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	<title>Charlotte Real Estate, Development, and Construction News: Mecklenburg Times &#187; Columnists</title>
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	<description>Real Estate, Development, and Construction News in the Charlotte Area</description>
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		<title>Industry’s eyes are on remodeling activity&#160;</title>
		<link>http://mecktimes.com/news/2012/05/15/industrys-eyes-are-on-remodeling-activity/</link>
		<comments>http://mecktimes.com/news/2012/05/15/industrys-eyes-are-on-remodeling-activity/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 15 May 2012 14:37:39 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Jim Woodard</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Columnists]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Jim Woodard]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Foreclosure]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Mortgage Debt Relief Act]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[mortgage rate]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Short sale]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://mecktimes.com/?p=8783</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Warm spring breezes often bring thoughts of home remodeling. This is a viable option for homeowners who need additional rooms for a growing family or to accommodate special interest activities. Remodeling activity remained relatively flat in the first quarter of this year, according to the National Association of Home Builders. However, it&#8217;s expected to increase [...]]]></description>
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		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
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		<item>
		<title>Weigh consequences before adding child to title&#160;</title>
		<link>http://mecktimes.com/news/2012/05/15/weigh-consequences-before-adding-child-to-title/</link>
		<comments>http://mecktimes.com/news/2012/05/15/weigh-consequences-before-adding-child-to-title/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 15 May 2012 14:35:28 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Benny Kass</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Columnists]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Kass]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[business judgment rule]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[reverse mortgage]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://mecktimes.com/?p=8781</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[DEAR BENNY: My mother has a reverse mortgage on her home, taken out after my father died when as the survivor her name alone was on the title. The usual terms of the reverse mortgage apply, including the acceleration clause upon death or removal from the home. If anyone else is added to the title [...]]]></description>
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		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
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		<title>Kincade painting collectors want to see the light&#160;</title>
		<link>http://mecktimes.com/news/2012/05/15/kincade-painting-collectors-want-to-see-the-light/</link>
		<comments>http://mecktimes.com/news/2012/05/15/kincade-painting-collectors-want-to-see-the-light/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 15 May 2012 14:33:53 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Malcolm Berko</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Berko]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Columnists]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://mecktimes.com/?p=8779</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Dear Mr. Berko: In 1993, my husband and I purchased two Thomas Kinkade scenic paintings for $28,000. We think they are beautiful and still marvel at the colors and scenes. We are cleaning house, getting rid of lots kitsch and clutter that we accumulated during our past 50 years of marriage and travel, and were [...]]]></description>
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		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
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		<title>Think twice before selling real estate at a loss&#160;</title>
		<link>http://mecktimes.com/news/2012/05/11/think-twice-before-selling-real-estate-at-a-loss/</link>
		<comments>http://mecktimes.com/news/2012/05/11/think-twice-before-selling-real-estate-at-a-loss/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 11 May 2012 21:07:41 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Benny Kass</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Columnists]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Kass]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://mecktimes.com/?p=8732</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[DEAR BENNY: We own two houses, both of which have been on the market for approximately two years. One is our primary home, and one is a second home on the lake. Due to personal issues, we want to sell. Should we take a loss and sell or hang tight? &#8211;Joyce DEAR JOYCE: If you [...]]]></description>
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		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
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		<title>Boring Monsanto makes for exciting stock&#160;</title>
		<link>http://mecktimes.com/news/2012/05/11/boring-monsanto-makes-for-exciting-stock/</link>
		<comments>http://mecktimes.com/news/2012/05/11/boring-monsanto-makes-for-exciting-stock/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 11 May 2012 19:49:15 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Malcolm Berko</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Berko]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Columnists]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://mecktimes.com/?p=8696</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Dear Mr. Berko: Early last year, you recommended Monsanto Chemical. I bought 50 shares in my IRA and 50 shares in my wife&#8217;s IRA at $66. We are a little bit ahead, but I have been disappointed in its performance. During the past 12 months, we&#8217;ve had a strong stock market, and Monsanto hasn&#8217;t done [...]]]></description>
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		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
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		<title>Seller/lender has right to buyer’s credit info&#160;</title>
		<link>http://mecktimes.com/news/2012/05/07/sellerlender-has-right-to-buyers-credit-info/</link>
		<comments>http://mecktimes.com/news/2012/05/07/sellerlender-has-right-to-buyers-credit-info/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 07 May 2012 20:30:41 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Benny Kass</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Columnists]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Kass]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://mecktimes.com/?p=8356</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[DEAR BENNY: In 2009 my father died. My sister and I needed to sell his property as soon as possible, as neither of us wants to move away from our own properties. It was a challenging farm property to sell. We wanted to sell it outright, but that was so open-ended that we decided to [...]]]></description>
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		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
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		<title>Alerian not the safest stock&#160;</title>
		<link>http://mecktimes.com/news/2012/05/07/alerian-not-the-safest-stock/</link>
		<comments>http://mecktimes.com/news/2012/05/07/alerian-not-the-safest-stock/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 07 May 2012 18:56:49 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Malcolm Berko</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Berko]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Columnists]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://mecktimes.com/?p=8354</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Dear Mr. Berko: I am 78, my wife is 81 and, like many investors today, we want income. So what do you think of investing in Alerian MLP, which is an Exchange Trading Fund paying 6 percent? I&#8217;m angry, disgusted and disappointed that the government keeps interest rates so low. I&#8217;ve worked all my life, [...]]]></description>
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		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Bureau to crack down on surprise closing costs&#160;</title>
		<link>http://mecktimes.com/news/2012/05/07/bureau-to-crack-down-on-surprise-closing-costs/</link>
		<comments>http://mecktimes.com/news/2012/05/07/bureau-to-crack-down-on-surprise-closing-costs/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 07 May 2012 18:26:54 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Jim Woodard</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Columnists]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Jim Woodard]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://mecktimes.com/?p=8350</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[One of the most frustrating times in the process of closing a home sale is at the closing table when final costs are revealed. Increasingly, those costs are substantially more than their previous estimates. In most cases, the buyer and seller reluctantly agree to the higher costs in the interests of finalizing the transaction. However, [...]]]></description>
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		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Investor worries about walking away from lot&#160;</title>
		<link>http://mecktimes.com/news/2012/05/03/investor-worries-about-walking-away-from-lot/</link>
		<comments>http://mecktimes.com/news/2012/05/03/investor-worries-about-walking-away-from-lot/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 03 May 2012 19:48:41 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Benny Kass</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Columnists]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Kass]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://mecktimes.com/?p=8300</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[DEAR BENNY: I&#8217;m writing because I need to consult with an attorney on what would happen in the event that I walked away from an underwater property. In 2005 I invested in real estate in and around Wilmington, N.C. The area was experiencing the boom like everywhere else. I built and acquired townhouses at the [...]]]></description>
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		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>There is no saving U.S. savings bonds&#160;</title>
		<link>http://mecktimes.com/news/2012/05/03/there-is-no-saving-u-s-savings-bonds/</link>
		<comments>http://mecktimes.com/news/2012/05/03/there-is-no-saving-u-s-savings-bonds/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 03 May 2012 19:47:53 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Malcolm Berko</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Berko]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Columnists]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://mecktimes.com/?p=8298</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Dear Mr. Berko: I&#8217;m 41 years old and I have 17 $1,000 U.S. savings bonds given to me over the years by my grandparents, who have passed away, to celebrate various milestones in my life like my 10th, 16th and 21st birthdays, high school and college graduation, my master’s degree, marriage and other events. Two [...]]]></description>
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		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
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