Home Buying Tips

• How to protect yourself in a real estate transaction
  It's no wonder that buying or selling a home ranks high on the list of the most stress-provoking events one can experience, up there with the death of a loved one and divorce. There's a lot at stake financially when you buy or sell a home. A good or bad outcome can affect your net worth, as well as your sense well being. Continue article...
• Try selling home without agent
  About 85 percent of home sellers use real estate agents to list and sell their houses. Continue article...
• Property Lines Not Always As They Appear
  Fences do not always follow the boundaries of the property. This will only be the case if the seller had the property surveyed and had the fences built on the property line. Often, sellers do not go to the expense of having surveys performed when they put in fences. The fences end up where the owners think the property lines end. Sellers may replace old fences that were built by previous owners who may not have known the location of property lines. Continue article...
• What are the benefits of piggyback financing?
  When a buyer puts 10 percent or less cash down, most lenders require mortgage insurance, known as PMI, which is paid for by the buyer. The cost of PMI is about 1/2 percent of the loan amount annually. So, on a $250,000 mortgage, PMI will run about $1,250 per year. Continue article...
• How To Plan Custom Home and Cut The Cost
  Last spring I participated in an "Ask the Experts" panel in Sarasota, Fla. Afterwards, a woman in the audience asked me to review her plans for a new beach house overlooking the Gulf of Mexico. Continue article...
• What is the Alternative to a Lock-In?
  The alternative to locking in an interest rate is to let it float. Continue article...