How to Prequalify a Buyer When You Sell Your Home "By Owner"
One questions many "for sale by owner" sellers ask is "how can I determine if a potential buyer can afford to buy my house?" In the real estate industry this is referred to as "pre-qualifying" a buyer. You might think this is a complex process but in reality it is actually quite simple and only ... more...

Home Sellers Warning for Young Families
If you're thinking about selling your home and moving up, do your homework before offering your home for sale. Read the following story to see what can happen to home sellers who don't do their math.A young family sold their home in California, before they determined how to buy their next house. ... more...

Do You Qualify for a Loan?
Like most people, you will probably wait until submitting a purchase contract on a home before applying for a mortgage. By then, not only will you know the specific property you want, but also how much you need to borrow. At that point, the lender will require that you fill out a loan application ... more...

Reduce Your Debt With These 5 Tips
It's never pleasant to realize that you're in financial hot water, but pretending the situation doesn't exist is NEVER the way to deal with the problem. If you're having trouble meeting monthly payments, find yourself borrowing or using credit cards to meet daily expenses, or have one or more of ... more...

The Bubble Effect
Turn on the TV at almost any time day or night and you will find news and talk shows informing us that there is a Real Estate bubble. What is a bubble and how do they know? The simple principle of what goes up must come down is being applied in general thought now and many in the public are ... more...

Home Equity Loans
A home equity loan allows you to cash-in on the equity you have built-up in your home. The funds you receive can be used for debt consolidation, home improvement, college education, investments or any purpose. With a home equity loan your home is used as collateral to secure the loan. If you ... more...

Fixed Rate or Adjustable?
Fixed rate or adjustable rate mortgages are two choices of mortgage loans that most lenders will offer you. Your financial situation, how long you plan to live in the home, the current interest rates, and what risks you are willing to take is the best way to decide which loan makes the most sense ... more...

Refinancing Your Home - Is the Time Right?
Refinancing your home is a major decision not to be taken lightly, even in this era of low interest rates and easy money. While every mortgage company in town is touting the strategy of getting a new loan before rates rise again, there are several things you'll want to be mindful of before you go ... more...

Alternative Options For Rising Interest Rates
As interest rates have risen in the last six weeks from record lows, homeowners are once again face with finding viable options to reduce the amount of interest paid on their home loans. The rush to refinance provided borrowers with good to excellent credit the opportunity to take advantage of low ... more...

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...

How Do I Know Whether or Not I Will End Up Saving Money When Refinancing My Home Loan?
To save money, you must live in your house longer than the "break-even period" the period over which the interest savings just cover the refinance expenses. The larger the spread between the new interest rate and the rate on your existing loan, the shorter the break-even period. The more it cost ... more...

Understanding How to Get Easy Home Loans for the Self Employed
There are three specific criteria that make any loan work. They are:1. Collateral - What you have of value (assets) to place at risk if you should default on the loan.2. Capacity - Your ability to pay back the loan over time. This includes income reporting such as IRS Form W-2 or 1099. Capacity ... more...