Home owners wonder when is a good time to pay off their mortgage loan. They have saved money to pay off their mortgage loan. They also want to get a new mortgage loan for a new home.

Yep, I always give her a basket with food for Xmas and, this year, one of the supermarkets where we buy toys is having a special promotion…for purchases of $150, for $0.01 you get a basket with food-with about the same products I generally include!!! - our toy purchase will be ~$400,…

well, they wanted to send her to the warehouse (which is downtown) and she called the ad agency that hired her and they said no-way…so, she didn’t actually quit, but was pulled off the job! (she’s supposed to be paid for looking pretty and charming people into buying stuff, not being…

Down payment assistance is available. To get down payment assistance you can borrow from a 401k, use IRA money, or get help from friends and family. Down payment assistance may also be available from your community.

A home buyer wonders whether to hire a buyer’s real estate agent. Some buyers think they can pay less without a buyer’s real estate agent. Sellers pay buyer’s real estate agents so there’s little downside for a buyer.

Buyers sought a home without a homeowners association. Neither listing agent nor title search found homeowners association and buyers are upset. Agent should ask around if there’s a homeowners association.

Repairs that are unfinished at the closing time can create a world of problems for the buyer. Ilyce and Sam suggest this ThinkGlink reader try to use a holdback of funds to cover the cost of repairs.

it’s only for 3 weeks, but, it’s a start!…she had 3 offers and took this one, which seemed to be the “path of least effort”… (less time, less hours, more or less the same pay)…except, one of the other ones was a “sit down” job, and this one means she has to be on her feet most…

By Justin McHenry

Capital One today unveiled a new Web site called Card Lab that gives consumers the opportunity to “build their own” credit card by choosing among various options for introductory and ongoing interest rates, rewards, annual fee (or none), and card design. The choices are then packaged together to create a card customized to each cardholder’s personal preferences.

Of course, choosing a card’s features means making tradeoffs. Every time you make one choice, a certain number of other choices are closed off to you. So, if you want no-frills, no rewards, you can get a lower interest rate. Want points or air miles? The interest rate goes up. Want a 0% interest rate for a year? Expect a higher ongoing rate. Want two points per dollar charged instead of one? Prepare to pay an annual fee.

While a “build your own” credit card concept has been done in the UK, we believe this is the first time it’s been seen in the United States.

The Capital One Card Lab can be found at http://www.capitalonecardlab.com.

By Liz Morris

My WishList, the popular holiday shopping deals program for American Express cardholders, begins tomorrow, November 27, and runs through December 13th. My WishList offers deep, deep discounts on big-ticket items for the lucky few that manage to get there first—from 25% to 80% off of most items, to 100% off for those who manage to win one of the Virtual Wish Giveaway sweepstakes items. The catch? All items are in limited quantities, and it’s first-come, first-served.

For 2007 American Express has expanded the program to offer buying and saving opportunities in four categories:

• “Hot Products” are the big ones, the extremely-limited quantity items such as motorcycles at 80% off
• “Featured Products” have higher quantities so they’re easier to get, but the savings aren’t as big
• “Wish Certificates” are just flat-out free coupons for up to 25% off when you make purchases at partner retailers
• “Ultimate Wish Giveaway” is a sweepstakes for American Express cardholders, with four items up for grabs, including three 2008 Volvo automobiles and one JetBlue Airways Private Flight of up to 150 people

Among the products American Express has announced that will be available are a Panasonic 42-inch plasma TV for $700 (normally $1999), a six-stop around the world travel package worth almost $18,000 for $3,000, a chance to meet Oprah Winfrey at the premiere of the movie The Great Debaters, and more.

Complete information on My Wishlist is available at http://www.amexnetwork.com/mywishlist.