General Real Estate: February 2009 Archives

Once per month, I link the best articles that are submitted containing information for the consumer. February's Consumer Focused Carnival of Real Estate is now live. My favorite article has to do with spot approval of property for FHA loans.

Newly Written Articles

Getting A Loan In A Paranoid Lending Environment talks about steps you can take to make it more likely your loan will be approved.

Investment Property and Loan Qualification talks about what it takes to qualify for a loan if you happen to have investment property.

Transaction Coordinator: For The Agent's Benefit, Not The Consumers. There's nothing really wrong with a transaction coordinator, as long as the agent doesn't use their existence as an excuse to vanish, and so long as they don't ask you to pay for the transaction coordinator in addition to the agent.

Updated Articles

Incorrect Legal Descriptions on a Trust Deed talks about the practical effects of making a mistake in the title description.

Deadlines in Real Estate Transactions are deadly serious, and extending them is never a slam dunk.

What is Loan Amortization? translates a five dollar word and some associated phrases into everyday english.

Missing a Deadline to Counter discusses how it gives the other side an advantage to delay responding to them.

Newly Written Articles

Be Careful Moving Your Down Payment Money talks about problems that can be generated when you don't have an adequate paper trail.

Jumbo Loans and The Current Market (January 2009) talks about why lenders want people with jumbo loans to pay points in the current market.

Consumer Focused Carnival of Real Estate is the once per month opportunity for people to submit their own articles.

Reasons Why You Want A Buyer's Agent discusses what having a buyer's agent let's you do and some of the downsides to not having one.

Military Housing Allowance and Loan Qualification discusses how the military housing allowance give people in the military a better chance to qualify for a home loan than if they got it all in cash.

Updated Articles

Lowballing Mortgage Quotes Versus "Junk Fees": Lots of people don't understand the difference between junk fees and legitimate expenses your mortgage provider hid from you at sign up.

When The Appraisal Is Below The Purchase Price for Real Estate discusses what the effects are and your options.

Straw Buyers and Their Liabilities talks about what you are letting yourself in for by deceiving a lender.

The Division of Labor Between Buyers and Their Agents talks about how to get some of the best use out of a buyer's agent.

Buying One Property While Selling Another talks about some of the choices involved.

Undisclosed Marriage or Domestic Partnership and Effects Upon Title : Several good reasons why you want to consider the legal arrangements for property title.

Money You Will Spend Before Your Real Estate Purchase Is Consummated Expect it, be ready for it. Real estate is a fantastic investment if you do it right, but doing it right is not what most people consider to be "cheap"

Why The Higher Rate Loan Is Often Better: Because the lower the rate, the more it costs in terms of upfront cost. Most people don't keep their loans long enough to get the extra money they spent back.

There's No Real Way to Take The Complexity Out of Real Estate Not unless you want to hang on to a paper stick and be known as The All Day Sucker