Divorce is hard enough without having to deal with the frustration of dividing assets. However, when it comes to valuable items such as property, you need to make sure you’re taking the logistical steps necessary to appraise and distribute your Santa Cruz real estate.

Determining Value

• Hire an appraiser – If you and your soon-to-be ex can’t come to an agreement on the value of your home, then you might want to consider employing an appraiser to come to a decision for you.

• Get help from a real estate agent – A more cost-effective, but maybe not the most precise, way to determine the value of your property is to ask Santa Cruz real estate agents to estimate the cost. They’ll usually charge you little to nothing, and you can use this as a way to…

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As the need for home loan modifications has increased, so has the number of home loan modification scams.  Like all scams, they aren’t always easy to detect.  To help you identify loan modification scammers, here are five things to watch out for:

1. Asking for payment up front. This can be masked as a house payment, insurance payment or a deposit. No matter what they tell you it’s for, do not give it to them in advance of work being performed and contracts being signed.  If you do give payment up front, at best, you’ll pay for work that could have been done for free through other non-profit organizations or loan modification assistance programs. At worst, no work will be done, you’ll never see your money again, and you’ll no longer have time to save…

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You know that you can lend money to your child to help him or her buy Santa Cruz real estate.  But you’d like to explore some other financial arrangements to determine which option is the most advantageous for you and your child.

Here are four additional ways to help your child buy Santa Cruz real estate:

1. Give the down payment as a gift.

Before deciding whether to make the money a gift or a loan, consider what moral message you may be sending.  You don’t want your child to develop a sense of entitlement and take for granted that he or she can come to you any time money is needed.

If you decide you do want to give part or all of the down payment as a gift, consult with your financial adviser to determine the amount you can give away without…

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You’ve reviewed your finances and have decided you can afford to and want to help your child buy Santa Cruz real estate.  Is lending the money to your offspring your best option?  Here are some questions to consider when making this decision. 

1. Will you need the money later?
If there’s a chance that you might need the money to live on at some point, lending the money to your child is a better option than giving it to them.  You can always forgive part of the loan later on, if you find you don’t need the money to live on.

2. How much should you lend? 
Depending on your financial situation, you can lend part or all of the down payment or part or all of the purchase price of the Santa Cruz real estate.

If you have enough money to lend the entire…

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