Buying a house after retirement can be a good or bad idea. Deciding if it's better to rent or buy a house after retirement requires careful planning. Q: I am a 66-year old single female. I currently rent a home for $875 per month (low for this area because I have been in this location [...]
A major cause of the housing crash in 2006 and 2007 was poorly documented mortgages that should not have been approved. Many of these mortgages ended in default and contributed to the four million foreclosures that cost families their homes and lowered home values by 50 percent or more in some communities. Mortgage lenders that [...]
If you want to perk up a real estate agent, just say, “Spring is here.” Spring is normally the busiest time of year for real estate agents and brokers, and this year looks to be more of the same. As February’s colder-than-average temperatures started to rise, the real estate market also began heating up. Sales [...]
Do you know the 1031 exchange requirements? It's up to you to know the requirements of a 1031 exchange and have a back-up plan. Q: During the process of completing a 1031 exchange, my mortgage broker told us the day before our 180 day limit for closing on our purchase that our lender didn't approve [...]
Thinking of buying a home this year? If so, the odds are good that you’re noticing a lot fewer homes listed for sale in your market than you may have seen in the past. Listed inventory on the massive Realtor.com site is about 16 percent lower than it was a year ago and about 38 [...]
Know who owns the mineral rights on your property when talking to gas and oil companies. When buying a new home, find out if you own the mineral rights. Q: How can it be legal for gas and oil companies to drill under my daughter’s property without her permission? In my mind, that is the [...]
Reserve funds for condos: what are the requirements? Mortgage lenders pay closer attention to reserve funds for condos as requirements have increased. Q: In trying to sell a condominium, the buyer was denied a loan due to the fact the condo/management association did not transfer 10 percent into the reserve fund. What are the requirements [...]
How to find an honest real estate agent. Ask about the agent's real estate commission. Ilyce Glink explains more on agent commissions in Today's Real Estate Minutes. Can you trust your real estate agent? A better question might be: Do you know how your agent is being paid? By law there is no standard real [...]
Should you use retirement funds to buy a house? Borrowing from a 401(k) to buy a house can be a bad move. More in today's Real Estate Minute. If you have to borrow money from your 401(k) or other retirement accounts to fund your down payment - don’t do it - it’s just not worth [...]
During your home closing keep a copy of mortgage lender's good faith estimate handy. For home closing tips, check out today's Real Estate Minute. Whether you’re buying or selling, you must keep a paper trail of the transaction, or you could get into big trouble. To keep your mortgage lender honest during your closing, keep [...]
