How to Prepare Your House to Sell for More

Preparing your house for sale can be a daunting task. When you’re selling your home, there are things about your house you might not notice or mind that can make a big difference with potential buyers.  Even if these fixes or improvements seem small by themselves, taken as a whole they can have an impact on how much you [...]

Reverse Mortgage Disadvantages

Reverse mortgages were the topic of a post several weeks ago in which we promised to take a look at the downsides of seniors using a reverse mortgage in retirement. Here are some of the disadvantages of using a reverse mortgage to borrow against the equity in a home. Builds up Debt Traditional mortgages allow [...]

Real Estate Short Sales Explained

Real estate short sales have become more common in the tough housing market of the last few years. A short sale is an attempt to sell a home instead of the bank taking it back by foreclosure. This sale can partially salvage the homeowner’s credit rating and lift the stress of large mortgage payments. If [...]

Five Tips on Buying Foreclosures

Buying a foreclosed home can be a great way to get a deal on real estate but it can be daunting if you’ve never done it before. Here are a few tips to consider when you’re thinking about buying a foreclosure. Know Thy Neighbor – Remember, when you buy a home, it’s like getting married. [...]

Home Buyer Tax Credits Are Working??!!

The first time home buyer tax credits in 2009 didn’t really interest us that much since we’ve owned our home for just under ten years now.  However, the latest version of the bill now includes a tax credit through 2010 for homeowners who have lived in the same place for five of the last eight years consecutively. This new [...]

Reverse Mortgages for Seniors

If you or your parents have lived in your home for many years and have built up a lot of equity in the property you may have heard about or considered a reverse mortgage as a potential source of income during retirement. There seems to be a wide divide in opinions on whether reverse mortgages [...]

The Costs of Selling Your House

The costs of selling a house may not make or break your decision to sell whether you’re relocating, trading up, or buying a smaller home.  However, the costs can run into the thousands of dollars so they’re something you don’t want to overlook.  The first thing you need to consider if you are thinking about [...]

Avoid Foreclosure Rescue Scams

The struggling economy has left many people facing the potential of foreclosure and has created a wave of scam artists that are taking advantage of the fears of desparate homeowners. The Federal Trade Commission is on a mission to help stop foreclosure rescue scams around the country. Here is the FTC Chairman Jon Leibowitz’s warning [...]

Home Inspection Tips When Buying A House

Buying a house is never easy and you’ll likely come across some snags during the process. One of the most common problems that can delay closing on a real estate deal is a home inspection full of problems. Home Inspections I recommend that everyone get a home inspection.  I thinks its always worth paying for [...]

Split Loans & Home Equity Lines of Credit

Buying a home is a dream of many families, unfortunately, not everyone is in the position financially to buy the house of their dreams. A big hurdle to many families is coming up with money for a down payment. Yesterday we talked about how a low down payment on a home can effect how much [...]

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