RESPA: The Real Estate Settlement Procedures Act
The Real Estate Settlement Procedures Act (RESPA) is a consumer protection statute, first passed in 1974. One of its purposes is to help consumers become better shoppers for settlement services. Another purpose is to eliminate kickbacks and referral fees that increase unnecessarily the costs of ... more...

Investing in Residential Real Estate: Achieving Positive Cash Flow
When investing in real estate, it is highly desirable to achieve positive cash flow on a month-to-month basis. This is true even if you are counting on property value appreciation to supply the bulk of your desired return on investment. If you are losing money month-to-month, you may find all of ... more...

How to Buy to Let
Find out everything you need to know about buy to let. Learn what to buy, where to buy and what not to buy. All this information about buy to let wont cost you a penny.buying If the area is full of buy to let property investors the supply of property to let might outweigh tenant demand and create ... more...

FTC Names Dirty Dozen Email Scams
The Federal Trade Commission is responsible for issuing and enforcing rules for consumer issues on the Internet. As part of this process, the FTC has published a list of the 12 scams you are most likely to receive as email.The Dirty Dozen ScamsThe "dirty dozen" are:1. Business opportunitiesThese ... more...

Five Reasons for Tenants to Buy Instead of Renting - An Economic Perspective
If you are presently a Tenant anywhere in North America, before you plan to remain a Tenant you should read this Article. There are several good reasons for ownership to prevail over tenancy and the real estate profession is littered with extremely clever pointers as to why Tenants should buy - and ... more...

Buying a Spanish Property - How Do You Finance It?
Financing Your PropertyOnce you have decided on the home you wish to buy you need to know how to finance it. There are several ways in which you can do this. If you are lucky enough to have the cash in the bank then you dont need to worry about the actual financing of it however take a look at the ... more...

Making it affordable: Nine tips for first time home buyers
It seems that everyone loves a good real estate story. The media is filled with reports about soaring property values and home owners of modest means becoming instant millionaires when they sell. As a result, many first time home buyers, afraid of missing out, will rush into buying decisions and ... more...

10 Things to Look for in a Home-Equity Line of Credit
If you are a homeowner, you've probably received offers to apply for a home equity line of credit (HELOC). Handled with care, home equity credit lines can be an excellent way to improve financial flexibility, provide readily available cash reserves for emergencies, or pay for large expenses (like ... more...

Reverse Mortgages A Tax Free Income For Senior Citizens
I fully realize if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is and There Aint No Such Thing As A Free Lunch (TANSTAAFL) immediately jumped into your head when you read the title of this article. However, if you are 62 or over, you may have just found the goose that laid the golden egg.A reverse ... more...

Decision Time: Home Equity Loan or Home Equity Line of Credit?
Home equity loans and home equity lines of credit continue to grow in popularity. According to the Consumer Bankers Association, during 2003 combined home equity line and loan portfolios grew 29%, following a torrid 31% growth rate in 2002. With so many people deciding to cash in on their home's ... more...

11 Steps Away From Buying a Home
There is no doubt that the market for houses has been on fire recently. More and more people are taking advantage of low interest rates and easy mortgage loan terms to go from being renters to being home owners. With so many people entering the market, it is inevitable that questions will arise ... more...

Home Buyer Checklist
Before You BuyThe biggest question is: where do I want to live? All of us have different likes and dislikes. The needs of one person may be of little consequence to another person. If you are moving to a new community your questions may be different from somebody who is moving within the ... more...

Eight Common Predatory Lending Schemes
Predatory lending is far more prevalent in refinancing than in the purchase market. One reason is that buyers tend to look for mortgages from established and recognized lenders, many of whom are bound by rules put forth by Fannie Mae, FHA, or the Veterans Administration. If they don't follow the ... more...