Real Estate has been such a great experience, at least for my bank account: receiving commission checks that totaled half of my well-paying salary.

The percentage of homes that banks have filed foreclosure on or repossessed (and stamped with the dreaded "REO," or "real estate owned," moniker) now account for 3% of all mortgaged homes.

And given the uncertainty surrounding the estate tax, families with taxable estates need to make sure their documents are written to account for that uncertainty.