DEAR BOB: I was intrigued by the recent item in your column where two brothers own a property but the mortgage lender advised refinancing in only one brother's name because the other brother had bad credit. You said each brother can claim his share of mortgage interest actually paid. Is there an IRS ruling on this issue? As I have a similar situation, when I contacted the IRS they told me if my name is not on the mortgage I cannot deduct the interest paid – Victor M.  more...

Dear Barry,  more...

Whether you are a seller preparing your home for sale, a homeowner who wants to properly maintain your house, a savvy realty agent who wants to understand how a professional home inspector views houses, or a home buyer, reading "The Inspector's Guide: Prepare Your House for Sale" by Bob Reemsnyder will be profitable reading.

The author is an experienced professional home inspector who has conducted several thousand inspections.  more...