Right now, applying for a home equity loan or a home equity line of credit can be very difficult. If you qualify for a home equity loan or a home equity line of credit under the current strict guidelines, you'll want to compare mortgage rates offered by several lenders to find the best rates.
The one thing children look to their parents for is support - both emotional and financial. When parents die, children expect that if there is an estate, they will inherit at least the vast majority of it. Should all children expect to inherit their parents' estate equally?
A ThinkGlink.com reader weighs in on a story that Ilyce wrote two weeks ago (link to the original story is at the bottom of the page). Feel free to leave your comments about children inheriting their parents' estate.
How do you know if you're the victim of a real estate fraud, a housing scam or mortgage fraud? A reader listed his house for sale with an investor who was also a Realtor. The investor/Realtor transferred ownership of the homeowner's property to himself using a quit claim deed, but left the homeowner on the hook for the mortgage. Is he the victim of a housing scam or mortgage fraud?
The Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) extended Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac's ability to refinance loans to 125 percent of the home loan-to-value ratio of the property. Despite all the advice people get from lenders encouraging them to refinance, some borrower's still say their lenders are turning them down. These new rules are supposed to allow lenders greater ability to refinance loans under the plan.
What homeownership rights are lost when you lose your home in a sheriff sale? As a homeowner, you also own mineral rights, water rights, air rights, and in some cases riparian rights. Which of these homeowenrship rights will be lost?
The news from Wall Street and the federal government seems good and bad - but they're trying to get the word out that the recession is almost over. If you believe the recession is almost over, maybe you live on the moneyed streets of Wall Street, because there are plenty of folks on Main Street who are still feeling the effects of the recession and credit crisis. For thousands of homeowners, they have applied for loan modifications but can't get their lenders to focus on their applications.
Is there a way to solve the housing and credit crisis by renting foreclosed homes? A reader has several suggestions for making neighborhoods better by having ex-homeowners rent foreclosed homes. These homeowners are renting homes for $1,000 per month, money that could be used to stabilize neighborhoods that have a lot of foreclosed homes.
A 64 year old reader is hoping to retire and move to live closer to her children. She wants to move into an age-restricted community, where the home prices have gone down. But her house is also worth less. She wonders selling her house in a down market might also mean that it is a good time to buy a home? If she is buying and selling houses, can this be the right time to buy and sell?
I'll be filling in for WSB talk show host Clark Howard tomorrow from 1p to 4p ET on Newtalk 750 WSB. You can listen live to the show at the [wsbradio....
HUD announced a new loan modification program for FHA borrowers that will help FHA borrowers who are having trouble making their mortgage payments by creating a second interest-free loan for up to 30 percent of the loan amount. New monthly payments will be amortized on the remaining portion of the loan balance, which should lower monthly costs for homeowners. The second, interest-free loan does not have to be repaid until the primary loan is paid off.
