Understanding the Escrow (Closing) Process
1. What is an escrow?Escrow is defined as a process where parties deposit instructions and funds with a "disinterested" third party until conditions of the instructions are met. This applies whether the purchase is real estate or an expensive Ebay item. In a real estate escrow, a title insurance ... 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...

Selling by Owner Escrow or Closing Checklist
Home sellers should keep on top of their pending sale; especially when selling without the assistance of a real estate agent. Sometimes busy real estate agents forget to monitor all aspects of a pending sale.Heres a checklist for home sellers:Selling Escrow ChecklistProperty Address:Date escrow ... more...

Some of the Available Loan Types
There are many mortgage products available on the market today. We can help you find out which one is right for you. Here are the most common options.Fixed Rate Mortgages (FRMs)* Interest rates stay constant for the life of the loan.* Offered in 10, 15, 20, or 30 year terms.* Payments are made up ... more...

Home Owners In Trouble! The Real Estate Bubble, Rising Interest, and Variable Rate Loans Concern Fed
Hurricane Katrina, floods, earthquakes, rising fuel prices, shrinking pocketbooks, and now, concerns over variable interest rate loans, are discussions heard throughout the nation.With mounting concerns by the Fed over rising inflation, there is a serious push to increase the current rates of ... more...

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...

Sanity Check - Buying A Business
In the business broker community there is a review process that helps a buyer determine if a business purchase makes sense or not. This check can be done by a Fortune 500 company where everything is figured down to the penny and takes 1000 hours of research or it can be done by a small main street ... more...

Due Dilegence 101 Or What You Do Not Know Can Kill You! - Part 1
Introduction: This article is written as a general discussion on the subject of Due Diligence. It is for informational purposes and not intended to be a definitive guideline for your exact situation. You should consult the appropriate professionals with regard to your specific transaction or ... more...

How Much Mortgage Can You Afford?
Mortgage calculators are helpful when comparing mortgage loan offers. You can specify the total loan amount, term length, interest rate, property taxes, homeowner insurance and private mortgage insurance amount to determine how much your month payment will be. Term length is the duration of the ... more...