Getting a Home Improvement Loan: What Your Bank Needs
The popularity of stores like Home Depot and Lowe's show how many homeowners are jumping on the home improvement bandwagon. Maybe you're thinking of redoing part of your house as well. Perhaps you want the kitchen of your dreams or an extra bathroom. You know you'll have to take out a loan to ... more...

How Your Personal Credit Affects Your Chances of Getting a Business Loan
Your business idea first begins with a dream, and then extends to a passion. The passion to do what you love leads you to need financial assistance. Having the means to expand on your passion will bring hope to your livelihood. Does your personal credit affect your chances of getting a loan to ... more...

Home Buyer Beware Know the Signs of Real Estate Market Trouble
Lots of articles have appeared recently about the booming real estate market in the United States. Home prices, especially on the East and West coasts, are not only at record levels, but are increasing at record rates. In some areas around Washington, D.C. and San Francisco, home prices have ... more...

Home Equity Loans Beware of Appraisal Fraud
A new report by the independent Demos group has revealed what may not be a surprise to many people corruption is rampant in the home appraisal industry. The bust in the dot-com market of some five years ago has left would-be lenders with a surplus of cash to lend. This has led to a huge boom in ... 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...

A Log Home Story
Solving problems while maximizing valuesThis story has a few good lessons and observations that no doubt can be used by you to take advantage of hidden opportunities that often lie in plain view for all to see, however, most people have not been trained or instructed on how to recognize or find ... more...

Bad Credit? No Credit? No Money? No Problem!
Have you ever walked into a bank or mortgage brokers office to apply for a mortgage loan and was told, Your credit doesnt meet our guidelines? Or even better, you dont have enough money for the down payment. How about, You dont have a long enough credit history for us to tell if you are a viable ... more...

10 Things to Look for in a Home-Equity Line of Credit
If you are a homeowner, you've probably received offers to apply for a home equity line of credit (HELOC). Handled with care, home equity credit lines can be an excellent way to improve financial flexibility, provide readily available cash reserves for emergencies, or pay for large expenses (like ... more...

Reinventing Real Estate, Part 1: Online and Empowered Consumers Are Taking Charge and Paying Less
For decades, the real estate world turned in a predictable manner. The roles of buyers, sellers and real estate professionals were fairly well defined and transactions followed a predictable path of yard signs, newspaper ads, open houses and miles of paperwork.Recently, online and empowered ... more...

Mortgages 101
Finding the perfect mortgage is like finding your dream home; it takes lots of work. You may find that you have a few questions about mortgages. Buying a home can be a very stressful time, but through a little education, you can understand every step of the process in securing your financing.Dont ... more...