Home Buying Tips

• Try selling home without agent
  About 85 percent of home sellers use real estate agents to list and sell their houses. Continue article...
• Determining Your Offer Price
  When you prepare an offer to purchase a home, you already know the seller’s asking price. But what price are you going to offer and how do you come up with that figure? Continue article...
• Big Mistakes Every Homeowner Should Avoid
  In 1996, Zarmina Azadozy purchased her property at a mortgage lender's foreclosure sale. But she failed to record her deed. Continue article...
• Unhappy customers can do more than write to HUD
  The great majority of loans today are serviced by firms that don't own them. The servicer is paid by, and is beholden to the owner of the mortgage. Borrowers have no say in who services their loan, and if they get poor service, about all they can do is write a letter of complaint to the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). Therefore, it is hardly surprising that servicing does not generally meet the needs of borrowers. 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...
• Shopping For a Good Home Deal
  Everyone wants a good deal. But, good deals are few and far between in the many low-inventory markets around the country. Continue article...