sharply reduced the number of mortgage borrowers who can refinance into a lower rate, rising home prices create opportunities for some borrowers to refinance into mortgages that are less costly in other respects.

One possibility, discussed in a previous column, is to refinance a mortgage carrying mortgage ...Read more

While rising interest rates have sharply reduced the number of mortgage borrowers who can refinance into a lower rate, rising home prices create opportunities for some borrowers to refinance into mortgages that are less costly in other respects.

One possibility, discussed in a previous column, is to refinance a mortgage carrying mortgage ...Read more

DETROIT -- In 1979, Jerry Esters was working on the roof of a property he had inherited from his father in North Corktown when he had an epiphany: He could see downtown. First the train station, then the downtown skyline.

The property at 14th and Perry had been in the family for years, but as Esters sat perched on the shingles, he couldn't help...Read more

Q: We have let our mortgage lender choose our hazard insurance for our home. Although it was more expensive, we figured that if our lender picked it, then it must be great coverage. A friend just told me this is not the case. What is the truth? -- Frank

A: This type of homeowner's insurance coverage is known as "force-placed" or "lender-placed"...Read more

The easy money officially ends Wednesday, as interest rates, much like summer temps, heat up once again.

It's a "slam-dunk" that the Federal Reserve will increase rates by a quarter point after its meeting this week, according to Mark Zandi, chief economist for Moody's Analytics.

And it's likely we're in for two more quarter-point hikes in ...Read more

LOMBARD, Ill. -- While mall walkers strolled Yorktown Center's quiet corridors before most shops opened Monday morning, a handful of visitors in search of a tougher workout strode straight from their cars to the fitness studios along the Lombard mall's western side.

Shopping centers used to shun gyms and workout studios, believing clients would...Read more

Sarah Low always figured she'd have her first baby, and own her own home, by the time she turned 30.

Instead, she's 32 and living in a rented house in Hayward, Calif., with her husband and two roommates. There's no room -- or money -- for kids.

"At this point, if we had a child there'd be nowhere to put it," Low said. "No bedrooms left."

A ...Read more