How to Compare Fixed Rate Mortgages and Adjustable Rate Mortgages
There are many types of mortgages, and the more you know about them before you start, the better. To compare one Adjustable Rate Mortgage with another or with a fixed-rate mortgage, you need to know about indexes, margins, discounts, caps, negative amortization, and convertibility. You need to ... more...

Home Loans and Mortgages Beware of Deed Theft Scam
The average home in the United States has a value of $206,000, a record amount. Real estate prices have been rising throughout the country during the last five years, and homeowners have seen the value of their property skyrocket. In California alone, the equity in private homes has increased by ... more...

Interest-only Mortgages Have Their Pitfalls
Rising home prices, particularly on the East and West coasts have put the costs of home ownership seemingly beyond the reach of many. And yet, home ownership is up nationwide, and the percentage of Americans who own their homes is the highest it has ever been. How is this possible?There are more ... more...

Home Equity Loan vs. 401(K) Loan -- Which Should You Choose
Home Equity Loan vs. 401(K) LoanYou've finally decided to add that patio you've always wanted to your home. Now you can enjoy barbecue outdoors and get a little fresh air every now and again. But how are you going to pay for it? If you're like most people, you don't have cash for home repairs ... more...

Home Loans Lenders Continue to Offer High-Risk Loans
Home prices in the Untied States continue to soar, and the remarkable run of real estate as the must have investment continues. The median price of a new home, which only recently crossed the $200,000 barrier, is now $215,000. The high prices of homes havent deterred buyers; sales in June reached ... more...

Is Consolidating Loans Right For You?
Consolidating loans makes sense but only if you can pay a lower interest rate than what you're paying now. This is especially true if you are consolidating mortgage loans. Be aware of your total overall costs to avoid getting deeper in debt than when you started.Have you ever asked yourself why ... more...

Home Equity Foreclosure Often Not Necessary in Current Market
While driving around your community, you may have seen signs posted on telephone poles that offer foreclosure help. These seemingly generous offers to help financially troubled homeowners who are in danger of losing their homes to foreclosure are actually scams. Typically, the help comes in the ... more...

Why Buy Property Overseas - A Case History
This is a true case history detailing the purchase of a holiday home overseas. By describing a real-life experience of buying a home in Spain we explain why people buy property overseas and show how to buy an overseas property with minimum outlay.Mr and Mrs Jones bought an apartment in Spain in ... more...

Home Loans and Mortgages One Third of Homes in U.S. Overvalued
A new study by National City Corp. looked at home values for 299 American cities and compared them to where they should be based on a number of economic factors that determine home prices. The results were not encouraging; homes in nearly one third of America were judged to be extremely overvalued ... more...

Credit Help for Real Estate Financing: Credit Scores
When you buy real estate, lenders run all of the "big three" credit bureau reports. Each credit reporting agency lists your credit history as supplied to them by the individual lenders and includes governmental records. Each report assigns a credit score number to you. The credit scores reflect ... more...

Home Refinancing Scam Thieves Use Identity Theft to Steal Your Equity
Since the demise of the stock market in 2000, the real estate market has been booming. Investors who are justifiably cautious about investing in stocks have been investing in homes. This has driven the prices of homes in the United States to record levels. Long-time homeowners are discovering ... more...

Real Estate Investing: Beware of "Subject To" Promises
Another real estate writer's mini course, full of promises and fluff, ended with a "lesson" on why you need to buy his book so you can finance multiple properties "subject to." The reason, he said, "because banks won't let you finance more than ten mortgages."This simply isn't true.First, banks let ... more...

No Fee Mortgages Coming Soon
Buying a home, especially for the first time, can be a daunting experience. There are endless credit checks, bank checks, employment checks, appraisals and more paperwork than seems to make sense. Adding to the angst associated with buying a home is the endless list of fees that are added to the ... more...

Credit Scores = ROI Profits for Real Estate Investors
Strong credit saves real estate investors money on mortgage finance costs. A good credit score, along with the other credit and mortgage qualifications, means that investors can pay lower fees for financing, such as points and interest charges. Also, good credit scores help you avoid garbage fees ... more...

Understanding Fixed-rate Mortgages
A fixed-rate mortgage is a mortgage on which the interest rate is set for the term of the loan. Your interest rate stays the same for the term of the mortgage or for a specified period of time. Most people use a fixed-rate mortgage. In fact, about 75 percent of all home mortgages have fixed rates. ... more...