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• A Larger House Isn’t a Good Defense Against Inflation

  By Scott Burns Q: I believe inflation is getting out of hand and the dollar will continue to decline. So I am worried about my future. I am almost 63, have our house paid for, and have about six times my income in retirement savings and investments (not... Posted Apr 02 2008, 03:00 PM by admin with | with no comments Filed under: Home Ownership & Mortgages, Q&A (from print)

• A Retirement Expense You Can Control: Shelter Expenses

  By Scott Burns Q. Sometime ago your column gave information about what it costs to maintain a home--it was a percent of the value of the home and included utilities, insurance, taxes, etc. Do you still have that information? It might help many home buyers... Posted Mar 26 2008, 03:00 PM by admin with | with no comments Filed under: Home Ownership & Mortgages, Q&A (from print)

• The Last Bubble

  By Scott Burns First it was technology stocks. Then houses. Now U.S. Treasury obligations. I guess you can’t keep a bubble down. But it doesn’t seem right. How can a government as irresponsible as ours be rewarded with such low interest rates? The answer... Posted Mar 21 2008, 02:45 PM by admin with | with 3 comment(s) Filed under: Home Ownership & Mortgages

• The Magic of a Tricky Mortgage

  by Scott Burns A new kind of mortgage can, as if by magic, make a 30-year mortgage disappear in half the time. That’s what readers are telling me, just before asking if it is “too good to be true.” The new mortgage is from Australia. It’s called a “line... Posted Oct 26 2007, 03:01 PM by admin with | with 3 comment(s) Filed under: Home Ownership & Mortgages

• A More Expensive House is a More Expensive House

  Q. Before we were married, my husband purchased a two-bedroom home in Houston in the late ‘80s. We married in 1993 and finished paying off the house by 1998. The house was built in the ‘30s and is showing its age (it has been for some time). I think we... Posted Jul 04 2007, 04:30 PM by scottb with | with no comments Filed under: Home Ownership & Mortgages, Q&A (from print)

• Surprise! A Moveable Feast of Waterfront

  Bayside, Maine. The midday sky darkens as the Surprise slides toward its mooring. We drop the sails. We have everything tied down just as the rain shifts from drops to downpour. The radio announces thunderstorms along the entire midcoast of Maine, an... Posted Jun 29 2007, 04:30 PM by scottb with | with 2 comment(s) Filed under: Burns at Large, Home Ownership & Mortgages

• For Retirees, Renting Can Be Better Than Owning

  Q. Our townhome will be paid for in 2 years. My husband and I will both be 61. If we sold at that time, we would probably walk away with $400,000 to $450,000. The townhome will be about 15 years old. I am sure there will need to be some repair--- new... Posted Jun 20 2007, 10:00 PM by scottb with | with 4 comment(s) Filed under: Financial Planning, Home Ownership & Mortgages, Retirement

• The Sublime Beauty of Inflating Houses

  If you bought a house in Los Angeles in the early ‘90s, you were “catching a falling knife.” Home values were falling. Thousands of buyers in that period spent most of the decade “upside down”--- owing more than they could get if they sold. Today, whatever... Posted May 19 2007, 06:00 PM by scottb with | with 15 comment(s) Filed under: Home Ownership & Mortgages

• Planning a California Home Sale and Move to Texas

  Q. Can you suggest the best way to minimize capital gains on the sale of my house? My husband and I bought a house in San Diego CA in 1975 for $65,000. My name was on the title. We made about $130,000 of improvements. He died in 1999, when the house was... Posted Mar 28 2007, 06:00 PM by scottb with | with 4 comment(s) Filed under: Home Ownership & Mortgages, Q&A (from print)

• Retirees: Have a "Good Times" Fund

  Q. My husband and I have saved for 18 years. We now have a substantial retirement. He has been the primary earner; I have worked on and off part time. I have recently been ill with a potentially fatal disease and recovered, only to sustain a broken arm... Posted Mar 14 2007, 06:00 PM by scottb with | with 13 comment(s) Filed under: Home Ownership & Mortgages, Q&A (from print), Retirement

• Home Ownership Glass Empty? Check the Pension Glass.

  I've always liked letters from people in military service. One reason: They tend to be brief, well-organized and "mission oriented." Another reason is that service is their primary motivation. The money stuff is just part of making it possible, and I... Posted Feb 14 2007, 06:00 PM by scottb with | with 14 comment(s) Filed under: Home Ownership & Mortgages

• A Tale of Two Transactions

  SANTA ROSA, CALIFORNIA. In a laid-back kind of way, the Flamingo Resort Hotel and Spa, where I am staying, is centrally located. Drive in one direction and you're less than a mile from downtown. Drive in another and you're at a casual shopping center... Posted Dec 02 2006, 06:00 PM by scottb with | with 7 comment(s) Filed under: Home Ownership & Mortgages

• Lacy Hunt: Expect lower interest rates

  AUSTIN, Texas -- Economist Lacy Hunt takes a measured view of things. That's what economists do, of course, except for the ones on television. But my regular pilgrimage to the offices of Hoisington Investment Management is a mission in grounding -- Hunt... Posted Nov 25 2006, 06:00 PM by scottb with | with 9 comment(s) Filed under: Financial Planning, Home Ownership & Mortgages, I Bonds & Tips

• Paying a Mortgage with Investments: Riskier than it seems

  Q. At present, I carry an interest-only loan of $125,000 at 5.375 percent interest. Monthly payments are $559.90 on a home worth more than $450,000. My present diversified investments--- which I could use to draw money from to pay off the mortgage---... Posted Oct 11 2006, 06:08 PM by scottb with | with 2 comment(s) Filed under: Home Ownership & Mortgages

• Taxes on home gains have been reduced, not increased

  Question: I am 65 years old, single, retired and have lived in my home for 30 years. When I decide to sell my home, the tax exclusion would be $250,000. Given that the estimated selling price would be about $550,000, I will be royally screwed on taxes... Posted Sep 15 2006, 03:59 PM by scottb with | with 1 comment(s) Filed under: Home Ownership & Mortgages