The U.S. real estate market took a big hit when the housing bubble burst in 2008, but August housing numbers indicate a slight upswing in home sales from a year ago. It’s been hard to stay optimistic for housing market predictions with tight credit markets and a summer full of natural disasters. However, we’re seeing [...]
If you’re getting a mortgage, you will first need to understand the term private mortgage insurance, also known as PMI. PMI, which nearly became extinct during the real estate boom years, is an insurance product created solely for the benefit of a lender, although the borrower usually pays it. It gives limited protection to a [...]
The Beginning of the End of the Foreclosure Era – Part Two: Seeing Improvement Did you read last month’s post on predicting the beginning of the end of the foreclosure era? Steve Cook discussed the three key factors that will determine the pace of change in the foreclosure market: 1) demand, which is largely a [...]
If you’ve been following along the past few days, I’ve been giving a primer course on 1031 exchanges. This common, but often misunderstood, tax code can help investors defer taxes from their real estate transactions. As more investors are profiting off of the foreclosures and short sales in the market, it’s never been a better [...]
A 1031 exchange is a common way for real estate investors to preserve the profits from their sales, but the complicated rules of Section 1031 of the IRS Code can confuse the most experienced of investors. As investors are again selling their properties at a profit, it may be time for a refresher course on [...]
Between 2002 and 2007, real estate investors and developers built tremendous wealth and preserved significant equity by using tax-deferred exchanges under Section 1031 of the IRS Code. Section 1031 exchanges became commonplace in most transactional real estate planning and resulted in exceptional tax-mitigation opportunities. During the past three years of economic downturn, however, exchanges were [...]
With or without the Tea Party, people have disliked and continue to dislike paying real estate taxes on their homes. The good news is that you can always try to get your property taxes reduced. There’s just one major problem you’ll have in fighting to have your property taxes lowered. Municipalities use a convoluted method [...]
Did you join real estate expert Ilyce Glink on the last Live Chat? If you missed out, here’s an excerpt with common questions about qualifying for a mortgage and paying your mortgage. Sign up for the next Live Chat on the Equifax Facebook page. Q: Is it possible to double mortgage payments without paying a [...]
As a real estate investor, you have the choice between either buying and holding your properties or turning around and selling them. If you’re going to buy and hold, it’s important to attract quality tenants who will care for your home as if it were truly their own. And finding great tenants means understanding the [...]
The Beginning of the End of the Foreclosure Era – Part One: Reading the Signs Steve Cook, Real Estate Economy Watch Since 2006, more than 6.5 million families have lost their homes to foreclosure, and today hundreds of thousands more are at risk of joining them. However, the glory days of the foreclosure era are numbered [...]
