What is a Foreclosure?
A foreclosure is an action taken against a property owner by seizure of his/her real property. It can be for many reasons. The main cause is delinquent payments on a mortgage. The mortgage company or second and even third mortgage holders contact the owner, then the trustee (usually an attorney) to ... more...

Seven Key Tax Deductions for the Self Employed
As a sole proprietor, its wise to familiarize yourself with the some key deductions that may reduce your tax bill for 2004.Small-business consultants generally recommend that you hire an accountant to prepare your tax returns, payroll and financial statements. But you should also meet with your ... more...

Attention all Operators! What is a Dollar Really Worth? by Restaurant Consultants, Inc.
A recent analysis of 120 of the largest publicly traded restaurant companies in the United States shows that the average net profit is 11.71%. That led me to contemplate what operators have to do to actually get that eleven cents to the bottom line, and its harder than most people realize.Selling a ... more...

Escrow Accounts, Do You Absolutely Need One?
With escrow accounts the money for your home insurance and property tax is added to your monthly mortgage payment and is paid out each year. With that said, you may think that having an escrow account takes the responsibility off your shoulders because the bank will make the payment for you each ... more...

Refinance Rental Property - Don't Sell It
You own a rental property for years, and never see the "big pay-off." Is it time to cash in on your investment, now that you've paid down the mortgage, and values are up? Maybe not.The Problem With SellingSelling means you'll have to pay a large capital gains tax. This can be avoided if you ... more...

Non-conforming Home Loans vs Conforming Loans
The simple definition of a "non-conforming home loan" is: You have a job and can make the payments. Your credit is used only to determine your interest rate and the loan amount to value of the home ratio. This ratio is referred to as your "LTV" or "Loan To Value". There are many lenders who will ... more...

Buying New Construction...How Do I Begin?
The prospect of shopping for a new construction residence can be quite daunting, but the rewards of owning a brand new home out-weight the disadvantages if you know the potential pitfalls. The following are important considerations: Overall Dollar Budget, Location, Cost Per Square Foot, Finishes, ... more...

Earning Rental Income from a Gatlinburg Cabin
Gatlinburg has a small but thriving community of property owners. The 2000 census estimated that 3,300 people live year-round in Gatlinburg. Every year, there are hundreds of Gatlinburg cabins for sale and many new buildings continue to be developed.The purchase of Gatlinburg cabins has picked up ... more...

What Will You Take For A Dollar?
The other day I sat in a meeting listening to a young man extol the virtues of owning real estate. Much of what he said was true. However two things made me sit up and take notice. I couldn't help but comment. First, he said the interest on your home loan was tax deductible, so the government ... more...

Creating a Home Budget Step by Step
The other day I received an email from a guy who was looking for some help with his budget. What he really wanted was to run his family like a business.While I think its a great idea to have the mindset that your family does operate with a bottom-line (that cant or shouldnt be masked by credit ... more...

Electronic Real Estate Transactions
It seems more and more that technology and the Internet are going to be the future of real estate sales. In Canada one-third of the people are online. This means approximately ten million Canadians, give or take a few. It is projected that by the end of the decade this number will reach one-half of ... more...

Real Estate Tip: Escrow Accounts -- Do You Really Need Them?
If you have a mortgage on your property, whether it's for your personal residence or a real estate investment, chances are you have an escrow account. But if you are working on building wealth through real estate, you may want to take a hard look at your escrow account (or accounts, if you own more ... more...

How Home-Based Businesses Can Avoid Giving Uncle Sam More than His Share
How Home-Based Businesses Can Avoid Giving Uncle Sam More than His Share By Darren Oliver With the rush to file your taxes by April 15th, you probably did not consider the possibility that you overpaid. According to the General Accounting Office, in 1998 alone, there was $311 million paid ... more...

Why Buy Mobile Homes?
You can buy mobile homes for much less than stick-built houses in most areas of the country. Despite the common predjudice against them, mobile homes are the cheap housing choice of millions. While the advantages are not always obvious, they are real.One of the advantages is fast equity buiding. ... more...

Get Rich With Mobile Homes
Does the myth that mobile homes depreciate in value keep you from investing in them? Well, they do lose value in a park, on a rented lot. Mobile homes with real estate, however, are an entirely different investment.My mobile home doubled in value in the twelve years I lived in it. The home ... more...