Creative Home Equity Strategies for Retirement
The Baby-Boom generation is nearing retirement and it is clear that millions of aging Boomers are financially under prepared. Reasons are many - poor savings habits, rising medical costs, the demise of guaranteed corporate pensions, and the dreaded squeeze faced by many: i.e. having to pay college ... more...

A Critical Guide to Home Loans: Your Options and How They Affect Your Future
Understanding Mortgage Loans-An Insiders GuideThere was a time in the not-so-distant past when financing the purchase of a home was relatively uncomplicated. You went to your local savings and loan and signed up for a 30-year, fixed-rate mortgage loan. Those days are gone, probably forever. Today, ... more...

Are Option Pay ARM's Risky?
The general consensus about the riskiness of Option Pay mortgage loans is that they are high risk; high risk to both the borrower and the lender. To add even more risk to the loans, consumers and loan officers not only have to understand initial and lifetime caps, various indicies and margins, but ... more...

Using a Home Mortgage Calculator
There are a variety of tools online that you can use to determine how much you can afford to pay for a home, how much the monthly payment will be based on the sale price of a home, and calculators to tell you whether it is better to rent or buy based on your personal situation. Using a home ... more...

Balloon Or Reset Mortgage Loans - Understanding The Basics
A balloon mortgage, also called a reset mortgage, offers lower interest rates with the option in 5 or 7 years to pay off the balance or resent the loan. Considered more risky than an ARM since interest rates can jump significantly, it is a valid option for those expecting to move or interest rates ... more...

Basic Mortgage Terms
If it is your first time applying for a mortgage, there are a number of terms you should know. Educating yourself on the various mortgage terms you will run into will help you make better decisions when deciding which home you want to purchase. When you sign a mortgage contract, your home is used ... more...

Real Estate Professional in the Palm of Your Hand
GETTING THE MOST FOR THE LEASE-TRACKING YOUR REAL ESTATEIf you own rentals and/or investment properties, you know that you have to keep track of your portfolio, maintenance profiles, property managers, and related financial matters. There are a multitude of programs for the Palm-Pilot system to ... more...

Should You Refinance Your Mortgage if Interest Rates Drop?
Mortgage refinancing is when you take a mortgage of a certain interest rate and term length, and change it for a different interest rate and term. If you are looking to refinance your home loan it is usually done when rates have dropped considerably therefore making it advantageous to do so. When I ... more...

Option ARM Mortgage Loan - Is This Really for You?
What happened to the days of a 15 or 30 year fixed rate mortgage loan? Ultimately this is the safest and most popular mortgage loan product in our industry, but new mortgage products are hitting the market, and we in the mortgage business are using them to our advantage; ever heard the radio ... more...