Are you refinancing with a lien on your property? If you also have title insurance issues, you need to resolve them before you can refinance. Q: Our home has a lien on it from the Georgia Department of Revenue. The Department of Revenue gave us the go ahead to refinance our loan or get a [...]
Now is the best time to refinance and lower your mortgage interest rates. Make sure your lender is giving you the best interest rates out there. Q: My current lender contacted me with an offer to lower the interest rate on my mortgage. I'm hesitant because the deal just looked too good to be true. [...]
When transferring home ownership, be aware of the tax implications that could cost you a lot of money. Q: My brother wants to transfer ownership of his home into my name and I need to know what the tax implications are for him and me if we do this. He received a settlement from his [...]
I purchased my first home a year ago, but since then interest rates have dropped and my credit has improved. Can I refinance already? Yes, in theory you can, but you have to figure out if you should. It depends largely on whether you have a prepayment penalty built into your mortgage contract, what you [...]
When thinking about how to protect your property from a lawsuit, you might want to consider setting up a trust. Q: I bought my house 20 years ago and today it is worth $300,000. I owe about $150,000 and have about 10 years left on a 15-year mortgage. The interest rate is 5.125 percent, and [...]
One of the most frequent real estate questions I get asked is about prepaying mortgages. There’s a lot of push and pull in the minds of many homeowners when it comes to deciding between prepaying their mortgages and investing that money elsewhere. Most of the time, prepaying your mortgage is a perfectly good and reasonable [...]
If you are on disability, you might qualify for the HAMP program. Also think about if you should downsize to a smaller home. Q: I think my mortgage holder is going to start a foreclosure on me again as they are not cashing my checks and have sent me numerous letters about the "HAMP" program [...]
During divorce the division of assets and property can take a long time. Find a divorce attorney to help divide your marital assets. Q: My husband and I have been married for over 15 years. Two years ago, we separated and later decided to give ourselves a second chance. Unfortunately, it has not gone so [...]
If you don't want to refinance your mortgage for free, you may have to accept a higher interest rate. Q: I listen to your radio show frequently and wondered if you can offer advice on refinancing my home. My current lender does not offer any refinancing options for me. I have a credit score in [...]
Personal finance resolutions for 2013 that will help you save money and get out of debt. Get your finances in order to buy a house. We’re not even half way through the first month of 2013, but already everyone seems tired of talking about their personal finances. The last seven years of financial chaos has [...]
