Real estate

You should always hire an inspector before buying a home. The inspector you hire should work for you and not your real estate agent (to help close the deal). Do some homework and hire a certified inspector who has Errors Inspectors Insurance. Go to ashi.com for some referrals.

A good read on HELOCS from The Mortgage Professor Jack M. Guttentag.

Like others, real estate industry has players who are lack of professionalism and sometimes unethical. Educated buyers have a better chance to understand and identify these behaviors that work against them.
This article provides some homework that a buyer can do before hiring a agent.

Debunk some myths of home-buyer's tax credit.

And what to ask when considering one.

Simple steps to refinancing your mortgage.

No matter how bad your credit is, you can take steps that will make it better.

If you can’t sell your home, or you want a rental property, consider renting your house under Section 8. This is a great program that provides adequate housing to lower income families. The benefits are huge. And since the housing authority pays a portion of the rent, payments are practically guaranteed.

f you are interested in getting into the world of real estate investing but you do not have a lot of money to invest, then you may want to try to buy a house using a real estate tax lien. The government places a tax lien on a property when an owner does not pay the real estate taxes. During an auction, the highest bidder becomes responsible for payment of the tax, and under certain conditions, you...

A couple of good questions on refinancing. Will it make sense to refinance if I'm planning to sell the property soon? Probably not faced by most homeowners but definitely worth to read.

What is the loan modification and how you can use this government program to help the mortgage payment.

With a traditional mortgage, each monthly payment comprises principal plus interest. In the early years of the loan, most of the payment goes for interest. Gradually, more and more of the monthly payments go toward principal. At the end of the term, the loan is completely repaid. This process of paying principal and interest until the loan is paid off is called amortization.

Maybe you found better credit terms or you got cold feet. A provision of the Truth in Lending Act gives you the right to cancel certain real estate loans within three business days without penalty. It is called the right of rescission.

Homeowners who make a down payment of less than 20 percent are usually required to pay private mortgage insurance (PMI), because they are considered to be at higher risk of default. PMI premiums are typically around half a percent of the interest rate, which is about $83 a month on a $200,000 mortgage.

The lowest interest rate shouldn't be the only factor to consider for the mortgage or loan package that you want to get.