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...

Mortgage Loan Closing Costs for Refinance Loans and Home Purchase
If you are going to obtain a mortgage loan, for whatever purpose (home purchase or refinance) you are going to pay closing costs...period. Let me clarify regarding a purchase of a home...the seller may pay some or even all the closing costs in a transaction, but it essentially works out to just ... more...

A Critical Guide to Home Loans: Your Options and How They Affect Your Future
Understanding Mortgage Loans-An Insiders GuideThere was a time in the not-so-distant past when financing the purchase of a home was relatively uncomplicated. You went to your local savings and loan and signed up for a 30-year, fixed-rate mortgage loan. Those days are gone, probably forever. Today, ... more...

Bad Credit Auto Loan Refinance - Bad Credit Auto Refinance Tips
Most people know that it is possible to refinance their homes but did you know it is also possible to refinance your auto? Indeed for many people who have high interest sub prime car loans, refinancing their auto loans may be a wise decision. How do you know when refinancing your bad credit auto ... more...

How to Buy a Home When Your in Your Twenties
A Singles Game of Real Estate (Getting started in your twenties)Due to the fact that most of us grow up in either a rented apartment or our parents single family home, it stands to reason that most people, when beginning to ask themselves the question of purchasing their own dwelling, will come to ... more...

How To Find Your Dream Home In Belize
Shopping for property in Belize is not as simple an undertaking as you might initially expect!Firstly, estate agents as we know them are non existent! Real estate brokers that do exist are likely to be unlicensed, unregulated and certainly not trained or insured.Secondly, the majority (and I mean ... more...

Mortgage Glossary - A Glossary of Mortgage Terms You Should Know
Acceleration Clause A clause in a mortgage defining that the entire outstanding balance can become due and payable should mortgage default occur. If the entire balance is not paid, the property will be foreclosed.Adjustable Rate Mortgage (ARM) Mortgage with interest rates that may be adjusted by ... more...

Sell Old Home or Buy New Home First?
Buyers who are moving up or downsizing often have a dilemma. They cant decide whether to put their home on the market first, or contract to buy their new home first.If they put their home on the market, it might sell and then they might find it impossible to find what they want. Alternatively, if ... more...

A Singles Game of Real Estate
This discussion leans toward answering questions asked most often by our youthful men and women in there early twenties. They often begin to ask themselves the question, Should I consider buying a home, condo/town-home or some other type of real estate that I can call my own? Due to the fact that ... more...