The Perks of a Yard Sale - 06/27/10 03:39 AM
There is something about the change of seasons that makes people want to get organized. With the holidays in the not so distant future, it may be time to get rid of all the junk that has been accumulating in the guest room or make space in the garage. A yard sale can be a good way to get unwanted stuff out of the house and make a little money.

A yard sale or garage sale does require some work before, during and after, but having more space and some spending money makes it worth it. Several websites giving yard … (7 comments)

Jobs in the Mortgage Industry - 06/27/10 03:35 AM
Foreclosures and short sales dominate the real estate market in many U.S. cities; although, the numbers seem to be evening out in certain areas. It takes manpower to process the increased workload for the mortgage industry and many companies are hiring. Not only does the lending industry need people to handle the new workload, there are various levels of employment required to run companies in the mortgage industry.

It is impressive how many different types of businesses are involved in the mortgage trade. Several related venues include banking and finance, mortgage and lending, credit unions, escrow companies and real estate … (0 comments)

Newlyweds -- Merge Mortgage With Refi - 06/27/10 03:28 AM
Couples who decide to get married have many decisions ahead of them as to how they will live their lives after they are married. Merging finances is typically one of the first things worked out. If both own homes, that issue should fall at the top of the list. One decision might be to keep both homes - live in one and rent the other out, and then do a mortgage refinance on both. Another might to sell one, live in the other and do a mortgage refinance.

How to Determine Which House to Sell

There are several … (0 comments)

Mortgage Rates Drop to All Time Low - 06/27/10 03:20 AM
Rates have been relatively low over the last month. This week, they are in the news by falling to a new all time historical low.

The 30 year rate fell from 4.75 to 4.69 this week. Two weeks ago the 30 year rate was sitting at 4.72. What's interesting is that over the last month, when a lot of people have been talking about how rates are about to start rising, we are instead breaking records with mortgage rate lows. We mostly concentrate on the 30 year rate because it is the most widely used mortgage product. But in addition … (0 comments)

Community Reinvestment Act - Impact to Housing Loans - 06/06/10 05:04 AM
Many of those in the media feel that the Community Reinvestment Act (CRA) is the culprit for the recent real estate market bust. Politicians have even echoed this sentiment from the Congressional podium. What is the Community Reinvestment Act, though, and did it actually contribute to or cause the U.S. housing market demise?

First, it is good to understand the origination of the Act, the planned purpose of the Act and its intended benefits. The CRA followed three other enacted laws that addressed housing discrimination and equal opportunities for housing for all peoples; however, the CRA took it a step … (2 comments)

Bargain Markets for Homebuyers and Investors - 06/06/10 04:58 AM
Since 2007, foreclosures and short sales have littered the real estate market and drove down the price of property and home values. The upside to the down housing market is that homebuyers and investors can find sweet deals in some of the nation's most sought after cities.

If cities like Milwaukee, Memphis, Baltimore and the Big D interest you, then you'll find a honey of a home in any of these metro areas. Though the initial listing price may begin at what properties are currently valued, they are often reduced from 26 to 33 percent. The top ten U.S. … (1 comments)

A Day at the Ballpark - 06/06/10 04:44 AM
For some reason a beer and a hot dog just taste better at the ballpark. Arlington has the Texas Rangers and Houston has the Astros, but Austin has its own baseball team just up the road in Round Rock. The Round Rock Express may be a minor league team, but they've got big league appeal. To begin with, the team is owned by Major League Hall of Famer Nolan Ryan.

Ryan and Houston businessman Don Sanders bought the Double AA team in 2000 and made the Dell Diamond the new team's ballpark. With Ryan's son as president of the team, … (3 comments)

Mortgage Rates Near Record Lows - 06/06/10 04:31 AM
The 30 year rate fell from 4.84 to 4.78 this week. This is the 5th week in a row where rates have fallen. Rates are now flirting with the all time historic low of 4.71 reached in 2009. If it were not for 2 weeks in 2009 today's rates would be seeing a lot more headlines than they are currently getting. Suffice it to say that rates are very very low right now.

The 15 year dropped from 4.24 to 4.21. The 5 year arm rose from 3.91 to 3.97 while the 1 year arm fell from 4.00 to 3.95. … (2 comments)

 

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