Don't Overpay for a House, Even in Today's Market
If there's one thing American investors love, it's an over-inflated market. Which is why they keep buying houses and new ones keep coming onto the market. According to the latest data, housing starts rose an annualized 3.4% in September, matching a 17-year high. Whoo-ha! Go, baby go.I wonder if ... more...

Why a Mortgage Professional Beats a Banker Every Time -- The Story Tells It All
The best way to explain why a mortgage professional is always better than a banker is to use an anecdote. My parents lived in the house I grew up in for 35 years, so it was finally time to move. They found a home they liked, made an offer, and signed a purchase agreement. After conferring with me ... more...

How to Decide on Upgrades to Make Before You Sell Your Home
Making decisions about improvements to your home is pretty simple if those improvements are meant to improve the quality of life for yourself and your family. You simply invest your money in those things that will mean the most to you. However, deciding which home improvements will be most ... more...

Real Estate Value
What is real estate value? It isn't what you have into your house. It isn't what you feel it is worth. It is what the market will pay. How do you figure out what the market will pay? For single family homes, the best way is by seeing what similar homes have sold for.Figuring replacement cost isn't ... more...

Are You Sure That Heirloom Oriental Rug From Your Aunt Hilda Is Really Insured?
Gone are the days of the cinder block and wood plank bookcases. You've come along way from that old reliable jut rug and CDs (or in some cases, actual vinyl albums) stored in milk crates. That's the way it is with first apartments, and sometimes second and third apartments too. It's what you ... more...

The Best Time to Inspect Your Home!
Home inspections conducted prior to a home being placed on the market is one of the wisest moves a seller can make. The initial response from sellers when approached with the idea of an inspection done as the home is about to be put up for sale is most always the same - "What?!"Let's review a few ... more...

Get Rich With Mobile Homes
Does the myth that mobile homes depreciate in value keep you from investing in them? Well, they do lose value in a park, on a rented lot. Mobile homes with real estate, however, are an entirely different investment.My mobile home doubled in value in the twelve years I lived in it. The home ... more...

Late Mortgage Payments Sabotage PMI Cancellation
There's something you should know about PMI!Private mortgage insurance is commonly referred to as PMI. If a buyer makes a down payment of less than 20% of a home's value the lender will insist that a premium for PMI be added to every monthly payment.Statistics prove that the more money a buyer has ... more...

Why Mobile Homes?
There are mobile homes for sale, for much less than stick-built houses, in most areas of the country. Despite persistent predjudice against them, and sometimes the people living in them, mobile homes are the cheap housing choice of millions. The advantages are not always obvious, but they are real ... more...