For Buyers
Field Guide to Property Tax Appeals
You just received your property taxes and it has gone up. What can you do? Although each individual assessing body has a different method of filing property tax appeals, find out general information about this topic
Code of Ethics
Code Of Ethics
Field Guide to Buying vs. Renting
In today’s market, is it better to Buy or Rent? The information listed here will assist you in helping answer this question. Included are statistics and studies on homeowners and renters as well as financing options and tips
Making Home Affordable Program
On February 18, 2009, President Obama announced his Making Home Affordable Program, designed to help up to 7-9 million families avoid foreclosure by restructuring or refinancing their mortgages. In doing so, the plan not only helps responsible homeowners behind on their payments or at risk of defaulting, but prevents neighborhoods and communities from being pulled over the edge too, as defaults and foreclosures contribute to falling home values, failing local businesses, and lost jobs
10 Steps to Home Ownership
10 Steps to Home Ownership
2009 Homebuyer Tax Credit
The bill provides for a $8,000 tax credit that would be available to first-time home buyers for the purchase of a principal residence on or after January 1, 2009 and before December 1, 2009. The credit does not require repayment. Most of the mechanics of the credit will be the same as under the 2008 rules: the credit will be claimed on a tax return to reduce the purchaser’s income tax liability. If any credit amount remains unused, then the unused amount will be refunded as a check to the purchaser
Looking for the Best Mortgage
Shopping around for a home loan or mortgage will help you to get the best financing deal. A mortgage–whether it’s a home purchase, a refinancing, or a home equity loan–is a product, just like a car, so the price and terms may be negotiable. You’ll want to compare all the costs involved in obtaining a mortgage. Shopping, comparing, and negotiating may save you thousands of dollars.
Bankruptcy filings surge despite laws to curb them
Last month, 130,831 sought bankruptcy protection — an increase of 46 percent over March 2008 and 81 percent over the same month in 2007.
How to do a short sale
There are many ways to lose a home but signing away ownership in a manner that destroys credit, embarrasses the family and strips an owner of dignity is one of the hardest. For owners who can no longer afford to keep mortgage payments current, there are alternatives to bankruptcy or foreclosure proceedings. One of those options is called a “short sale.”
More than half of my sales in Sacramento over the past few years are short sales. That’s how prominent
Guide to short sales
What is a short sale? A short sale is a sales transaction in which the seller’s mortgage lender agrees to accept a payoff of less than the balance due on the loan. This page offers information about the basics of short sales and advice for the real estate professional
