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 Discover your personality type and what careers are best suited for you
How to hire a good home contractor
Don't hand your home-remodeling project to an unreliable or dishonest contractor. Here are 6 things to look for.
Increasing your property value often entails remodeling. Whether you have a fixer-upper or a great house that you plan to stay in indefinitely, you'll probably hire a contractor sooner or later to finish the basement, remodel the kitchen, or renovate other rooms.
Decisions on home improvement should be made in a judicious manner. If you want to recoup your investment, choose projects that are likely to add value to your home, such as a new kitchen or an extra bathroom.
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Top Online School Matching Service
Have home prices bottomed out?
The latest housing data indicate home prices may be stabilizing, although butterflies over the economy could keep many potential homebuyers on the sidelines.
By MarketWatch
Home prices are closer to stabilizing today than at any time in the past nine years.
Based on the latest data, median selling prices for new and existing homes combined now equal 2.9 times median household incomes, nationwide. This is exactly the ratio that prevailed during the halcyon days of the 1980s, when sales and construction of housing were booming.
Three years ago, just before the housing bubble burst, this ratio was 4.5 times incomes.
Add in the fact that interest rates are much lower today than they were two decades ago and housing is even more affordable.
read more...
How to hit up your landlord for cheaper rent, perks
Treats help. But so do sleuth work and building a solid case for why you deserve a break, whether you're midlease or ready to move on. Here are 15 tips
Christopher Solomon, MSN Real Estate
It's both a tough time and a great time to be a renter out there, America.
Across the country, the recession is putting the squeeze on people's pocketbooks, making every expense painful...
Whatever perk you're after, you need a plan. Landlords are business people and you need a solid business case for why they should sweeten your deal. In the following 15 tips, more than a half-dozen people who toil daily in the renting field help you build your case...
The key to having any luck in reducing your rent is communication...
read more...
Many Mortgage Delinquents Still Unaware There Is Help
mortgagenewsdaily.com
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Freddie Mac has found that homeowners are becoming increasingly aware that there may be help out there should they run into problems paying their mortgage loans but there is still a long way to go in spreading the word...
The survey was conducted after the HOPE hotline was established but before the rate freeze was announced by President Bush in December. Still, even before the recent flurry of media stories about 888-995-HOPE, word was out there. According to the survey, nearly one in four delinquent borrowers (23 percent) report seeing ads for the hotline and 9 percent who were aware of it had actually made the call. The sponsor, Homeownership Preservation Foundation., says the toll-free number now receives between 1500 and 3000 calls per day, up from 250 per day one year ago. More than 200,000 homeowners have called the hotline since June 25 of last year.
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Housing resources, tips, articles on moving, renting and owning housing.
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Housing Choice Vouchers
Housing choice vouchers allow very low-income families to choose and lease or
purchase safe, decent, and affordable privately-owned rental housing.
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FIND A CHEAP HOME
Need low-cost health insurance? Protect your family with the right coverage at
prices you can afford.
Simple tips can help moves go smoothly
by Bank of America
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Moms suddenly finding themselves moving across town or across the country can make the change easier with a little bit of planning. More than 20 million American households, or at least 16 percent of the population, move every year. Taking a little time to prepare can go a long way to helping the process.
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Moving 101
Seven critical but easy-to-follow tips: Deciding when to move, deciding what to take, packing it all up, choosing a moving company, utility transfer and address changes, important papers, relocating with children.
To find a free of chard HUD certified counseling agency in your area visit HUD
and click on your state under “local information".
read more...
HOPE NOW
The HOPE NOW Alliance includes a number of counseling organizations, which
consists of all HUD intermediaries that have offices across the United States.
An independent, non profit counselor can help you understand your situation,
identify your options and help you work with your servicer to hopefully find an
alternative to foreclosure.
To find a free of chard HUD certified counseling agency in your area visit HUD
and click on your state under “local information".
read more...
Community Action Set Aside (CASA) Minneapolis, MN
State First Time Home Buyer Program in Minneapolis, MN
If you are a single head of household and make less than $61,000 a year.
You may qualify for one or more of the following....
• A fixed low interest rate below market rates.
• $3000 down payment assistance.
• $60 a month payment assistance.
• $10,000 equity assistance.
• Lastly they offer a fixed low interest rate.
Call a Housing Resource Center or a housing counselor for up-to-date information.
Southside Housing Resource Center: 612 722-7141.
Mortgage Payments Sending You Reeling? Here’s What to Do
Federal Trade Commission - Protecting America's Consumers
The possibility of losing your home because you can’t make the mortgage payments can be terrifying. Perhaps you’re having trouble making ends meet because you or a family member lost a job, or you’re having other financial problems. Or maybe you’re one of the many consumers who took out a mortgage that had a fixed rate for the first two or three years and then had an adjustable rate – and you want to know what your payments will be and whether you’ll be able to make them.
Regardless of the reason for your mortgage anxiety, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), the nation’s consumer protection agency, wants you to know how to help save your home, and how to recognize and avoid foreclosure scams.
Know Your Mortgage - Do you know what kind of mortgage you have? Do you know whether your payments are going to increase? If you can’t tell by reading the mortgage documents you received at settlement, contact your loan servicer and ask. A loan servicer is responsible for collecting your monthly loan payments and crediting your account.
If You’re Behind On Your Payments - If you are having trouble making your payments, contact your loan servicer to discuss your options as early as you can. The longer you wait to call, the fewer options you will have.
Many loan servicers expanded the options available to borrowers during 2008 – it’s worth calling your servicer even if your request has been turned down before. Servicers are getting lots of calls: Be patient, and be persistent if you don’t reach your servicer on the first try. You also may want to ask if you qualify for the “HOPE for Homeowners (H4H)” program. Congress created H4H to help those at risk of default and foreclosure refinance into more affordable, sustainable loans. The program provides a new, 30-year fixed rate mortgage insured by the Federal Housing Administration (FHA) if you and your lender agree to certain conditions. The program expires September 30, 2011.
Avoiding Default and Foreclosure - If you have fallen behind on your payments, consider discussing the following foreclosure prevention options with your loan servicer:
Reinstatement - You pay the loan servicer the entire past-due amount, plus any late fees or penalties, by a date you both agree to. This option may be appropriate if your problem paying your mortgage is temporary.
Repayment plan - Your servicer gives you a fixed amount of time to repay the amount you are behind by adding a portion of what is past due to your regular payment. This option may be appropriate if you’ve missed a small number of payments.
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Cheap is good - but FREE is better! Join FreeFly's and get FREE samples of name-brand products!
The Worst of Times Can Produce Your Best of Times
by Valarie Eiland Davis
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It’s trite but true to say that bad experiences can bring out the best in us. Bad grades can make students work harder. Bad work performance reviews can make us work smarter. Bad relationships can teach us how to be better family members and friends. Bad meals might even make us better cooks. Well, the bad economic times we are living through right now can either bring out the worst in us or make us think thoughts and take actions that will eventually produce some of the best times we could ever have. It’s your choice!
I love the fact that bad times make us scrutinize our money matters with a magnifying glass – from how we spend our pennies, nickels and dimes, to whether it’s the right time to buy or sell our homes.
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The listing of or omission of an institution, organization or corporation on this Web site does not refer to programmatic capability nor does it confer any official status, approval, or endorsement of the institution, organization or corporation itself. This listing does not purport to be a listing of all organizations & corporations that are providing relief in the affected area. Additionally, there may be organizations providing relief in the affected area that are not accepting donations at this time. It is not the purpose of this Web site to make, or enable to be made, any representation to the public concerning the organizations listed. This listing is for informational purposes only. Any contributions or submissions you choose to make from links on this Web site are at your sole discretion.
• Join the SingleMom.com forums. Share your tips, resources and experience with other single moms
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9 Cash-Saving Tips That Pay Big Bucks
complaintsboard.com
The expression "a penny saved is a penny earned" doesn't cut it these days. But saving a few dollars here and there can add up...
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more...
Try out these Thanksgiving recipes from tasteofhome
You May Have Too Much Debt But You Also Have Options
How Life Works
If you feel like you're in over your head with personal debt, you're not alone. Millions of Americans have become overextended, many as a result of easy credit and the recessions. Credit cards, medical bills, personal loans and raising interest rates do not make a good financial mix.
read more...
Suze Orman's Recession Rescue Plan - helps you survive in times of financial crisis
OPRAH.com
Do you know what your family would do if you lost your job - or worse, your home? Financial expert Suze Orman is ready to help you
devise a recession rescue plan to survive - and possibly thrive - during this deepening financial crisis...
read more...
Could fat babies mean fat toddlers?
A new study from Harvard Medical School found that babies who gained weight quickly had a sharply higher risk of obesity. The study
followed close to 600 babies and found those in the top quarter of weight for their length at 6 months had a 40 percent higher risk of
obesity by age 3 than smaller babies.
read
more...
The 10-Ingredient Shopping Trip
By Tara Parker-Pope and Mark Bittman
... In his latest “How to Cook Everything” segment on the Today Show, New York Times food writer Mark Bittman makes it
surprisingly easy to cook a week’s worth of dinners with just a 10-ingredient shopping trip.
read
more...
Finding last-minute tuition money
There's still time to find funds for this semester's college tuition. But you'll have to move quickly.
By Gerri Willis
It's only a couple of weeks or even days until school begins. And if you don't think you'll be able to get a handle on your college
tuition bill, here with your guide to last minute money.
read more...
Short-term Payday Loans
econ4u.org
...Which are more expensive, late fees or short-term loans?...
A short-term payday loan can be a better option than overdraft fees, reconnect fees, late payment fees or a damaged credit rating when
the loan is repaid promptly. However, these loans are not suited for longer repayment periods...
Being realistic about budgeting can help avoid the need for short-term borrowing.
read more...
Your Just-in-Case Emergency Plan
by RealSimple
Who do you call if you can't make it home in time to meet the kids' bus? Who do
you trust to take in your mail when you're on vacation? Who do you trust with
the extra set of keys to your house?
read
more...
How to save $10,000 in 2009
By Liz Pulliam Weston
If you were hoping for a list of small tweaks you could make in your spending to save $10,000 a year, sorry. The reality is that
$10,000 is a lot of money. And saving big money usually means making big changes in the areas where we spend the most, such as:
Housing, Transportation, Food.
read
more...
The Super, Sexy, Single Mom on a Budget
by Renee Rayles
A quick reference guide designed for the busy, single mom who has
little time to read while running the mom taxi, cooking dinner, helping with homework, and trying to fit in a date night every now and
then.
32 and Counting? Finding Your Happily Ever After Today
by Gi Gi
The author talks about the struggles a single mom goes through and the discovery that you can have HEAT (Happily Ever After Today) just
as you are, being single, taking care of your kids...
read more...
Single Mothers &
Male Role-Models / Mentors
Single mothers carry an enormous load of responsibility, especially those having sole and/or primary custody of minor children. They
nourish, they nurture, they teach, they discipline, they shelter, they protect, and they provide… all without the assistance of another
equally-invested adult.
read more...
Your 5-minute guide to protecting your identity
20 steps to protect yourself from identity theft, and seven ways to clean up things if you become a victim.
read more...
TheOnlineMom.com offers parents and consumers a guide to the top-rated, age-appropriate, kid-tested and parent-approved tech toys and gifts.
read more...
Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Last Straw
by Jeff Kinney
For those wondering why tween boys don’t read very much, the answer is that more books aren’t like this...
read more...
10 ways to avoid moving scams
Horror stories about sketchy moving companies abound. Don't let one take you for a ride. Here's expert advice to help.
by Fred Minnick, Bankrate.com
You've heard the stories. Movers load up your stuff one day and hold it hostage the next, demanding more money and threatening to dump your precious treasures if you don't pay.
You believe you've agreed upon a price, only to find out it's going to cost you a lot more than that.
...some of these outfits give the impression that "you are dealing with a moving company, but you're really dealing with an online broker who passes the job off to some local moving company in some region for a commission. So you're not even dealing with the end user. You have no control over who ends up in your home."
read more...
18 easy ways to save on your move
Many people overlook obvious ways to lower the cost of schlepping stuff to a new place, but you can save hundreds of dollars.
by Christopher Solomon
If you're among the millions of people pulling up stakes this year and resettling in a new home, getting your goods to a new location means digging deep into your wallet, right? Not so fast.
Moving can be expensive ... steps that can save them hundreds or even thousands of dollars, moving experts say.
We've done some of the, ahem, heavy lifting for you already, by assembling these 18 tips:
read more...
Get Matched to an Online School
Mortgage help: Do you qualify?
Les Christie, CNNMoney.com
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Help for those seeking refinancing: This part of the program targets borrowers who have kept current on their mortgages. Many of the homeowners in this group have been unable to lower their housing costs through refinancings because of falling home prices.
Who's not eligible: Homeowners whose property values have dipped severely, putting them underwater by more than 5% are out of luck.
Mortgage modification help for at-risk borrowers: Homeowners in default or at risk of default may qualify for loan modifications, which restructure the terms of loans. Anyone with high combined mortgage debt compared to income or who is underwater may be eligible for a loan modification.
Who's not eligible: Speculators, those who bought homes for investment purposes, do not qualify for help; all homes must be owner/occupied.
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