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...

Investing in Real Estate Profitably: Financing Options for Purchase of Rental Houses, Part 1.
This is not an article about tricks for 100% (no money down) financing. Even if you do take advantage of various no money down strategies from time to time, these strategies are not generally applicable when you begin investing systematically in multiple rental homes with the goal of making ... more...

Successful Real Estate Investing
One of the best roads to wealth in America has always been the acclimation and development of good, solid, income-producing real estate. Real estate ownership is one of the best ways to achieve financial independence for the average person. But in order to be a successful real estate investor, you ... more...

What is Tax-Deferred Exchange?
Under Section 1031 of the Internal Revenue Code, owners of real estate held for investment or use in a trade or business can swap their property tax-free for "like-kind" real estate. Exchanges are made for people wanting to stay invested in real estate, increase their leverage and to avoid paying ... more...

Top 10 FSBO Tips to Selling Your Home by Owner
By using some simple FSBO (For Sale by Owner) tips and techniques, the average homeowner can sell his or her own home without the assistance of a real estate agent. Just as many others have done in the past. You can sell your own home and save thousands, but it takes work and commitment.Below you ... 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...

"Curse of the Abyss Worm," J.J. Hill: and the Cradle that Rocks [Chapter #17]
17J.J. Hill: and the Cradle that RocksI cant imagine, just think of owning half of St. Paul, like that rich train industrialist, that lives on Summit Street, JJ Hill, by the Cathedral, said Thomas, one evening in September, as the St. Paul, Minnesota State Fair was about to take place.Whenever ... 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...

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...

Spanish Mortgages = Property Prices May be Downbut its Not All Bad News!
Remember Black Monday in October 1989? The stock market crash was shortly after the Great Storm when the southern part of England was ripped to shreds by the infamous hurricane that was never meant to be! Well, at least according to Michael Fish!Well, the crash in the stock market on Black Monday ... more...

Life After Divorce- Surviving Financially
In the first few years after divorce, more often than not, the standard of living of both spouses drops. Why, because the same cumulative income and pool of assets now has to support two households instead of one. Unfortunately, most people don't prepare themselves financially or emotionally for ... more...

3 Mistakes to Absolutely Avoid in a 1031/TIC Exchange
We've all made bad decisions in the past. Don't you just hate to hear "I told you so" from your friends and family? Or, maybe you catch yourself saying "If only I'd have...?"Personally, I'm one of those people who prefers to learn from someone else's mistakes. If you're at all like me, and you ... more...