Archives for Real Estate - Page 2
The jumbo mortgage is back. Only low-risk borrowers need apply.
In March 2009, there were reports of lenders getting back into the jumbo loan business (this time for their own investment portfolios and not for bond traders on Wall Street):…
5 Ways To Get Your Security Deposit Back
It's summer in New York and it's that time of year when there are tons of moving vans, empty boxes and perfectly fine furniture taking up space on city streets.…
Is title insurance worth buying?
Ever been stuck at a cocktail party with a blowhard who's leaning in a little too close? Just launch into a monologue on the relative merits of title insurance and…
Is Now the Time to Refinance?
Mortgage rates continue rising at a much faster than expected pace, and that has put many homeowners into a quandary regarding whether or not to go through with refinance plans.…
You get what you measure
Didja' ever notice that how you measure something sometimes changes the outcome? In the 1980's CEO's compensation changed from a salary-and-bonus plan to being directly tied to the stock price,…
Evicted from the ownership society
In the Vanity Fair article about Fannie Mae's Last Stand, the slang term 'œhousers' was used to describe the Fannie people who believed that better housing is the cure to…
Why Gays Spend More Money on Home Repairs
A few weeks ago I wrote about a study that said gays and lesbians spend more money on home repairs. I was full of questions - you can thank my…
Summer 2009: The surf’s up, but not vacation home prices.
The summer of 2009 is shaping up to be an historical window of opportunity for buying fun and affordable vacation homes. Mortgage money is flowing again, interest rates on safe…
The Home Series: Buying a Home?
Part 3 of 3: Buying A Home? To close this series on housing I interviewed a woman named Ann Metzger. She is a practicing Real Estate Agent in southern California…
5 good reasons to rent your investment properties to Section 8 tenants
I bought my first rental property seven years ago. When I was unable to get it rented those first couple of months, I started to panic and then my property…