Total Number of News: 6274
- 10/13/2008 - Real Estate News
New title insurer undercuts competitors
In the midst of the worst financial crisis since the 1930s, one that originated in and owes its severity to developments in the home mortgage market, it is nice to be able to report some good news about this market. The newly chartered EnTitle Insuranc... - 10/13/2008 - Real Estate News
Mortgage approval is no easy task
It wasn't too long ago that home buyers made offers without financing contingencies and closed the deal in as short as 14 days following acceptance. Quick closes are virtually impossible today if you're buying a home with the aid of a mortgage. And, it... - 10/13/2008 - Real Estate News
Timing the market: Refi or keep ARM loan?
DEAR BENNY: I have a hybrid mortgage that is fixed for the first five years at 4.25 percent, and is tied to U.S. Treasury securities. The loan document notes that the index value is 2.1 and the margin is 2.75. The first "change date" on the ... - 10/10/2008 - Real Estate News
Sellers wise to replace exterior door
Q: We are trying to replace a plain, solid-wood, paint-grade, 8-foot outside door on a home we are trying to sell. The old hinges are different from what's common today. I am not sure if this could be changed or not. Do you know what we should do? --Ji... - 10/10/2008 - Real Estate News
It takes a forest to build a house
Back in the not-so-Jolly Old England of the Middle Ages, where many American building traditions originated, no one knew anything about structural engineering. Instead, carpenters used common knowledge gleaned from trial and error and handed down over ... - 10/10/2008 - Real Estate News
Upside-down on mortgage: Now what?
Q: My husband and I live in a house that I own on my own. I paid $500,000 for the house in 2005. I took out a 100 percent loan with a 5-year fixed-rate first mortgage for $400,000 and an adjustable $100,000 home equity line of credit as the second loa... - 10/9/2008 - Real Estate News
Golf-course living has its drawbacks
Q: We rent a single-family home that's adjacent to a municipal golf course. Unfortunately, along with the views we get a daily barrage of golf balls. They fall in our yard, have dented our car and broken two windows, and I'm afraid to use the pool bef... - 10/9/2008 - Real Estate News
How stubborn tenants kill sales
Q: My rental home has been for sale for more than a year. During this time, I have given my tenant a rent discount for allowing me to show the home and for the fact that he will have to move on a 30-day notice when it sells. I have now sold the home... - 10/9/2008 - Real Estate News
Better off inheriting home through trust?
Q: My mother-in-law is 93 years old. In her will, she is leaving her home to her three sons. Her home is in need of major repairs, probably to the tune of $15,000. My husband and I are the geographically closest to her residence and will have the resp... - 10/9/2008 - Real Estate News
Buying, selling or refi? New laws will help
Q: It seems like every month the federal government passes a new housing bill that's supposed to help the real estate market crisis. I'm a homeowner, and nothing has gotten easier for me -- my mortgage payment is still about to adjust, the interest on ...