Using Home Equity in Retirement
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Strategies for Exploiting Home Equity
Home values continue to rise in most areas, giving retirement-age Americans more home equity than ever. But few homeowners have strategies for turning their home equity into retirement cash. Now is a good time to consider a home equity strategy because of the combination of high levels of equity and a precarious stock market. A […]
The Widely Misunderstood Tax Rules for Home Sales
The tax rules for selling a personal residence seem to generate more widespread misunderstanding than most other parts of the tax code. The rules themselves are fairly simple as tax code provisions go. One problem seems to be that many people looking to sell homes don’t realize that the rules were overhauled in 1997. Another […]
Aging in Place: 3 More Ways to “Future-Proof” Your Senior Home
“Aging in place” is a phrase associated with older Americans who wish to stay in their homes for as long as they’re able to. And according to an AARP 2015 survey, nearly 90% of respondents indicated a desire to do exactly that. Yet hardly anyone has developed a plan for how. Until now… Last week, […]
How to Downsize in Retirement: The Financial Impact
This week we’re continuing the downsizing theme by taking a deep dive into its financial impact. I’ve learned over the years that people often downsize only to find that it doesn’t generate the cash flow they expected. Consider, for starters, what you expect to have left over from selling the old house. I’m not referring to […]
Tips for Downsizing in Retirement
Home equity and the home are the most neglected and misunderstood factors in retirement planning. Since home equity is one of the largest assets for many people, a lot of money is left on the table. Surveys indicate that about 40% of baby boomers plan to move sometime after retiring. Many people assume they’ll downsize […]
Empty Nesters: Move or Remodel?
An as retirement approaches an important issue for empty nesters is what to do with the family home. The homeowners can move to a more suitable home, usually by downsizing into a smaller residence. The other choice is to remodel the home to make it more compatible with the new lifestyle. Often, remodeling was considered […]
Is It a Good Time to Buy a Second Home
In our Feb. 2002 visit I advised, “If a second home interests you, now is a good time to take a serious looking at buying one.” Those who took my advice have done well. Vacation and second home prices were stagnant then because of the economic downturn but doubled in many areas between 2000 and […]
The Surge in Reverse Mortgages
Reverse mortgages suddenly are booming. The number of reverse mortgages insured by the federal government surged by 77% in 2006. Areas with high home prices and a high percentage of older people see the greatest number of the mortgages issued. Several factors are behind the increase in reverse mortgages. The aging population increases demand, as […]
