The Residential Real Estate Buying Process in Austin Texas
Decide to BuyThe first step in buying a house is to try and understand what you hope to achieve. When you begin to think about buying a new house, there are many questions you should ask yourself such as: Why do I want to move? How soon do I want to move? How long do I plan on living in the home? ... more...

FHA Mortgage: When Your Downpayment is a Gift
There has been so much fraud discovered in the FHA program allowing gift funds for downpayment that Lenders and borrowers are required to absolutely document every step of the gift transaction to prove it was legitimate.Heres how it works: FHA allows the required downpayment to be a gift from ... more...

Escrow From a California Homeowner's Perspective
The Escrow ProcessBoth Buyer and Seller deserve the assurance that no funds or property will change hands until all of the instructions in the Purchase Contract have been satisfied. The Realtor submits Buyers and Sellers signed documents and Buyers deposit money to be held by an independent ... more...

The Financial Lessons of Hurricane Katrina
Sitting on my couch with my family praying for those hit by the category 4 hurricane named Katrina, I could not help but wonder what the economic impact on the people would be within the next 3 to 6 months. While the death toll rises, looters take to the street, and President Bush abruptly ends ... more...

Refinance Your Home to Payoff Debt: Pros & Cons
If you own a home, you may apply for a refinance debt consolidation loan or I call it the (RDC Loan). This type of loan will allow you to have only one payment every month. This should give you a little relief and free up some cash for you. You may also be more attentive in paying your refinance ... 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...

Selecting the Right Mortgage for You
A mortgage is a loan you take out to buy a home. This loan covers the "principal" (purchase price of the house minus your down payment) plus the "interest," which is the fee a lender charges you to borrow the money.There are various types of mortgages, including Fixed-rate, Adjustable-rate, Balloon ... more...

The Red Flags of Getting a Home Loan
Red flags are indicators that there may be a current or future problem with the borrower or transaction. They help Underwriters isolate pertinent issues that are part of the overall loan evaluation. They are questionable items, and when there are several, they usually indicate that something is ... more...

Class Action Lawsuits and Unethical Settlements
AN INVITATION FOR CLASS ACTION ATTORNEYS TO ENGAGE IN UNPROFESSIONAL CONDUCT Copyright 2004 by Michael A. S. Guth. All Rights Reserved. No portion of this article, including this web page, may be copied, retransmitted, reposted, or duplicated in significant portion without the express written ... more...