REAL VALUE – Best Deals & Bargain Site

By LaToya Irby, About.com Guide

Ebay is becoming a well accepted way to buy and sell items but did you know there are ways to increase your selling prices and ways to help you buy items smarter or for less money?

Here is a video outlining a number of these techniques.

By LaToya Irby, About.com Guide

Many consumers close credit cards after becoming what seems like too delinquent to catch up. There seems to be the notion that closing cards makes delinquency go away. Not only is this not the case, closing out a delinquent credit card will hurt your credit more than it will help.

Here are five credit cards that you should never close.

1. Any credit card that still has a balance.
   When you close a credit card that has a balance, your total available credit is lowered to $0. Since you still have a balance on that credit card with no credit limit, it looks like you’ve maxed out. The amount of debt you have is 30% of your credit score; so a maxed out credit card, or one that appears to be maxed out, can have a very negative impact on your credit score.
2. Your only credit card with available credit.
   Closing out this card will decrease total available credit and increase your credit utilization, which, as before, is not a desired situation.
3. Your only credit card.
   Since part of your credit score into consideration the different types of credit you have, keeping a credit card in the mix will add points to your credit score. You could get turned down for a credit card in the future because the creditor thinks you don’t have enough experience with credit cards.
4. Your oldest credit card account.
   Closing out your old credit cards shortens your credit history. Lenders tend to view borrowers with short credit histories as riskier than borrowers with longer histories. Closing your oldest credit card won’t impact your credit score immediately. But, once the credit card falls off your credit report 10 years down the road, you might see an unexpected credit score drop.
5. The credit card with the best terms.
   Why let a good thing go? If you have a credit card that has a low interest rate, no annual fee, and other perks like travel insurance, keep it. A credit card that charges you less for making purchases is far better than one that charges you more.

It’s ok to close out a newer credit card that you no longer use as long as the card does not have a balance and you have other credit cards.

In identity theft and fraud situations, your creditors will advise you to close the credit card to keep the thief from damaging your credit even further.

The right way to close a credit card is by sending a written notice to the card issuer. For your records, you should request written confirmation that the account was closed in good standing.

You should be just as selective about the credit cards you close as the ones you open. Before you pick up the phone to alert your creditor that you want to close your account, make sure it’s not going to affect your credit score in a negative way.

Uncle Sam is giving more homebuyers a tax break. An $8,000 tax credit for first-time homebuyers, which was due to end on November 30, has been extended by the federal government until June 2010. The IRS estimated than 1.4 million people have taken advantage of the tax credit thus far and the extension will undoubtedly attract more first-timers to buy homes.

In more good news, the tax credit also extends it to those who already own a home. A new $6,500 tax credit is being made to attract repeat homebuyers to trade up and purchase their next home.

All real estate transactions must close by June 30, 2010 in order to reap the tax credit. In addition, buyers must meet certain income limits. Single buyers who make up to $125,000 will qualify, as do married couples with a combined income of $225,000 or less.

Click here to visit a section of the IRS website that provides additional information about the tax credit and specific tax forms that a homebuyer will need to get the tax credit.

Have interesting items you don’t need or want?

Have you considered trying to sell it on Craigslist but don’t know how?

Here is a brief video showing you the basics.

Please remember to be careful when dealing with strangers and money.

(ArticlesBase SC #1944444)

Written by Trent

I’ve always been a fan of warehouse stores. On many, many items, you can get a great deal there if you’re willing to buy a large quantity of items at once. For a person with a lot of storage space and a family (like me), storage isn’t a problem, nor is using it up.

People often ask me what kinds of items I buy there and I respond with the usual things: toilet paper, trash bags, bulk foods, and so on. These are the things that people always think of when they think of warehouse stores – the stuff you buy on a normal grocery store run, but in bulk.

However, I’ve come to find that many of the best deals at warehouse stores aren’t simple replacements for grocery shopping. Here are ten things I’ve come to purchase regularly from my local Sam’s Club instead of through continue reading…

Collectible baseball cards - what are they worth

The boxes of baseball cards you so carefully collected are invaluable for the memories they evoke. But do they have any real value?

Many collectors hope their hobbies will one day bring them a fortune. And with the recent sales of Batman and Superman comic books for about $1 million each, the fantasy of a big windfall may have crossed your mind.

Here’s what anyone with a collection, or looking to start one, should know.

SIZING UP VALUE
Three big factors generally determine a card’s value: the continue reading…

Here are 10 easy ways that you can save money and help the planet by decreasing your carbon footprint at home.

1. Turn off the lights in unoccupied rooms
2. Shut off computers, TV sets and other electronics when not in use.
3. Swap your incandescent light bulbs for CFLs and/or LEDs, which last longer and use a quarter of the electricity of regular bulbs.
4. Hold off the wash until you have enough for a full load and use cold water when ever possible.
5. Dry only full loads of clothes in your dryer and “hang dry” as much as possible.
6. Hold off running the dishwasher until it is full and consider using air drying instead of the machine’s “drying cycle.”
7. Turn down the thermostat, especially at night. You can save up to 3% of your heating or air conditioning bill with every 1 degree you give up.
8. If you have a fireplace, keep the damper closed when you do not have a fire burning.
9. Lower the temperature of your hot water heater and cover it with an “insulation blanket.”
10. Cut the time you spend in the shower. Even  a few minutes a day less can make a big difference.