Mortgage Loan Most Bankers Won't Give May Be Exactly What You Need to Buy or Refinance Your Home
A few years ago, a loan officer who worked for me was having a problem helping a customer. He was new to the business and had very little patience for problems (as you might have already guessed, he didnt last very long). He told me the customer was a doctor, who had left a hospital job to open his ... more...

Easing Your Way Into Homeownership: A Guide To Low Down Payment Mortgage Programs
Theres no question about it: Buying a first home is a big financial commitment. In most cases, a home is the largest single purchase an individual or family will make in a lifetime. However, because of the tax advantages afforded to homeowners, buying a home also can be one of the best financial ... more...

Reverse Mortgage Putting Your Equity to Work
If you're like many seniors, your home is your largest asset, and although you are concerned about the thought of borrowing against it, your house may be the only way to increase your income.Rising real-estate prices have caused many seniors' homes to significantly increase in value. But unless ... more...

Private Mortgage Insurance (PMI)
If your down payment on a home is less than 20 percent of the appraised value or sale price, you must obtain private mortgage insurance, known as PMI, with your lender. This will enable you to obtain a mortgage with a lower down payment because your lender is now protected against any default on ... more...

Should You Pay Off Your Mortgage Early?
In the old days, when a mortgage was paid off, it was happily burned. Those days seem to be long gone. Very few people will stay in their home for the length of time required to pay of a 30-year mortgage. And even if you can pay it off early, it might not be best for you.There is a sense of ... more...

Reverse Mortgage Providing Peace of Mind Without Sacrificing Safety or Security
For many seniors one of their greatest sources of security is their home. It not only provides a comfortable and familiar environment, but it provides a sense of independence and a source of many fond memories. The equity in that home represents a financial nest egg and a legacy for them to pass ... more...

What a Commercial Mortgage Broker Must Do at Closing
Your role in this process is that of a bridegroom at a wedding: stay out of the way, be on time, and keep your mouth shut. Tom C. Korologos, U.S. Ambassador to Belgium, describing the advice he gives to presidential nominees. Quoted in the New York Times, September 4, 2005.A commercial mortgage ... more...

Home Equity Let the Market Eliminate Your Private Mortgage Insurance
In decades past, most people who were interested in obtaining a home loan were required to put down at least 20% of the purchase price. Those days are gone, and as home prices have risen faster than incomes, the average down payment required by lenders has dropped. In fact, it is often possible ... more...

Relaxed Mortgage Guidelines Open Door For Home Buyers With Past Credit Problems
For most people, the idea of going from renter to homeowner seems out of reach for one main reason: poor credit history. Many feel that because of their past credit problems, they have no chance of qualifying for a mortgage to own a home. In recent years however, many lenders have made it easier ... more...

Honey, I Shrunk The Mortgage Interest Deduction Plan 1
The political landscape this year has been nothing but ugly. It promises to come to full boil with the proposed tax reform eliminating or reducing the mortgage interest deduction.Tax Reform or Raising TaxesThere is an old saying about the two political parties. Democrats raise taxes while ... more...

Tax Reform Limit of Mortgage Tax Deduction
A committee appointed by President Bush has come up with an alarming recommendation. They want to limit the tax deduction for mortgage interest!ReformFollowing his re-election, President Bush set up an aggressive agenda in which he hoped to reform social security and the tax code amongst other ... more...