property

How Much Is the White House Worth?
white house

How Much Is the White House Worth?

Because President Obama will be the head of state for yet another term, he won't have to move out of the White House.
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Because President Obama will be the head of state for yet another term, he won't have to move out of the White House. Built in 1792, the White House is the emblem of the highest political office in the nation as it has long been the home and office of presidents since John Adams, the second president of the US.

Zillow, an online real estate database, has been calculating the estimated market value of the presidential mansion for years now. Guess its estimate of what the White House is worth in today's market!

Source: Flickr User Tom Lohdan

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Nationwide Foreclosure Freeze
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I'm Asking: What's Your Take on the Foreclosure Freeze?

A few months ago, a friend's perfect world came crashing down.
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A few months ago, a friend's perfect world came crashing down. Her parents faced the threat of foreclosure, and she lost her job. Stuck with a huge school debt to pay, she was at her wit's end. I'm glad to say things on the job front worked out for her, and now she's been given a slight reprieve with the freezing of foreclosures. Several banks, including the one my friend belongs to, have halted foreclosures in order to conduct closer inspection of faulty repossessions. This lead to pressure on President Obama to impose a nationwide freezing of foreclosures, according to the BBC. However, it was reported this morning that the President does not wish to back the proposal of a nationwide freeze, but is supportive of investigative foreclosure probes that the state attorneys general are planning.

On a personal level, she says that she's glad for the freeze, because her family has been dealing with slow responses to their applications for loan modification, heightening the risk of foreclosure. They would make constant calls to their bank's customer service to check on the status of their paperwork, only to be directed to inept reps who weren't very efficient or knowledgeable.

On the other hand, experts are saying that this freeze can have disastrous implications for the housing market. These delays in foreclosures can deter potential buyers who may find legalities of buying distressed homes too complicated to bother with. It's a struggle for me, because I know on the macro-level, the market would benefit if the freeze was lifted, but at the same time, these are real people facing the threat of foreclosure. My friend told me that losing that home was like losing a part of their family, because it was their family home and there is a huge emotional component that goes along with it. What about you — do you think that the freeze is a good idea?

How-To: Finding Your Property Lines
How-To

How-To: Finding Your Property Lines

If you're putting a fence around your property, building a deck or an addition, or planting trees, it's important to know exactly where your property lies before you begin.
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If you're putting a fence around your property, building a deck or an addition, or planting trees, it's important to know exactly where your property lies before you begin. There are several ways to determine your property lines.

  • Many property developers drive metal pegs into the corners of each property lot, about four to five feet underground. You can locate them by scanning a metal detector around what you think are the edges of the lot; rent one from a rental store or buy one.
  • You can also hire a licensed land surveyor to survey your property and mark the corners of your lot; this is the most accurate way. You can find a local surveyor online or in the Yellow Pages.
  • Your county assessor's office likely also has maps, including subdivision plat maps, that show property dimensions for most properties. If you call your county assessor's office, you may be able determine your property lines and find monuments or property stakes using map information and measurements. Be sure to look at the most recent map, as property lines may have changed between sales, and the land itself may have changed naturally.
  • If any of your adjacent neighbors have recently determined their property lines, you can ask them or their surveyor for their property line information, to give you at least one boundary.

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