On October 3, 2015, new Real Estate Settlement Procedures Act (RESPA) rules will come in effect, with great impact on many realtor activities. The United States’ Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) is aggressively enforcing RESPA and TILA (The Truth in Lending Act), … [Read more...]
Archives for August 2015
The Short Guide to Buying a Fixer-Upper
You don’t even have to be a fan of old homes. You needn’t even be on the lookout for buying residential real estate. The appeal of fixer upper homes has transcended such limited niches in the past few years. They owe their popularity to runaway reality TV shows like HGTV’s … [Read more...]
The Naked Truth about the Short Sale Process
Is the short sale process really more advantageous for the seller, or is foreclosing the safest route to take? What criteria should a homeowner meet, in order to qualify for a short sale? How do short sales really match up to foreclosures?—and, after all is said and done, … [Read more...]
How a Mortgage Credit Certificate Can Help First-Time Home Buyers
People who are looking into buying their first home have got their work cut out for them. It’s not easy to save for the down payment, research mortgages with good interest rates, and figure out what closing costs are. On the upside, first-time buyers can benefit from several … [Read more...]
Is It a Good Idea to Pay Mortgage with Credit Card?
You’ve got a mortgage and a credit card—join the club. That makes you very similar to roughly two thirds of the wage earning American population. Now, if you’re a member of that extended category, you’ve probably already asked yourself a common question: ‘can I pay my … [Read more...]
2015 Alternatives for the Federal First-Time Home Buyer Tax Credit Program
It’s not easy being a 1st time home buyer in these post-recession times; luckily, though, there are several grants, both at state and at federal level available for such buyers. There are also several state-funded tax credit programs for first time buyers. Today, we’re going … [Read more...]