How to Spot and Avoid Predatory Lending
Predatory lenders promise loans that are "too good to be true" and pressure borrowers to take them on the spot. Here's a few things you or your family and friends should know about spotting and avoid predatory loans:How to Spot a Predatory Loan*Balloon payments.*High interest rates.*Monthly ... more...

Residential Mortgages a Step Ahead on the Property Ladder
Doesnt Residential mortgage give the impression that they are a different breed of mortgages? They are often thought at the first instance to be a complex term, which they arent. They are actually the regular mortgages that we hear of so often.Mortgages can be taken by all people whether for living ... 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...

Loan Officer Marketing Why Realtors Dont Read Your Brochures
When you place brochures from every mortgage company side by side, you cant help but notice the similarities. Each piece mentions that they have every possible loan program available, proven & experienced professionals, fast & friendly service, a list of documents needed to process the loan, a ... more...

How to Buy a Home Without a Down Payment
Mortgage rates are rising and its becoming more difficult for a prospective buyer to save up for the necessary down payment. Fortunately, there are ways around this hurdle.Although homebuyers were once required to put down 20% of the purchase price, those times are long gone. Generally, lenders now ... more...

Affording a Home
Can you really afford a house? If so, how much house can you afford? To determine this answer will take serious financial planning, and the best time to start is at least six months before buying the home.Although buying a new home may seem like an American Dream or romantic venture, the reality is ... more...

Adjustable vs Fixed Rate Mortgages
Mortgage rates can either be fixed for the duration of your loan or can be adjustable. An adjustable rate mortgage is a loan that is set up with an interest rate that changes based on pre-determined criteria, primarily tied to the federal interest rate. If the interest rates are up, then your ... more...

Keep the Referrals Coming
A key method of our survival in the business and retail world is referrals. Referrals are always nice, because they come from someone on the outside of your company who has enough trust and faith in you to refer someone in your direction.When we receive a referral from someone, it seems like an ... more...

Investment Real Estate -- A New Twist: Be the Bank, Not the Landlord, and Get Rich Without the Work!
I was a landlord for a decade, and I believe I probably lost a year of life for each year I tried to maintain 26 properties. I learned the hard way that the most efficient way to make money in investment real estate is to create a mortgage note and be the bank not the landlord.In other words, you ... more...

What You Should Avoid in the Months Before a Home Purchase
Buying a home is a big step and there are some definite no-nos to avoid so that your home buying experience isn't something that makes you want to jump off the nearest bridge. While many people assume we are talking about the 'shopping around and making an offer' period no-nos, we are actually ... more...

Uk House Price Increases Take A Summer Holiday
Property website Rightmove has released its latest house price index announcing a Summer sale for house buyers. The report shows that on average, house prices fell by 1% over the four weeks leading up to 9th July, indicating that the affordability gap between house prices and buyers ability to ... more...

Is an ARM Right For You?
Lets start by taking a look at 7 key elements of an adjustable rate mortgage:1) ARM defined: While a fixed rate loan is constant and never changes throughout the life of the loan, an adjustable rate mortgage changes periodically. The interest rate of an ARM goes up and down based on whatever ... more...