Nannies, Grannies, and the Ontario Fire Code: What Realtors Need to Know About Retrofit Section 9.8
In addition to granny, a granny flat can contain some dire pitfalls for a new owner and anyone involved in the sale of such a unit. Its one more thing for real estate professionals to be concerned about, because the consequences of having an apartment declared illegal or closed down can be ... more...

Home Buyer 10 Extra Costs Above the Sales Price
1)Mortgage Application, Brokers Fees, and Points These costs can amount to thousands of dollars some like the application fee are poc (paid outside of closing) $200 to $500 depending on the lender. Broker fees a percentage of the loan are sometimes waived or rolled into the mortgage. Points .5% to ... more...

Real Estate: Buyer's Agent, Seller's Agent & Dual Agent (defined and explained)
There is a relatively new and not always well understood practice in Real Estate sales; it is called Buyer Agency or Buyer's Agent. Until recently Realtors and agents usually represented the seller, in opposition to the buyer, during the real estate transaction. Even the real estate agent who drove ... more...

What's in My Credit Report?
Your credit report contains a list of every member creditor who has lent you money or provided you with credit in any way. It shows your charge accounts, automobile loans, bank and student loans, home mortgage, and any other credit-related transaction. It shows when the credit line was opened, the ... more...

Finding What is on Your Credit Report
A credit report is basically a file about you kept by lenders and banks. As annoying as it may be, it's still perfectly legal for them to gather all sorts of details about you. In turn, you have the right to check this file - and you should do so and inquire regularly about your credit report and ... more...

Home Equity Loans in Texas
A few notes of importance: This only applies to a homestead property, that is the customers primary residence LTV refers to Loan to Value, meaning the loan amount as compared to the value of the home. As an example, a loan of $75,000 on a home valued at $100,000 would be a loan at 75% LTV. These ... more...

Payday Loans The Legal Loan Sharking Industry
Laws have been created to protect people against "Loan Shark" practices in which short-term loans are given out at excessive interest rates. There is an industry that has come of age the last couple of years that has circumvented these laws. Enter the Payday loan industry.Payday loans is a ... more...

Sell Your Home Without a Realtor and Save Thousand$$$
A typical real estate commission on a $234,000 home (national median price for all existing homes as of July 2005) is over $16,000. In many areas the cut a real estate broker gets is much higher. A home owner can easily save that money by selling on their own. All that is needed is a basic ... 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...