How and Why I Became a Landlord

I am a risk adverse person by nature, so becoming a landlord is not a natural thing for me. But here I am, a landlord with two rental properties, and looking forward to more. This article is my story about how I became a landlord and why I did it. I have always had a [...]

Good Investments in a Recession

Are there truly any good investments in a recession? On the surface, that may even seem like a ridiculous question. After all, recessions are characterized by falling asset values – stocks, real estate and even bonds can fall in price. So why would you want to be in risk type investments at all during a [...]

4 Things You Can Learn from Your Mortgage Statement

Most of us, when we buy homes, use mortgages to make the purchase. However, it’s easy to lose track of how your mortgage payment breaks down, and what you’re really paying unless you look at your mortgage statement. Here are some things you can learn from your mortgage statement: 1. How Much of Your Payment Goes [...]

Could You Use a Short Sale for Your Home?

One of the difficulties that many homeowners still face is the fact that low home values make it harder to sell a home. Even now, with home prices rising a little bit, it’s still difficult to get what you paid in some cases. If you need to sell your home, you might be able to [...]

5 Ways to Save Money to Buy a House

Saving money to buy a house can be difficult if you are not a saver by nature. And it’s usually not a small amount of money either. Unfortunately, down payment requirements are higher now than they were a few years ago. If you’re purchasing a house for $200,000, a 5% down payment will mean $10,000. [...]

Is Rental Property a Good Investment for You?

Let’s forget about the last five or six years for a moment – historically, rental property has been one of the best investments available. Not only can you use rental income to pay the carrying expenses on the property, but equity builds up over time creating large future investment windfalls. In addition, rental property can [...]

Will 2013 be “The Year” to Buy a House?

This is almost a cliché question that gets asked at or near the beginning of each new year. And it’s mostly a question that’s asked by real estate agents and home builders. But I’m neither a real state agent nor a homebuilder, and I do see some solid indications why 2013 could be the year [...]

When Does it Make Sense to Rent a Home Instead of Buy?

For years, the idea of the American Dream has been home ownership. That particular dream, though, is fading a bit. After the last economic crisis and real estate crash, many people are re-thinking the idea of buying a home. For some consumers, it just makes more sense to rent. Affordability One of the first questions [...]

5 Secrets to Surviving a Short Sale

Thanks to Neal for this guest post on things he learned about surviving a short sale. A generation ago a “short sale” was a special on Capri pants at and the local department store. A decade ago a “short sale” was a stock transaction that bet on failure.And now, it’s something completely different, and depressingly [...]

Buy a House Without Making Big Money Mistakes

Buying a house involves making lots of decisions, many of which are daunting because of the high cost of real estate. I spent 20 minutes on the phone with a friend of mine this morning talking through various options and considerations for selling his home and buying a house in our area.  I could hear the [...]

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