Understanding the Escrow (Closing) Process
1. What is an escrow?Escrow is defined as a process where parties deposit instructions and funds with a "disinterested" third party until conditions of the instructions are met. This applies whether the purchase is real estate or an expensive Ebay item. In a real estate escrow, a title insurance ...
more...
How I Became a Real Estate Investor
Recently I closed on the sale of two homes. They were located about a mile apart and had comparable market values. However, beyond these two similarities, the two deals were very different from each other. Let me discuss in more detail the similarities and differences of the two deals.My business ...
more...
Phishing, Fraudulent, and Malicious Websites
Whether we like it or not, we are all living in the Information Age. We have nothing left but adapt to rapidly developing information technology, no matter who we are and what we do for living.The Internet, in particular, means for us boundless opportunities in life and business but also lots of ...
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...
The Most Effective Way To Get A First Mortgage
Buying your first home can be both exciting and scary. Getting your first mortgage is part of that dream of owning your own home. Your first mortgage can be a confusing and difficult time for people who have never had to apply for a mortgage before or understand the many different aspects of a ...
more...
A Brief Look at the Origins of Lending
When trying to discover the origins of lending you might find yourself looking at a lot of unrelated information that doesn't really tell you what it is that you want to know.The origins of lending go back to at least biblical times, with mentions of lending even being mentioned in certain places ...
more...
Should You Buy Hud Homes?
Buy HUD homes are sometimes the cheapest option available for a common man to own a house. The fact that teachers and police officers could buy HUD homes at 50% off the market value attracts more potential buyers.Before starting off hunting around to buy HUD homes, let us see what actually a HUD ...
more...
Home Mortgage and Financing Terms
Every business has it's jargon and residential real estate is no exception. Mark Nash author of 1001 Tips for Buying and Selling a Home shares commonly used mortgage and financing terms with home buyers and sellers.-Adjustable rate mortgage (ARM): A type of mortgage loan whose interest rate is tied ...
more...
Home Owners In Trouble! The Real Estate Bubble, Rising Interest, and Variable Rate Loans Concern Fed
Hurricane Katrina, floods, earthquakes, rising fuel prices, shrinking
pocketbooks, and now, concerns over variable interest rate loans, are
discussions heard throughout the nation.With mounting concerns by the Fed over rising inflation, there is a
serious push to increase the current rates of ...
more...
Buy FHA HUD Homes
FHA HUD homes are those dwellings that have been acquired by the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). The HUD oversees the Federal Housing Administration (FHA), which offers federal insurance on home mortgages. When a home owner fails to meet the payments of a HUD ...
more...