Home Buying Content Index - Page 2

Taylor Bean & Whitaker Customers Still Waiting for Answers. Think Glink has reported for weeks now that former Taylor Bean & Whitaker customers would get answers after the Oct. 31 deadline, by which new loan servicers were to have sorted out who would take what Taylor Bean & Whitaker loans. While there has been some progress made, Taylor Bean & Whitaker customers are still waiting for many answers.

Property owners are finding creative ways to fill vacancies during the recession. Over 70 percent of property owners have experienced higher vacancy rates over the past year. Recent vacancies are primarily a result of job loss and tenants trying to save money on rent by moving to a cheaper unit or doubling-up with roommates. Property owners are modifying credit policies to fill units during the recession. Owners are also lowering rent, relaxing pet policies and offering unit upgrades. Read the full press release below from Rent.com.

Real Living and GMAC Real Estate hope to provide an even higher level of customer service. The real estate companies have announced a merger with plans to target a female audience and for an emphasis on customer service. Real Living and GMAC will rebrand under the Real Living name, with offices across the country. Real Living will focus on female customers, with a plans for an exceptional customer service experience. The Real Living, GMAC merger comes after Brookfield Residential Property Services acquired both GMAC and Real Living.

Ilyce Glink Show Notes - November 8, 2009. Big news week: $8,000 first time home buyer tax credit was expanded to include trade-up buyers, and extended until June 30, 2010; Unemployment numbers are out and awful: Nationally, unemployment rose to 10.2 percent, 17.5 percent if you include a broader measure of unemployment; Fannie Mae introduced its Deed For Lease program; Five more banks closed, bringing the total for the year to 120; the House passed health care reform. NEW EBOOKS ON INVESTING IN REAL ESTATE ARE AVAILABLE; Get your FREE books and Ebook deal.

**Jobs, Foreclosures, The Stock Market And More Thoughts About Our Wacky World.** If we don't have jobs, it's awfully hard to pay a mortgage. More foreclosures may be on the way, according to the one person who I knew correctly called the financial meltdown.

**$8000 First Time Home Buyer Tax Credit Extended and Expanded: Questions and Answers** **UPDATE: (11/9/09) The new $6,500 tax credit for trade up buyers is effective as of the day the bill was signed, November 6, 2009, according to Sen. Isakson's office.** With the extension and expansion of the $8000 first time home buyer tax credit, lots of our readers are happy. But some are rather angry. Some of the people that would have benefited from the expansion of the tax credit have purchased homes and won't get the benefit of the tax credit. Others want clarification to see if they will qualify for the "new and improved" home buyer tax credit.

**Low Appraisal Caused By Declining Home Values Results In Change To Loan Refinance Terms** If you apply to refinance your loan and get quoted terms, can you force the lender to abide by those terms? What if your property received a low appraisal? What if declining home values caused your home value to drop below what you owe on your current mortgage? And what if you decide not to go forward with the loan refinance, can you get your application money back?

**Unpaid Property Taxes Found One Year After Land Contract Signed** Land contract -- also known as installment contracts for deed -- are complicated documents. If you are not careful, you could end up in a mess. Some issues that can lead to problems in a land contract are title issues, including unpaid real estate and property taxes. But unpaid taxes could be the lesser of some of the title problems you can encounter using a land contract. This reader found unpaid property taxes from years earlier about a year after entering into the land contract.

Ilyce Glink Show Notes - November 1, 2009. How has the credit crisis and recession changed you and your spending habits? I want to hear from you. Free books and ebook deal. This week, our latest ebooks, on investing in real estate, will be released on ThinkGlink.com as will our podcasts from our How to Profit From Foreclosures event. Sign up for our free weekly newsletter to get the latest information, discounts and deals.

**Title Insurance May Solve Encroachment Issue** If you are buying a home and find out you may have a title problem, you should talk to the title insurance company to determine if the title problem can be insured over by the title insurance company. Many real estate properties have minor title insurance problems that are small enough that the title insurance company may be willing to give you peace of mind with coverage under the title insurance policy.