A natural investment alternative for you as a homeowner is rental homes. Because you already own a home and are familiar with them, you realize that the maintenance on a rental home is not that different from your own home. You can use the same painters, plumbers and other contractors that you use on your […]
Of 50 million homeowners it is estimated that 7 million of them could save money each month if they refinanced their existing mortgage. One obvious saving is refinancing at a lower mortgage rate. Another saving is that if you bought a home before 2011 and your are paying for mortgage insurance, you might want to […]
The time has come for you to add that new pool to your backyard. But wait, the pool is great and your home value will go up but so will your maintenance costs, your utilities and your property taxes. However you will benefit with an increase in your equity due to appreciation of your home. […]
An available solution for helping buyers and sellers is this uncommon mortgage program. Called a temporary buy down, it is a fixed mortgage in which to seller prepays the interest at closing i order to lower the payments for several years. The borrower must be approved at the note rate however, but will get the […]
The decision to buy rental property can be an excellent one and the more information you have, the more likely the results will be favorable. Affected by the economy, demand and supply, real estate is a long term investment. In most cases, it cannot be converted to cash very easily. Costs involved in buying and […]
“If I tell you it’s going to rain, you can put the buckets on the porch.” Sayings such as these are often used in the south as a testimony of a person’s veracity of their word. If you personally know someone or know their reputation, you can make a decision on whether to trust them […]
Lenders use credit scores to measure a borrower’s creditworthiness. Although several different companies offer credit scores, the Fair Isaacson Corporation or FICO is the one that is most often used. FICO uses five key components to determine a borrower’s overall credit score or rating. The highest percentage, 35 percent, is judged on payment history which […]
If you are a homeowner, your tax savings is usually realized when you file your federal income tax return once a year after you have already spent money on interest and property taxes. You may look forward to the refund as a windfall from a forced savings account. However, some people would rather get their […]
It is surprising the number of people who contact a RealtorⓇ or real estate office with intentions on buying a home but they can’t qualify for a loan or don’t have a down payment. Sometimes a RealtorⓇ will begin working with a buyer who has the down payment and good credit but decides to postpone […]
“Anyone may arrange his affairs so that his taxes shall be as low as possible…” While Judge Learned Hand was talking about federal income taxes, it can be applied to property taxes as well. Property valuation determination by the state or county is based on a number of variables such as size, amenities, location and […]
