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...

Home Mortgage and Financing Terms
Every business has it's jargon and residential real estate is no exception. Mark Nash author of 1001 Tips for Buying and Selling a Home shares commonly used mortgage and financing terms with home buyers and sellers.-Adjustable rate mortgage (ARM): A type of mortgage loan whose interest rate is tied ... 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...

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 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...

Mortgage Broker Marketing: Can You Tell The Difference
If you ask a real estate agent, Whats the difference between mortgage brokers? youll consistently hear the same response, Nothing, or Theyre all the same. Yet, when you look closely, there are lots of differences between them.There are mortgage brokers who get 98% of their loans closed on time, and ... more...

Class Action Lawsuits and Unethical Settlements
AN INVITATION FOR CLASS ACTION ATTORNEYS TO ENGAGE IN UNPROFESSIONAL CONDUCT Copyright 2004 by Michael A. S. Guth. All Rights Reserved. No portion of this article, including this web page, may be copied, retransmitted, reposted, or duplicated in significant portion without the express written ... more...

Mortgage Refinancing - 7 Important Things To Keep In Mind
In today's world, it seems that almost any topic is open for debate. While I was gathering facts for this article, I was quite surprised to find some of the issues I thought were settled are actually still being openly discussed.Mortgage refinancing loans experience a boom whenever rates are low. A ... more...

Refinance Mortgage - The Most Effective Option For Consolidating Bills
Have you ever wondered what exactly is the benefit with refinancing your mortgage? This informative article can give you an insight into everything you've ever wanted to know about refinance mortgage and how you too can consolidate your monthly bills.There are several reasons why a refinance ... more...