| 91. | Flood insurance: Get it before you're soaked
If you don’t know how prone your house is to flooding – and let’s face it, most of us don’t – now is the time to find out.It’s quick, easy and will help you decide whether to spend a few hundred dollars a year on flood insurance...
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| Article XML Feed | | - Wednesday, May 24, 2006 |
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| 92. | Can't sell it? Don't rent it until you know the pitfalls
Renting a house you can’t sell – or can’t sell for the price you want -- might sound like a good idea. But it’s not...
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| Article XML Feed | | - Friday, May 19, 2006 |
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| 93. | Surging inflation means you'll pay more for a mortgage
Could mortgage rates push past 7% by early summer?It hasn’t cost that much to finance a house in more than four years, but we are certainly headed in that direction....
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| Article XML Feed | | - Wednesday, May 17, 2006 |
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| 94. | Surging inflation means you'll pay more for a mortgage
Mortgage rates have been rising sharply since last June and we don’t expect them to level off anytime soon, especially after a Wednesday report showed consumer prices rising faster than expected.Inflation is what prompts the Federal Reserve Bank to boost interest rates for everything from mortgages and credit cards to auto and business loans, in an effort to slow spending and hold down prices...
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| Article XML Feed | | - Wednesday, May 17, 2006 |
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| 95. | Falling home prices: Don't be dejected
If you suspect homes in your neighborhood aren’t selling for as much as they were last summer, you are probably right.New data released Monday by the National Association of Realtors show the median sales price for an existing single-family home -- the price where half the homes sold for more and half the homes sold for less -- peaked at $227,600 towards the end of the summer...
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| Article XML Feed | | - Monday, May 15, 2006 |
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| 96. | Should I rent or buy?
Even if you have the money and the credit rating to purchase a home, it doesn't make sense to do so if you plan to sell it in a month or two. Nor does it make sense to rent a home for 10 years...
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| Article XML Feed | | - Monday, May 15, 2006 |
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| 97. | From fixer-upper to dream home with a 203(k)
If you can't afford to either buy or build the home of your dreams, you might be able to afford to buy a house that you can turn into your dream home. And you could probably do it with a Federal Housing Administration, or FHA 203(k) renovation loan -- a single loan that allows you to both buy the home and pay for the upgrades it will need...
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| Article XML Feed | | - Monday, May 08, 2006 |
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| 98. | Let your debts tell you how big a mortgage to get
While it is a good idea to be a well-informed house and mortgage shopper, in many cases what you know is not nearly as important as what you owe. Not only that, but when it comes time to get a mortgage, how much you owe can even be more important than how much you make...
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| Article XML Feed | | - Monday, May 01, 2006 |
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| 99. | Short-term mortgages build equity faster
No matter what type of fixed-rate mortgage you are looking at, the same principle applies: The longer you take to pay it back, the lower your monthly payment will be. But since you will make more monthly payments for a longer period of time, you will pay more interest over the life of the loan -- a lot more...
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| Article XML Feed | | - Monday, April 24, 2006 |
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| 100. | It's easier to shed a spouse than a mortgage
Many people think when their divorce decree is final their problems are over. But when it comes to the mortgage on the house that the two of you once shared, the problems could be just beginning...
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| Article XML Feed | | - Monday, April 17, 2006 |
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| 101. | No-cost mortgages can be costly
When you deal with mortgages, it always pays to double-check the math. Sometimes, however, you have to double-check the English as well, especially when lenders use the term “no-cost” loan...
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| Article XML Feed | | - Monday, April 10, 2006 |
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| 102. | Energy efficient mortgages help you buy and sell
The gas pumps are not the only places where energy prices are climbing. Look at what it costs to keep your home running...
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| Article XML Feed | | - Monday, April 03, 2006 |
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| 103. | Beware of too good to be true mortgage
With all the current speculation and uncertainty about exactly how high interest rates are heading, there's both good news and bad news about getting a mortgage.First, let's look at the bad news and get it over with...
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| Article XML Feed | | - Monday, March 27, 2006 |
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| 104. | Your FICO determines your mortgage rate
When you and I read mortgage papers, we look at the words. When lenders and others of their ilk do so, they look at the numbers...
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| Article XML Feed | | - Monday, March 20, 2006 |
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| 105. | Do you know how much your ARM can stretch?
When most people get an adjustable-rate mortgage, or ARM, their primary concerns are the interest rate and just how far their ARM will stretch before adjusting. If you are considering an ARM, you should also consider how fast and how far those rates could reach...
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| Article XML Feed | | - Monday, March 13, 2006 |
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| 106. | Shop for a mortgage before you shop for a home
You don't play in traffic, you don't jump out of an airplane without a parachute, and you don't shop for a home until you've made sure you have a good loan to pay for it. If you don't have your loan lined up first, you could face delays during the home-buying process and someone else could buy the home you want...
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| Article XML Feed | | - Monday, March 06, 2006 |
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| 107. | Your mortgage company really can help you avoid foreclosure
“You can run, but you can't hide!” sounds like a line from a cheesy movie. There is, however, a lot of truth to it when it comes to foreclosure...
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| Article XML Feed | | - Monday, February 27, 2006 |
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| 108. | Your FICO can help you score a better mortgage interest rate
One of the biggest problems dealing with FICO scores -- those all-important numbers that play such a major role in both your ability to get a mortgage and in the interest rate you'll pay for it -- is that some of what goes into them doesn't really seem to make sense. The key word is “seem...
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| Article XML Feed | | - Tuesday, February 21, 2006 |
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| 109. | VA mortgages offer zero-down financing for military personnel
One of the biggest stumbling blocks many people face while traveling the road from renter to homeowner is coming up with a down payment. That’s not a problem for qualifying veterans, or for men and women on active duty in the Army, Air Force, Navy, Marines, or Coast Guard...
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| Article XML Feed | | - Monday, February 13, 2006 |
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| 110. | Converting ARMs and HELOCs to fixed-rate mortgages gives borrowers security
A year or so ago, people were refinancing to get a lower interest rate. Today more and more people are refinancing to avoid getting stuck with a higher rate...
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| Article XML Feed | | - Friday, February 03, 2006 |
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| 111. | Tax advantages of mortgages and homeownership
It's getting close to tax time, and while most people know homeownership has tax benefits, some are unsure exactly what those advantages are. How do these tax benefits work? How much can they save you? And how are they calculated?Taxes are confusing enough, and the rules and regulations regarding homeownership and mortgages add another layer of complexity...
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| Article XML Feed | | - Monday, January 30, 2006 |
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| 112. | The mortgage you choose can save you money
By Stef DonevMany home buyers focus on the interest rate almost as much as they do on finding the home. Is the rate up? Should they wait to see if it goes down? Can they afford to wait?...
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| Article XML Feed | | - Monday, January 23, 2006 |
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| 113. | 2006 FHA loan limits jump almost 16 percent
If you have any doubt how much home prices increased in 2005, look at the 2006 mortgage loan limits from the Federal Housing Administration (FHA). Last year's housing appreciation pushed up the limits on this year's loan program by nearly 16 percent in the continental U.S.This means you can now get a FHA-backed loan for up to $362,790 in high-cost areas such as New York City, Los Angeles, Chicago and Seattle, and for up to $200,160 in what FHA refers to as "standard areas" in the rest of the country...
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| Article XML Feed | | - Monday, January 16, 2006 |
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| 114. | Pick the right mortgage to avoid winding up house poor
Owning a house is the American dream. For some people, however, it can become the American nightmare...
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| Article XML Feed | | - Tuesday, December 27, 2005 |
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| 115. | Capital Gains Taxes Can Take a Bite Out of Home Sale Profits
In today's housing market, with prices still strong in parts of the country, people continue to search for fixer-uppers to buy. There are two reasons to buy a house that's in less than perfect shape: Either to fix it up and move in, or to fix it up and sell it for as big a profit as possible...
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| Article XML Feed | | - Monday, December 19, 2005 |
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| 116. | 2006 Loan Limits Make It Cheaper To Get Not-Quite-Jumbo Mortgages
Depending upon the sort of home you want to buy and where, the new 2006 conventional loan limits might have absolutely no effect on your plans or finances. Or they just might make it possible for you to buy a house -- whether it's a West Coast starter home or a mid-Western move-up mansion -- without having to pay for a high-interest jumbo mortgage...
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| Article XML Feed | | - Monday, December 12, 2005 |
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| 117. | Deconstruction Construction…and a Mortgage to Pay for It
Some people find a house and can't wait to move into it. Others find one and can't wait to tear it down...
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| Article XML Feed | | - Tuesday, November 29, 2005 |
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| 118. | How to Avoid Seven Costly Mortgage Mistakes
Buying a home is probably the biggest financial decision any of us ever makes, especially if it's our first house. While you might focus on finding that perfect house, you also should spend time thinking about how you will pay for it...
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| Article XML Feed | | - Monday, November 21, 2005 |
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| 119. | Mortgages for Landlords Differ from Single-Family Home Loans
Getting a mortgage to buy a single-family home is a complicated process. Getting one to buy a duplex, triplex or four-plex is harder, even if you plan to live there yourself...
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| Article XML Feed | | - Tuesday, November 15, 2005 |
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| 120. | Mortgage Pre-Approval Counts; Pre-Qualified Doesn't
Few things are more embarrassing or frustrating than picking out something you want to buy, taking it to the cashier, and then discovering you don't have enough money-or credit-to pay for it. It's even worse when that “something” is a home...
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| Article XML Feed | | - Monday, November 07, 2005 |
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