RESPA: The Real Estate Settlement Procedures Act
The Real Estate Settlement Procedures Act (RESPA) is a consumer protection statute, first passed in 1974. One of its purposes is to help consumers become better shoppers for settlement services. Another purpose is to eliminate kickbacks and referral fees that increase unnecessarily the costs of ... more...

Understanding Real Estate Terminology
Purchasing a home can be a complicated and confusing process, especially for first-time buyers. Throughout the process, first-time home buyers will encounter a variety of unfamiliar real state terms. There are several key terms associates with purchasing real estate that are helpful to learn.For ... more...

Home Buying Process - Pointers
Before you rush out to purchase a home, there a few tips that might help you get a great deal on the home of your dreams. First, before anything else, it would be in your best interests to talk with a lending company and receive a pre-qualification letter. This letter will let you know exactly what ... more...

Home Mortgage Refinancing Whats in Your Contract?
Are you one of the millions of Americans who will be refinancing their home mortgage loan this year? When you sign your contract and the other papers for your refinance, will you know what your signing?Your Contract: This one is simple, but I would guess very few people do it. READ THE ENTIRE ... more...

Real Estate Tip: Escrow Accounts -- Do You Really Need Them?
If you have a mortgage on your property, whether it's for your personal residence or a real estate investment, chances are you have an escrow account. But if you are working on building wealth through real estate, you may want to take a hard look at your escrow account (or accounts, if you own more ... more...

Hawaii Mortgage and Home Loan Trends
One of the latest trends in the mortgage industry in the Hawaiian islands involves pre-approving borrower loans. Prospective buyers will know what they can afford before shopping for a home. When you pre-approve, home sellers and real estate agents will know you are a serious buyer. Being approved ... more...

Escrow Accounts Are You Paying Too Much?
Money in escrow is "dead money". It doesnt earn interest for you and it doesnt reduce your mortgage interest payments. Therefore every cent in your escrow account is costing you money. Make sure there is no more tied up in escrow than there needs to be!Here is a brief summary of what lenders can ... more...

Mortgage Amortization Schedules
According to e-AmortizationSchedule.com mortgage amortization is the reimbursement of principal from scheduled mortgage payments that exceed the interest due. The scheduled payment paid by the borrower less the interest equaling amortization. The loan balance declines by the amount of the ... more...

Mortgage Loans
A mortgage is a device used to create a lien on real estate by contract. The mortgage is an instrument that the borrower (called the mortgagor) uses to pledge real property to the lender (called the mortgagee) as security for a debt, also called hypothecation. The mortgage, as a rule, consists of ... more...