Monthly Archives: March 2009
First $2,400 Of Unemployment Benefits Will Be Tax Free In 2009
WASHINGTON — All or part of unemployment benefits received in 2009 will be tax free for many unemployed workers, according to the Internal Revenu…
For Sale By Owner Mistakes
Experienced “For Sale By Owner” sellers share some of their mistakes and tips for negotiating the best sale. They say it’s important to not take anything too personally. Even though it’s your house now, if you want to sell it, you need to be objective when showing the home and when negotiating the contract. Watch this Expert Real Estate Tips video for more For Sale By Owner mistakes and tips.
Partnership Agreement Ensures Estate Planning Wishes
When you’re buying a home with a partner but you’re not married you may be concerned about protecting each of your interests in the property. A partnership agreement drawn up by a knowledgeable estate planning attorney can help. The partnership agreement will spell out who gets what in terms of estate planning in case one partner dies before the other.
Mortgage Lender May Lower Interest Rate On Loan
In light of the credit crisis you may be wondering whether you can get your mortgage loan modified. One type of loan modification is having your mortgage loan interest rate lowered. To find out whether you qualify for this kind of mortgage loan modification you should contact your mortgage lender. Your mortgage lender will consider the incomes of everyone on the loan. If your spouse suffers bad financial luck and is not on the loan, it shouldn’t affect the mortgage lender’s decision.
How To Buy A Home For Less Than Listing Price
Since the collapse of the housing market many buyers have started to make low-ball offers when buying a home. How can you buy a home with an offer that’s less than listing price? You have to do your research — look closely at foreclosures, short sales and comparable properties before making an offer below listing price. And be ready for the sellers and their agent to give you a strong, likely negative, reaction.
Contract States What Appliances Come With Home Buying
When you’re buying a home you decide you want to include certain appliances in your home purchase. To ensure that you get the appliances you want they should be listed in your home buying contract. If the appliances, such as a pellet stove, aren’t listed in the contract, the seller may be able to remove them before giving you, the buyer, possession of the home.
Cash-Out Refinance Rare After Credit Crisis
It used to be easy to get a cash-out refinance, where you could refinance your home mortgage including the equity that you held in your property. Ever since the financial or credit crisis, it’s become more difficult to get a cash-out refinance. So if you want to make home improvements you may need to consider other ways to finance them, including special credit card offers.
Paying Extra Property Taxes Than Described At Closing
When you’re buying a home and attend the closing, you’ll be given a set of documents that state how much your monthly mortgage payment will be as well as your property taxes and other home expenses. What if the amount of property taxes due is higher than the amount of property taxes that was quoted to you at closing? The first thing you should do about your property taxes is to truly understand how much they are and who is responsible for them: you or the seller. After you’ve figured out how much in property taxes you owe, you can contact the mortgage lender to work out an amount, even if the property taxes you owe differs from what you saw at closing.
Mortgage Loan Activity Surges
Mortgage loan application volume surged 32 percent last week, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association. That means the number of applications fil…
New Home Sales Rise In February, Commerce Dept. Says
Sales of new single-family homes rose in February, up 4.7 percent from January, announced the Commerce Department today.
The increase is based on sal…
