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    <title>Blaine's Distressed Foreclosure Homes Blog</title>
    <link>http://activerain.com/blogs/blaineshome</link>
    <description>Baltimore HUD Homes, VA, and bank foreclosures listings, first time home buyers free reports, mls listings.</description>
    <language>en-us</language>
    <item>
      <guid>http://activerain.com/blogsview/169442/getting-geared-up-for-a-baltimore-veterans-home-mortgage</guid>
      <title>Getting Geared Up for a Baltimore Veterans Home Mortgage</title>
      <description>  &lt;p class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;The most crucial subject matter to figure out is that the VA Loan Approval procedure is 100% dependant on documents. &amp;nbsp;Make sure your Veterans Home Mortgage is worry free; by getting all your necessary documents in advance to you preliminary loan pre approval.&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;h4&gt;VA Eligibility &lt;/h4&gt;  &lt;p class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;DD214 &lt;/p&gt;  &lt;h4&gt;Employment &lt;/h4&gt;  &lt;p class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;Current two years of tax returns with all schedules &lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;Two years W-2&amp;#39;s, 1099&amp;#39;s &lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;Latest pay stubs containing one month phase. &lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;Self-Employed will necessitate Three years Tax Returns and YTD Profit &amp;amp; Loss Statement &lt;/p&gt;  &lt;h4&gt;Savings&lt;/h4&gt;  &lt;p class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;Three months complete bank statements for any and all accounts with all pages &lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;Statement from retirement, 401k, mutual funds, money market, stocks&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;h4&gt;Credit&lt;/h4&gt;  &lt;p class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;Statements from your bills, demonstrating minimum payments and account numbers &lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;Name, Address, and Phone number of your property-owner, or 12 months cancelled rent checks &lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;Lack no credit. Copies of 12 months your utility bills will be needed. &lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;The entire Bankruptcy and Discharge Papers. &lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;You co-signed for a mortgage, car, credit card, etc, need 12 months cancelled checks; front and rear, indicating you are not making payments.&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;h4&gt;Personal&lt;/h4&gt;  &lt;p class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;Drivers License &lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;Social Security Card &lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;Complete Divorce, Palimony, Alimony Papers &lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;Green Card or Work Permit &lt;/p&gt;  &lt;h4&gt;If a Refinance or you own Rental Property&lt;/h4&gt;  &lt;p class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;Note &amp;amp; Deed from current loan &lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;Property Tax Bill &lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;Hazard (homeowners) Insurance Policy &lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;Payment Coupon for current Mortgage &lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;If property is a rental, need Rental Agreements&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;Find additional information &lt;a href=&quot;http://baltimorehudhomes.com&quot; title=&quot;Baltimore HUD homes&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Baltimore HUD Homes&lt;/a&gt; or &lt;a href=&quot;http://baltimorehudhomes.com/va/index.html&quot; title=&quot;VA Home Loans&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;VA Home Loans&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;  </description>
      <dc:creator>Blaine Newcomb (Remax Suburban West)</dc:creator>
      <pubDate>Thu, 09 Aug 2007 13:31:29 -0500</pubDate>
      <link>http://activerain.com/blogsview/169442/getting-geared-up-for-a-baltimore-veterans-home-mortgage</link>
    </item>
    <item>
      <guid>http://activerain.com/blogsview/157718/foreclosures-in-baltimore-and-the-american-dream</guid>
      <title>Foreclosures in Baltimore and the American Dream</title>
      <description>  &lt;p&gt;Presently &lt;strong&gt;is&lt;/strong&gt; a mounting rate of Foreclosures scattering across the United States, a lot of homeowners have been exaggerated by the subprime lending domino effect, others by greedy lending practices, a quantity of homeowners have been affected by being without a job and many just cannot keep up with yearly price increases.&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p&gt;Doesn&amp;#39;t matter what the case may be the foreclosure disaster will have an effect on more than 2 million Americans by the end of the year. This calamity leads to many other tribulations such as imperfect credit history that may affect them up to 5 years after foreclosure.&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p&gt;The American Dream has constantly included homeownership, and quite honestly the breathtaking effects of foreclosure are sad. Homeowners have a lot of alternatives that they can take to nevertheless most just take what they may feel is the foreseeable, acknowledge the foreclosure and tarnished credit.&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p&gt;Mortgage companies would much to a certain extent work with the homeowner, a good number are willing to except a short sale instead than letting the home go to auction. The trouble is homeowners simply do not know what to do. Allowing their home go into foreclosure or filing bankruptcy should be the homeowners&amp;rsquo; final alternative.&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p&gt;Presently there s a call for qualified professionals that can help homeowners bail out from foreclosure. The business of qualified Foreclosure specialist is not there, folks that are knowledgeable at helping these homeowners just cannot help them all. The request is tremendous the supply is low.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://baltimorehudhomes.com&quot; title=&quot;Baltimore HUD Homes&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Baltimore HUD Homes&amp;nbsp;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;  </description>
      <dc:creator>Blaine Newcomb (Remax Suburban West)</dc:creator>
      <pubDate>Fri, 27 Jul 2007 07:39:01 -0500</pubDate>
      <link>http://activerain.com/blogsview/157718/foreclosures-in-baltimore-and-the-american-dream</link>
    </item>
    <item>
      <guid>http://activerain.com/blogsview/156904/-google-blaine-newcomb-for-baltimore-hud-home-web-marketing-to-buy-your-home-</guid>
      <title>&quot;Google Blaine Newcomb&quot; For Baltimore HUD Home Web Marketing to BUY YOUR HOME!</title>
      <description>  &lt;p class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;I was having a conversation with a prospective buyer last week, and I had an inspiration. I am&lt;strong&gt; constantly speculating just what position me apart from other HUD distressed home selling agents.&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;What makes the buyers pick one agent from another?&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;strong&gt;What sells my &lt;a href=&quot;http://hud.us.com&quot; title=&quot;HUD&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;HUD&lt;/a&gt;, VA and bank distressed home experiences these days is total Internet existence.&lt;/strong&gt; I&amp;#39;m not referring to the local news paper or the MLS. That&amp;#39;s yesterday&amp;rsquo;s media, but now I can tell clients that I spend hours and hours researching how to find new foreclosure property on the Internet. Before is a foreclosure it can be a short sale.&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;I now tell them&lt;strong&gt;&lt;em&gt; &amp;ldquo;Google Blaine Newcomb&amp;quot;!&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/strong&gt; &amp;nbsp;Or Google &lt;a href=&quot;http://baltimorehudhomes.com&quot; title=&quot;Baltimore HUD homes&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Baltimore HUD homes&lt;/a&gt; I know that when they do they will see me on over 3 solid pages or more. &lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;Next, they can Google whatever agent they were thinking about using. Need I say more? &lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Today it&amp;#39;s all about the Internet.&lt;/strong&gt; &lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;Make certain you aren&amp;#39;t frittering away any time in marketing the wrong foreclosure property. &lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Google for the best HUD home selling agent!!!&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;  </description>
      <dc:creator>Blaine Newcomb (Remax Suburban West)</dc:creator>
      <pubDate>Thu, 26 Jul 2007 10:15:25 -0500</pubDate>
      <link>http://activerain.com/blogsview/156904/-google-blaine-newcomb-for-baltimore-hud-home-web-marketing-to-buy-your-home-</link>
    </item>
    <item>
      <guid>http://activerain.com/blogsview/125015/vanessa-fox-joining-zillow</guid>
      <title>Vanessa Fox Joining Zillow</title>
      <description>  &lt;p class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;Google Webmaster Central merchandise manager Vanessa Fox is moving to a new position -- leaping over to become product team lead at real estate start-up Zillow. She&amp;#39;ll be managing the improvement of new ad, feed and email products at Zillow.&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;It makes you speculate what Zillow is cooking up for the future with having their aim set on Google engineers. &amp;nbsp;I&amp;#39;ve friends that work at Google and I have been told that is the best place to work; I am speculating what the heck Zillow is doing for her and what their working surroundings are like.&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Vanessa talks about the move more on her blog,  &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.vanessafoxnude.com/2007/06/14/a-few-changes/&quot;&gt;saying&lt;/a&gt;:&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;blockquote&gt;   &lt;p&gt;For the last two years, I have had a fantastic time helping to build Google    Webmaster Central. I have loved working with the (ever-expanding!) team,    writing about search on the blog and for the help center, and designing    features for the webmaster community. And speaking of the webmaster community,    I have been lucky enough to have been able to meet them, get to know their    challenges, and well, then there&amp;rsquo;s the drinking. There may have been a little    of that too. Search is a fascinating industry and I am thrilled to have had    the opportunity to create such exciting things in the space. &lt;/p&gt;   &lt;p&gt;Now I have an all-new opportunity to work on the unique challenges of the    vertical and local search space at Zillow. I&amp;rsquo;m moving on from webmaster    central knowing that there&amp;rsquo;s a great team who care as much about this audience    as I do and they&amp;rsquo;ve got exciting plans in store for the coming year. I&amp;rsquo;ll    really miss working with my team, but I&amp;rsquo;m happy they&amp;rsquo;ve been getting out and    meeting more of you and I know they&amp;rsquo;ve had a great time drinking with you too.    I mean talking. Did I say drinking?&lt;/p&gt; &lt;/blockquote&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;What do you think?&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Blaine Newcomb at Baltimore HUD Homes&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;</description>
      <dc:creator>Blaine Newcomb (Remax Suburban West)</dc:creator>
      <pubDate>Sat, 16 Jun 2007 12:19:04 -0500</pubDate>
      <link>http://activerain.com/blogsview/125015/vanessa-fox-joining-zillow</link>
    </item>
    <item>
      <guid>http://activerain.com/blogsview/109079/baltimore-first-time-home-buyer-stories</guid>
      <title>Baltimore First Time Home Buyer Stories</title>
      <description>Tammy and I were brainstorming during a long flight from Australia about real estate articles we wanted for our new site.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Our intention is for this &lt;a href=&quot;http://baltimorehudhomes.com/first_time_home_buyer_free_reports.php&quot; title=&quot;Baltimore First Time Home Buyer Stories&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;&lt;img title=&quot;Baltimore First Time Home Buyer Stories &quot; src=&quot;http://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/5/9/5/2/8/ar118031470682595.jpg&quot; height=&quot;111&quot; align=&quot;left&quot; alt=&quot;Baltimore First Time Home Buyer Stories &quot; width=&quot;125&quot; /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;is for a new online magazine site to break all records of any other Baltimore real estate article website to date for Search engine optimization (SEO) and for stimulating renters to action that alter their life from top to bottom!&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;REALTORS are zealous about this subject matter. So are we! And we would like your story! You do not have to be first-rate at writing to narrate your article. As soon as you get in touch with your heart, it will unfold easily. You can furthermore write down your story, draw from a story you have previously published or in some cases, we can talk and have it put in writing.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Guidelines for a Winning  &lt;a href=&quot;http://baltimorehudhomes.com/first_time_home_buyer_free_reports.php&quot; title=&quot;Baltimore First Time Home Buyer&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Baltimore First Time Home Buyer&lt;/a&gt; Stories&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;A first time home buyer story is a motivating, true story on the subject of everyday folks doing amazing things. It is a chronicle that unlocks the heart and repairs the spirit. It is a straightforward, story that touches the souls of the first time home buyer furthermore lends a hand to them discovering basic knowledge they can use in their search for their dream home. They are special and time and again overflowing with passion and excitement. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;They are packed with dramatic images formed by means of the five senses. In some articles, the visitors to a website experience so as to they are truly in the location with the first time home buyers.&lt;br /&gt;All stories should have an opening, focal point in addition to a conclusion that over and over again closes with a thump, generating feeling preferably than merely talking in relation to buying a house. &lt;img title=&quot;HUD Buyers&quot; src=&quot;http://activerain.com/image_store/uploads/8/2/9/8/1/ar118031482418928.png&quot; height=&quot;75&quot; align=&quot;right&quot; alt=&quot;HUD Buyers&quot; width=&quot;100&quot; /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Top rated articles contain compassion, nevertheless amazingly in addition a bonus building block that makes other renters feel more encouraged, more connected, more grateful, more eager and changed for the better about buying a home. Do you have a great story about your home buying experiences that causes you tears, laughter, fear or any combination of these? &lt;br /&gt;A good number of impressive articles are about real estate agents extending themselves, or accomplish additional services or have the courage to help first time home buyers.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Article Specifications&lt;br /&gt;It is preferred that all submissions be sent via  &lt;a href=&quot;http://baltimorehudhomes.com/&quot;&gt;http://baltimorehudhomes.com&lt;/a&gt; &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;</description>
      <dc:creator>Blaine Newcomb (Remax Suburban West)</dc:creator>
      <pubDate>Sun, 27 May 2007 20:14:26 -0500</pubDate>
      <link>http://activerain.com/blogsview/109079/baltimore-first-time-home-buyer-stories</link>
    </item>
    <item>
      <guid>http://activerain.com/blogsview/74987/reach-equifax-executive</guid>
      <title>Reach Equifax Executive</title>
      <description>I was not able to to solve my &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.equifax.com/&quot; class=&quot;tagautolink&quot; title=&quot;Posts tagged as equifax&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Equifax&lt;/a&gt; &lt;a href=&quot;http://baltimorehudhomes.com/fha/fha-credit-issues.html&quot; title=&quot;credit issues&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;credit report errors&lt;/a&gt; through witting letters, I escalate my issue to their executive &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.equifax.com/&quot; class=&quot;tagautolink&quot; title=&quot; customer service&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;customer service&lt;/a&gt; team. Here&amp;#39;s the info:  &lt;p&gt;Dinah Watson &lt;br /&gt; Dinah.Watson@equifax.com&lt;br /&gt; ph: (404) 885-8122&lt;br /&gt; fx: (404) 885-8083&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;</description>
      <dc:creator>Blaine Newcomb (Remax Suburban West)</dc:creator>
      <pubDate>Thu, 12 Apr 2007 21:23:38 -0500</pubDate>
      <link>http://activerain.com/blogsview/74987/reach-equifax-executive</link>
    </item>
    <item>
      <guid>http://activerain.com/blogsview/71495/hud-homes-in-maryland</guid>
      <title>HUD homes in Maryland</title>
      <description>In the state of Maryland neighborhoods, the up-to-the-minute HUD home listings become available on the world wide web late Thursday night or Friday morning. The hottest HUD Daily foreclosures listings; Maryland HUD property already sold which fell out of escrow, get re listed on the&amp;nbsp; world wide web Saturday morning. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Annapolis Maryland HUD homes not sold during the offer time stay listed as daily listings, until the HUD foreclosures are sold.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;All contracts are due to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development selling agent by the following Tuesday, all contracts have to be submitted by an Realtor who has fulfilled the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development registration. Don&amp;#39;t spend your time using a Real estate broker who is not accustomed with selling HUD houses. Any boo-boo will make the bids to be denied.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Don&amp;#39;t use a Broker who says you have to go way over minimum asking price. Locate an Real estate broker specializing in HUD repossessions who will work on your stipulations. Various HUD foreclosures deals do sell for far more than the minimum going asking price. You can wait for your dream Annapolis Maryland distress HUD home that doesn&amp;#39;t sell for more than the asking price. It is a numbers game so you can submit many bids on different&amp;nbsp; HUD Foreclosures until you win. Rely on your gut instinct&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Don&amp;#39;t let your Real Estate agent openly influence you. It is not a hard complicated process for your Broker to make an electronic bid up on the&amp;nbsp; web. You need a Real estate agent keen to making many bids on the world wide web to get a successful offering. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development only allows one HUD distress homes purchase for an owner-occupant every two years from the date of closing. But when a HUD foreclosures gets listed as a Daily listing is open to all buyers; any one can buy the home and purchase as many distress homes as an investor.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;This is like winning a lottery, with the odds in your favor. Your offering must have a lenders pre-qualification letter. Bank or lenders unfamiliar with &lt;a href=&quot;http://hud.us.com&quot; title=&quot;HUD Homes&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;HUD homes&lt;/a&gt; essentials furthermore waste your time. Any error causes you to lose the HUD property. Not every Bank or lender understand HUD deals, and purchase process.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;If you are short on money for the lenders points fees when placing a HUD foreclosures offer, raise your offering to get help with your closing fees. This means you get the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development to pay your winding up charges in addition to save out-of-pocket expenses. Moreover, the higher sales price impacts the market compared sales in your favor for sale later. Your purchase price influences the values of the market area. Keeping prices higher for energetic sales during your renovation time protects your investment potential.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Don&amp;#39;t get your hopes set to one precise Maryland Annapolis HUD distress homes. We placed a offer on a HUD foreclosure I loved the home in Annapolis Maryland and lost it by a couple of hundred dollars. The home returned back on the list later, not in the slightest degree uncommon for HUD repossessions However, by this time, we had purchased a better Annapolis HUD foreclosure.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;</description>
      <dc:creator>Blaine Newcomb (Remax Suburban West)</dc:creator>
      <pubDate>Sat, 07 Apr 2007 12:09:18 -0500</pubDate>
      <link>http://activerain.com/blogsview/71495/hud-homes-in-maryland</link>
    </item>
    <item>
      <guid>http://activerain.com/blogsview/67963/tips-for-baltimore-city-baltimore-county-first-time-home-buyer</guid>
      <title>Tips for Baltimore City, Baltimore County First Time Home Buyer</title>
      <description>  &lt;p class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Buying your &lt;a href=&quot;http://baltimorehudhomes.com/first-time-home-buyer.php&quot; title=&quot;First Baltimore house home&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;first Baltimore City County house&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/strong&gt; (home) is a gigantic step that comes with a quantity of important choices. While you rent, rather than buying, you are simply making your landlord wealthier. Purchasing a home today is so straightforward there is no motive to wait, particularly since home prices have come down. Nevertheless, hurry! They are starting to rise due to buyers rushing to get into the market at the lowest prices. Financing is also good, so the time is now. Here are a number of guidelines to get you ongoing.&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Before you start, ask yourself . . .&lt;/strong&gt; &lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;Will you reside in the Baltimore City County house for a minimum 3 years? If your respond is yes, then buy now. You can break even selling after 2 years the way that homes value go up in this neighborhood, so moving anytime after 2 years is cost-effective for you. Bearing in mind the tax advantages, you will more than break even; and, you can write off real estate taxes and the mortgage interest. Rental fees are commonly the same as your mortgage payment, so it really doesn&amp;rsquo;t cost you.&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;No Down Payment!&lt;/strong&gt; &lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;Are you familiar with&amp;hellip;. Buy a Baltimore City County homes with no money down? Finance companies are still enthusiastic to loan you money if you have good credit and your salary justifies the loan payment. Don&amp;rsquo;t accept as true if you are told you need a large down payment to buy a home . . . that is yesterday&amp;rsquo;s philosophy.&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Get Pre-Approval&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;This is an effortless process. Just call a mortgage company and discuss your situation. You can call your present bank or credit union. Ask your friends or family for a personal recommendation. Use an important person with a good reputation. Consult with lenders over the net or telephone, so interview a couple to find the right one for you. Above and beyond asking the current rate, ask about lender fees and closing costs. As soon as you select your lender, get together with them personally and obtain a pre-approval letter that spells out what you can spend, interest rate and closing cost. You will present this letter with any offers you make on a home.&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Consult a REALTOR&lt;/strong&gt; &lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;The most vital person in this Baltimore City County deal is the Realtor that you use. Be careful on how to decide your Realtor. Search on the web to find some real estate agents to call. Do not settle the first one real estate agent that comes into contact with you. Speak to a few REALTORS and get together in person with a couple of agents before you look at houses. Make certain your Baltimore City County real estate agent sold at least 40 homes in the last year. Anything less than that means you are working with an inexperienced agent or one that is new to real estate and will mot best serve you. This agent represents you, so the agent you choose needs to a buyer&amp;rsquo;s agent that know the neighborhoods, have a lot of knowledge in negotiating, and be faithful to locating the best home and neighborhood that will meet your desires.&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;Put together a list of Must Haves &amp;amp; Wants It&amp;rsquo;s very imperative your Realtor be familiar with your criteria in order to come across homes that meet your wishes. You can go to &lt;a href=&quot;http://baltimorehudhomes.com&quot; title=&quot;Baltimore HUD Homes&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;baltimorehudhomes.com&lt;/a&gt; to view homes that fit your stipulations. This will provide you an idea as to what is possible in your price range and in the neighborhood you want. Once more, select your Realtor immediately so if you turn out to be fascinated in new construction your agent can negotiate for you. You want to not be represented by a buyers Realtor when you are purchasing your first home. This is very dicey because this is a intricate purchase and no representation puts you at a major drawback.&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;Put together an offer once you find the finest home that meets your needs, take action. First Time Home buyers often can be indecisive and this possibly will mean you pass up the best home that meets your desires. If you have selected a good mortgage broker and a good Realtor, you should have the facts to make the right decision.&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;The time is right to purchase your first home, so do not stop. If you work with the right team of professionals helping you, it is a simple, sensible and stimulating process!&lt;/p&gt;  </description>
      <dc:creator>Blaine Newcomb (Remax Suburban West)</dc:creator>
      <pubDate>Sun, 01 Apr 2007 22:40:49 -0500</pubDate>
      <link>http://activerain.com/blogsview/67963/tips-for-baltimore-city-baltimore-county-first-time-home-buyer</link>
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      <guid>http://activerain.com/blogsview/57609/renting-vs-buying-a-baltimore-foreclosure</guid>
      <title>Renting vs Buying a Baltimore Foreclosure</title>
      <description>&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Renting a domicile is not uncommon since it is clear that some people cannot manage to pay for to buy their own house. The natural presumption is that it works out cheaper to acquire a house over a long period of time. However, where many of us cannot have enough money the down payment on another purchase of property, so renting a dwellings on a yearly lease may be the way to go while saving for your first house.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Finding a residence for rent; depends on the availability of bank reos. What you ought to pay attention are all the fees involved with renting a reside. The price of renting a house is normally determined by the value of the property and location. Unlike purchasing, most landlords make obligatory you to make a 3 month rent payment prior moving in. This usually encompasses the down payment, the first months rent, and second months rent.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Tip! What I do see is consumers purchasing properties that draw a large part of their monthly income. This leaves little room in their finances for emergency&amp;#39;s, furniture, vacations, investing, etc.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The problem with renting a home is two-fold: you will never get back what you put into your rental dwellings (equity and ownership), as well as secondly you will have restrictions imposed on you that you would not have while owning your own home. However, given that a short term solution, renting a domicile in a new locale can be ideal while you save money in addition to slowly shop for your dream reside. I often recommend this to people who are relocating from the north as well as are not sure of where they choose to to buy or how bulky of a dwelling they choose to purchase.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The price of acquiring a home is not low-priced, we all know and respect that. Depending on the location that you pick within the Batimore location, the fees may perhaps vary. Purchasing a domicile entails many fees especially if you do not have the immediate finances. Nevertheless the rewards of house ownership make it all worthwhile. Some of the costs to consider are the initial down payment, polishing off expenses, property inspections, taxes in addition to of route homeowners insurance. In a renting situation, the landlord usually covers the expenses of maintaining the cell (furnishings, dwellings landscape, etc). However of access, the rent that you pay will include these things, and rent in this locality is getting more in addition to more expensive incessantly.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Tip! If you follow these humble, effective guidelines, buying house appliances in addition to fixtures will be a breeze as well as you will make smart purchases that will last in addition to give you fantastic service for many years.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Buying a house opens up the option of choice in terms of architectural style in addition to place of living. While the opposite applies for renting. Often you might be obligated to want the place to rent that is cheaper in addition to often not the best looking. That purely means renting can pigeon-hole you into living in a district or structure that even though may be to be had and within your price range, it may not demand to your sense of style.&lt;br /&gt;Owning your own home is with regards to making the most of long term personal and financial pleasure. Your own house means security and likewise having the option of developing the dream reside the way you have steadily wanted it. Domicile ownership is further around experiencing the liberty of having your own terrible investment. The point of emphasis therefore lies in personality primed with the right kind of service that will help you want which home is right for you. Talking to people who may help you know which option of owning are reachable to you is without a doubt the right step to grab.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;</description>
      <dc:creator>Blaine Newcomb (Remax Suburban West)</dc:creator>
      <pubDate>Wed, 14 Mar 2007 14:58:10 -0500</pubDate>
      <link>http://activerain.com/blogsview/57609/renting-vs-buying-a-baltimore-foreclosure</link>
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      <guid>http://activerain.com/blogsview/50689/investing-in-baltimore-foreclosures</guid>
      <title>Investing in Baltimore Foreclosures</title>
      <description>&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;You might ask, what is a Baltimore foreclosed home? A foreclosure is a house that has been repossessed by the bank, as a result of a&amp;nbsp; default. For some reason, the owners of the property were not able to fulfill their obligation on the home mortgage, also as a result of lack of payments, the Bank or mortgage company took it back. When something like this happens, the finance agency now has a REO home they have to get rid of. Most finance companies are not in the business of selling properties, they simply lend money to purchase them, so they will list the home with a realtor in hopes of dumping it, furthermore the home becomes an REO foreclosure.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;You can often get a hot purchase on a Baltimore REO foreclosure, for the reason that these types of properties are usually set up for a quick sale. Provided that the home is sitting vacant, it is costing the bank or mortgage company money. There may even be outstanding taxes that the finance agency is legally responsible to pay, providing they are the owners of the property.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;A new great advantage of bank repossessed home investing is that the client is regularly in the driver&amp;#39;s seat of every REO foreclosure deal. The main reason for this is, because the bank would be more than happy to unload the house when possible in order to recover their losses furthermore start to make money again. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Mainly what the bank is looking to get for the foreclosed home is roughly the amount owning on the home. This is great, for the reason that this amount sometimes can be fatefully less than what the market value of the home might be. Numerous of first time home buyers will purchase a foreclosed home, make some minor renovations also sparkling it up.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://baltimorehudhomes.com&quot; title=&quot;Baltimore HUD Homes&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Baltimore HUD Homes&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;</description>
      <dc:creator>Blaine Newcomb (Remax Suburban West)</dc:creator>
      <pubDate>Tue, 27 Feb 2007 22:35:58 -0600</pubDate>
      <link>http://activerain.com/blogsview/50689/investing-in-baltimore-foreclosures</link>
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      <guid>http://activerain.com/blogsview/49769/baltimore-va-reo-homes</guid>
      <title>Baltimore VA REO Homes</title>
      <description>&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;How to Spot a &lt;a href=&quot;http://baltimorehudhomes.com/blog&quot; title=&quot;Baltimore VA REO&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Baltimore VA REO&lt;/a&gt; Diamond in the Rough&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The secret to profitable investing in VA REO is the ability to see profits where others see problems. Evaluate every potential property with entirely all the possibilities in mind. Think outside the box - don&amp;#39;t even make allowance for houses that are in good complication. Homes that don&amp;#39;t must immediate renovation are in high demand, and high demand means high sale prices also low profit potential for you. You ought to abide looking for the foreclosures that no one else wants.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Get to be a real estate location specialist&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Pick a geographic real estate locale to work in and find out everything there is to know - schools, shopping furthermore especially how much houses sell for. Specializing in one neighborhood is the secret to finding great bargains. The more you know about the area, the quicker you may possibly spot the bargain when it comes along.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Go for inexpensive Real estate areas&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;There is a larger market for lower priced properties. Renting or buying a fashionable home is not an option for most people. It&amp;#39;s true that more expensive properties have a higher profit potential per house. Nevertheless you additionally take on a higher risk of not finding a purchaser or tenant straight away.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Houses in expensive neighborhoods operating costs more from beginning to end. Expensive houses are additionally more delicate to swings in market conditions. Also finding a fixer upper in a rich region is an particularly rare occurrence.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Find the right region&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;On the flip side, you don&amp;#39;t call for to invest in a run down region either. Most people live in high-offense, run down localities because they must, not because they call for to. Would you get a good home in a terrible region?&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The ideal neighborhood has a chronicles of rising property values - this indicates demand. If you may supply a gorgeous home in ready-to-move-in shape, you&amp;#39;ll have an various supply of buyers. You should additionally look for other houses that are individual upgraded - this signals confidence in the neighborhood. Finally, look for a low ratio of renters to owners.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Select the right property&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Look for a home that blends in well with the neighborhood. Don&amp;#39;t go for the abnormal house that&amp;#39;s out of self image. Next, stay faraway from properties that ought major structural repairs. You&amp;#39;re looking for something that needs a cosmetic rehab. Major repairs are expensive, time-having in addition to eat somewhere else at your profits. Your goal should abide maximum upgrade at minimum amount so you would profit in addition to acquire your next property.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Pay attention to minor details&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt; &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Generally, you should steer clear of properties with impossible or merely plain horrific layouts. At the same time, if you could improve the layout with some minor, relatively inexpensive facilitate, you might realize loads of extra profit with only a little extra work.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Save money with inspections&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Remember, you are making a crucial investment. You should make the final deal contingent on a satisfactory inspection. The inspection will either check that that no major structural repairs are needed, or it may highlight problems that kill the deal. A few hundred dollars for the inspection could save you thousands.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Foreclosure houses are without doubt the most excellent properties to invest in. You could purchase them at an attractive, lower than market price and temporarily add value with a couple of minor repairs. Although these opportunities won&amp;#39;t come to your door. You have to find a locality furthermore make it your second home until you know what properties are worth in addition to why people call for to live there. Then you&amp;#39;ll be able to spot the handyman specials whilst they go on the market.&lt;/p&gt;</description>
      <dc:creator>Blaine Newcomb (Remax Suburban West)</dc:creator>
      <pubDate>Sun, 25 Feb 2007 23:55:28 -0600</pubDate>
      <link>http://activerain.com/blogsview/49769/baltimore-va-reo-homes</link>
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      <guid>http://activerain.com/blogsview/46587/tips-for-baltimore-first-time-buyer</guid>
      <title>Tips for Baltimore First Time Buyer</title>
      <description>  &lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Weary of paying rent to a property-owner every month, with zilch to show for it? Perhaps it&amp;#39;s time to get interested in the real estate marketplace and become a &lt;strong&gt;first time home owner&lt;/strong&gt;. This is a immense decision, and an thrilling one, but not one to be taken lightly. Once you decided if home ownership is the correct step for you, ask yourself if you are prepared for the responsibility. You will be the one obligated to keep up the payments, repairs and upkeep. That said, the lack of restrictions of owning your own home means that you can decorate or renovate it however you like.&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Arrange out your &lt;a href=&quot;http://baltimorehudhomes.com/fha/&quot; title=&quot;Home Loan&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;home loan&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/strong&gt; before you start looking for a house, so you can be familiar with terms and &lt;a href=&quot;http://baltimorehudhomes.com/fha/how-to-afford-your-dream-home.html&quot; title=&quot;What you can afford&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;what you can afford&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/a&gt;. Call your bank, credit union or mortgage broker to evaluate plans and rates. Less than perfect credit? This doesn&amp;#39;t necessarily mean you&amp;#39;ll be turned down. There are a lot of options available; shop from one lender to another lender until you find a mortgage with conditions that will work for you. Make sure you know your restrictions; don&amp;#39;t overlook that you will have monthly tax, utility and insurance payments in addition of your mortgage payments. Once you find a home you like and a strategy in mind, get your &lt;strong&gt;home loan pre-approved&lt;/strong&gt; so that you can submit on your dream house with self-assurance.&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p&gt;Imagine about what features are imperative to you: do you want to garden or are you a demanding individual who would prefer a low maintenance yard? Investigate out different neighborhoods and mull over the amenities in each. What stores are near by? Bear in mind that the neighborhood you buy in will impact the resale value of your home, should you decide to make a change in the future.&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p&gt;As soon as you find the right home, you will be ready to make an offer. Have a discussion to your Realtor concerning what the house is worth and check with &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.zillow.com&quot; title=&quot;Zillow&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;zillow.com&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/a&gt;. &lt;strong&gt;What is a reasonable amount?&lt;/strong&gt; &lt;strong&gt;Can you manage to pay for it?&lt;/strong&gt; &lt;strong&gt;What circumstances will be integrated?&lt;/strong&gt; Be prime for the possibility of another interested buyer making a challenging bid. Comprehend what you can afford and don&amp;#39;t exceed it. Sellers may choose a higher bid, or they might go for the one with less conditions, which looks like it close fast without difficulties.&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p&gt;As soon as your offer is accepted, you ought to have a &lt;strong&gt;home inspection&lt;/strong&gt; done. The inspection should disclose any hidden structural problems such as mold, rot, plumbing or wiring problems. You may be okay with some trivial issues if you have the funds to make the repairs. If there are major problems you may want to lower your offer or walk away from the sale. Bear in mind, there is no return policy on your house; you need to be happy with this purchase.&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p&gt;At this point you will possible be required to &lt;strong&gt;secure home insurance&lt;/strong&gt;. Get a few quotes; policies can vary by price, conditions and coverage.&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p&gt;And finally, it&amp;#39;s time to close the deal! Once all your issues have been satisfied, the final agreement is complete and the home transfer can be transferred. Congratulations! You have just finished one of the most important acquisitions of your life. Now it&amp;#39;s time to take pleasure in your new home.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://baltimorehudhomes.com&quot; title=&quot;Baltimore HUD homes&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;http://baltimorehudhomes.com&amp;nbsp;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;  </description>
      <dc:creator>Blaine Newcomb (Remax Suburban West)</dc:creator>
      <pubDate>Sat, 17 Feb 2007 10:57:22 -0600</pubDate>
      <link>http://activerain.com/blogsview/46587/tips-for-baltimore-first-time-buyer</link>
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      <guid>http://activerain.com/blogsview/46271/baltimore-reverse-mortgages</guid>
      <title>Baltimore Reverse Mortgages</title>
      <description>  &lt;p class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Reverse mortgages helps retirees&amp;#39; cash issues&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Struggling on a fixed income&lt;/strong&gt;? Solve your cash problem by taking a reverse mortgage, which let you borrow against their home equity and forgo repayment as long as they stay in the house.&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;Once somewhat rare, the number of such backward-looking loans has increased fivefold since 2001, according to the National Reverse Mortgage Lenders Association. The coming together of historically high home values and historically low interest rates means that people are able to take more equity out of their homes, and moderately than resisting the idea, boomer&amp;#39;s are helping their parents get the loans, says Bronwyn Belling of AARP. (You can download &amp;quot;&lt;strong&gt;Home Made Money&lt;/strong&gt;,&amp;quot; a guide to reverse mortgages, at &lt;a href=&quot;http://aarp.org/revmort&quot; title=&quot;AARP&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;aarp.org/revmort&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/a&gt; )&lt;/p&gt;    &lt;p class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;br /&gt;To meet the requirements for a reverse mortgage, you must be at least 62 and live in the house as your principal residence. The loan, including interest, comes due only when you die or move from your home, at which point the profits from the sale can be used to pay off the balance. You or your successors get to keep whatsoever equity has built up since you took out the mortgage.&lt;/p&gt;    &lt;p class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;br /&gt;If the house&amp;#39;s value falls below the loan amount, the lender absorbs the difference.&lt;/p&gt;    &lt;p class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;br /&gt;Along with the several reverse-mortgage programs, the most popular is the Home Equity Conversion Mortgage, backed by the Federal Housing Administration (search &amp;quot;reverse mortgages&amp;quot; at www.hud.gov). You&amp;#39;ll commonly be offered four payout choices: a lump sum, an interest- earning credit line, monthly advances paid out over a set period or smaller monthly advances that last as long as you live in your house. You may combine a credit line with an advance or choose some other combination.&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;But don&amp;#39;t anticipate pulling every last coin out of the equity treasure chest. The amount you get depends on your age, local housing costs, interest rates -- which adjust monthly or yearly -- and the type of payout you choose. (For estimates of what you can expect, go to &lt;a href=&quot;http://reversemortgage.org&quot; title=&quot;Reverse Mortgage&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;r&lt;strong&gt;eversemortgage.org&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/a&gt; )&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;Figure on getting no more than about 40 percent to 60 percent of the equity in your house.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://baltimorehudhomes.com/fha/fha-reverse-mortgages.html&quot; title=&quot;Baltimore Reverse Mortgages&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Baltimore Reverse Mortgages&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/a&gt;</description>
      <dc:creator>Blaine Newcomb (Remax Suburban West)</dc:creator>
      <pubDate>Fri, 16 Feb 2007 14:35:51 -0600</pubDate>
      <link>http://activerain.com/blogsview/46271/baltimore-reverse-mortgages</link>
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      <guid>http://activerain.com/blogsview/44821/bad-credit-home-loans</guid>
      <title>Bad Credit Home Loans</title>
      <description>&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Bad Credit Home Loans&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;Obtaining a home loan with &lt;strong&gt;bad credit&lt;/strong&gt; has actually never on earth been easier than it is today.&lt;/p&gt;    &lt;p class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;br /&gt;Find a good foreclosure deal. &amp;nbsp;If you can find a property that has 10% - 20% in equity, you may have an easier chance getting financing on that property. To the lender it may be practically as good as if you had a big down payment on the property. An assortment of lenders will consider the home loan to first-rate ratio once more if they analyze the loan. Talk to your mortgage lender and know if this factor could help you take up qualified.&lt;/p&gt;    &lt;p class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;br /&gt;Try Creative Financing asks if the seller would be happy to carry back a second mortgage on the home. This is where you write up a contract or agreement with the seller that you will pay them monthly payments, including interest of, let&amp;rsquo;s say, $150/mo on $10,000 dollars of the price of the home, as a second mortgage. Then, make appealing for the seller: maybe put in the agreement that the entire amount is due in full within 2 or 4 years or something. That should provide you plenty of time to refinance and then the seller doesn&amp;rsquo;t think it will take 10-15 years to get paid in full.&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;Shop around there is many mortgage lenders out there that you will help you, when no one can help you. I seen mortgage lenders with programs for buyers with bankruptcies (one day after discharged)&lt;/p&gt;    &lt;p class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;br /&gt;There are programs for 100% financing 30 days after bankruptcy discharged with a credit score of 620.&lt;/p&gt;  </description>
      <dc:creator>Blaine Newcomb (Remax Suburban West)</dc:creator>
      <pubDate>Tue, 13 Feb 2007 00:14:41 -0600</pubDate>
      <link>http://activerain.com/blogsview/44821/bad-credit-home-loans</link>
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      <guid>http://activerain.com/blogsview/44359/are-you-a-baltimore-bubba-</guid>
      <title>Are You a Baltimore BUBBA? </title>
      <description>&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://baltimorehudhomes.com/Foreclosure/are_you_a_bubba.php&quot; title=&quot;Are you a baltimore Bubba&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Are You a Baltimore BUBBA&lt;/a&gt;? Home Buyer Unrepresented by a Buyer&amp;#39;s Agent&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The majority of people, whether in the real estate business or not, have pay attention to of the FSBO a for Sale by Owner seller. The short form has been used for relatively awhile as there has constantly been a sector of the market that decided to sell their home straightforwardly to a new buyer. Nevertheless, there&amp;#39;s a new acronym being utilized by Realtors these days. &lt;strong&gt;BUBBA &lt;/strong&gt;or Buyers Unrepresented By a Buyer&amp;#39;s Agent. It is making its way into the real estate agent terminology for the reason that this market segment is on the rise.&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p&gt;In 2006, according to the National Association of Realtors 2006 Profile of Home Buyers and Sellers, almost a quarter of all sales (23%) were &lt;strong&gt;Bubbas&lt;/strong&gt;. Even though numerous of these home buyers did work directly with a builder or at a sheriff&amp;#39;s foreclosure sale, 9% bought directly from the home seller.&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p&gt;The Internet is in all probability the most contributing dynamic to the growth of this buying segment. Buyers are without doubt more educated searching on line for as many months, some times up to 6 months prior to making their home purchase. The homes are displayed on the web. There are directions on how to purchase a home. The whole process is less mystifying and apparently simple that many self-educated buyers are foregoing working with a Realtor.&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p&gt;Are You a BUBBA? Prior to you moving forward unrepresented, at this juncture are a few things to consider.&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p&gt;BUBBA can cost more money. Buyer&amp;#39;s representation does not cost &lt;strong&gt;&lt;em&gt;anything&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;. But can &lt;strong&gt;&lt;em&gt;save thousands&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;. When you sign an agreement for buyer representation, your agent is obligated to specific fiduciary duties to you to work in YOUR best interest. They are expected to keep your information confidential. A Realtor does this as a profession, not once every 10 years like most buyers. Real estate agents are knowledgeable in negotiating a deal on a home that is in your best interest.&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p&gt;Consequently how does a buyer&amp;#39;s agent get paid? All homes are listed in the MLS states a fee agreed upon by the seller with his agent to be paid to the buyer&amp;#39;s agent of the particular home. Yes, the seller pays the fee for you to your agent.&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p&gt;However this does raise the question, &amp;quot;but I buy directly from the seller and he doesn&amp;#39;t pay a fee, won&amp;#39;t I get a better price?&amp;quot;&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p&gt;In all probability not. Imagine about it this way, the seller set the price in the first place. If he is not working with an agent, how can you be certain that you received a good price on the home? Also why would a seller, who doesn&amp;#39;t know you, give you the savings he planned to pocket by not hiring an agent?&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p&gt;In this buyer&amp;#39;s market, with so many diverse homes to choose from, it is simple to be inundated in the purchasing process. What if the seller is has a charming character that uses a three year old refinancing appraisal to set his price? Is it a good deal?--Probably not.&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p&gt;Buying a home is not as easy as walking into a markdown store for a new computer...And that can be awesome. There are particulars to a purchase home that many first time home buyers just don&amp;#39;t predict. How old is the roof? When can we take control after closing? Is the septic system in compliance or does it needs to be replaced? Are there encroachments, like a adjacent fence or driveway sharing issues? Are there judgments pending and who will pay for them?&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p&gt;All of these are circumstances an experienced Realtor will try to anticipate and resolve in writing as the deal moves toward the closing.&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p&gt;Some people are unintentional BUBBAS. They start out in a &amp;quot;education&amp;quot; stage...That time period of six months to years where they are &amp;quot;dreaming&amp;quot; of a new home but don&amp;#39;t want to commit or be forced into a contract. They stroll into an open house and it is their &lt;strong&gt;&lt;em&gt;dream &lt;/em&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;home. Because they didn&amp;rsquo;t have an agent when they first came in, they feel awkward informing the seller that they want representation and just move forward without one.&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p&gt;As a Realtor, I try to teach potential clients into developing a relationship with a real estate early in the course of action. If you want to see a home, get in touch with that agent and sign a contract for a specific house. That way your wellbeing would be represented, if the house is ideal for your family. Other than you would not be locked into a 6 month agreement, if you are not prepared to make a decision.&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p&gt;Before becoming part of this mounting trend in home purchasing, do research and cautiously consider your choices. You may be giving up more than you think to when making the one of the most important financial decisions of your life.&lt;/p&gt;By &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.terieckholm.com/&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Teri Eckholm&lt;/a&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=Teri_Eckholm&quot;&gt;&lt;/a&gt;</description>
      <dc:creator>Blaine Newcomb (Remax Suburban West)</dc:creator>
      <pubDate>Mon, 12 Feb 2007 00:06:17 -0600</pubDate>
      <link>http://activerain.com/blogsview/44359/are-you-a-baltimore-bubba-</link>
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      <guid>http://activerain.com/blogsview/43272/should-you-buy-a-baltimore-hud-home-now</guid>
      <title>Should You Buy a Baltimore HUD Home Now</title>
      <description>  &lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;With home prices going down now in some Baltimore markets, the skepticism is starting to emerge more often, &amp;quot;Is nowadays a decent time to buy? Nevertheless there&amp;rsquo;s a risk that it possibly will go down in value, why, if truth be told should anybody buy a home as an alternative of renting?&amp;quot;&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p&gt;It may perhaps be true that renting is cheaper than buying right now, but in the past, but rents will go up sooner than later. Rents always have, and they always will. That takes us to the number one incentive to buy a home, which is the very reason rent always goes up:&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Appreciation or Net Worth &lt;/strong&gt;&amp;ndash; On behalf of most Americans, buying a home is the smartest economic option they will ever accomplish. According to the Federal Reserve the discrepancy in net worth between homeowners and renters is astronomical. Average renters have a net worth of $2,300, about 3% of the average homeowners net worth of $78,400&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p&gt;The discrepancy in net worth of homeowners vs. renters is more distinct as income rises. The run of the mill American who earns $60,000 per year and rents has a net worth of no more than $25,000. The average net worth of that identical earner who is a homeowner is just about $300,000!&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p&gt;At hand are two main causes this happens. First, there is the compulsory savings phase of home ownership. As payments are made on a home over time, the balance of the mortgage will clearly go down. This is fundamentally forcing a monthly nest egg that is the segment of the payment that applies in the direction of the principal amount of the mortgage. Secondly, there is long-term home appreciation&amp;hellip;homes have constantly gone up in value over time, in spite of everything; there are bound to be some down cycles. Long-term home ownership more or less guarantees a higher net worth.&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Pride of Ownership&lt;/strong&gt; &amp;ndash; for the most part homeowners will admit they enjoy owning a home since they don&amp;rsquo;t have to get permission from the land lord before they do something to the home. They can install carpet in any color, they can remodel the kitchen, paint, and they have the right to do it since it&amp;rsquo;s their home! This is the motivation most home owners take care of a home they own better than one they rent. In addition, landlord can go up on your rent or terminate a lease and force you to move.&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p&gt;It makes a distinction when applying for credit, in personal relationships, and perhaps even in employment considerations. Satisfaction of ownership is hard to measure in terms of money, but is a huge part of why people will always want to own their home.&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Tax Benefits&lt;/strong&gt; &amp;ndash; perhaps, tax benefits of home ownership are not as grand as many owners understand them to be, in reality some owners really get no tax break. However most do gain from the mortgage interest deduction, even if in a tiny way. Home ownership has been a piece of our heritage, and symbolizes the biggest part of the average American&amp;rsquo;s net worth. There is a good probability that owning and paying for a home is the only way some people will be able to retire.&amp;nbsp; The sooner you can get in the game of ownership; the better off you will be sooner in life.&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p&gt;Owning a home is not only in spite of everything the &amp;ldquo;American Dream&amp;rdquo;, it is a significant part of our national economy. The economic benefits can easily be seen and knowledgeable over the long run. The other benefits, while not so easy to measure, may be the most important ones. Buying your first home, even in a &amp;ldquo;down&amp;rdquo; market is still a wise choice, and will eventually be one of the best financial decisions of your life.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;a href=&quot;http://baltimorehudhomes.com&quot; title=&quot;Baltimore HUD Homes&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Baltimore HUD Homes&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;  </description>
      <dc:creator>Blaine Newcomb (Remax Suburban West)</dc:creator>
      <pubDate>Thu, 08 Feb 2007 16:32:02 -0600</pubDate>
      <link>http://activerain.com/blogsview/43272/should-you-buy-a-baltimore-hud-home-now</link>
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      <guid>http://activerain.com/blogsview/42597/a-novice-guide-to-buying-baltimore-foreclosures-</guid>
      <title>A novice guide to buying Baltimore foreclosures </title>
      <description>&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p&gt;Buying &lt;a href=&quot;http://baltimorehudhomes.com/Foreclosures.html&quot; title=&quot;Foreclosures&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Baltimore foreclosures&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/a&gt; can be lucrative. A lot of people have made fortunes doing this. There are quite a few types of foreclosure condition, in the midst of the most widespread ones being late mortgage payments, tax liens, and homeowner association dues.&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p&gt;Tax foreclosure sales are more often than not conducted by law enforcement officers (such as a sheriff) or other officials of the taxing jurisdiction. Mortgage foreclosures are characteristically carry out by a trustee selected by the mortgagee or lender. These sales take place in a public auction where bidders may bid to buy the home. The normal foreclosure sale takes place at a public site, such as a county court house.&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p&gt;A lot of home buyers would want to bid on foreclosed homes but for one simple reason: lack of money. The foreclosure auction is almost all the time on a cash-only basis and most people do not have many thousands of dollars in discretionary cash on hand. The majority banks and other lenders are very hesitant to loan money to buy homes at foreclosure auctions. As a result this leaves for the most part just people with deep pockets or who have private associates to do the lion&amp;#39;s share of the bidding.&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p&gt;Foreclosures present a chance for the investor who is bright to buy low and sell high. They keys is to know the real estate market, a skill to do public records research, understanding construction, and be acquainted with what repairs will cost. Countless investors have discovered to their dismay that a home they purchased actually needs lots of thousands of dollars in major structural repairs that they did not know about. This is greatly more likely to happen when a home cannot be inspected carefully previous to purchase. Despite the facts that a foreclosed home infrequently does not need any repairs, these homes typically do require considerable cosmetic work to get them into adequate shape for marketing.&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p&gt;An investigation of public records will also expose additional liens or encumbrances that add to the cost of buying a home. It is not unusual for the total amount of unpaid loans, taxes, and other debt to exceed the market value of the home. It pays to do your research.&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p&gt;An option to buying homes at foreclosure auction is buying them beforehand to foreclosure from the existing owner. People confronting foreclosure will often be enthusiastic to sell at a discounted price to get out from under their mortgage. This provides the investor the possibility to closely inspect the home prior to purchasing and to negotiate a price.&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p&gt;Notices of houses facing foreclosure can be located at county court houses and often can be purchased from lists collect from those records and sold confidentially. There are even on line web sites of both pre-foreclosures and homes already repossessed by HUD, VA REO and bank foreclosures.&lt;/p&gt;  </description>
      <dc:creator>Blaine Newcomb (Remax Suburban West)</dc:creator>
      <pubDate>Tue, 06 Feb 2007 22:23:14 -0600</pubDate>
      <link>http://activerain.com/blogsview/42597/a-novice-guide-to-buying-baltimore-foreclosures-</link>
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      <guid>http://activerain.com/blogsview/41797/6-ways-to-raise-credit-score-for-baltimore-first-time-home-buyers</guid>
      <title>6 Ways To Raise Credit Score for Baltimore First Time Home Buyers</title>
      <description>&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p&gt;It&amp;#39;s not as tough as you imagine raising your credit score. It&amp;#39;s a well known piece of information that lenders will give individuals with higher credit scores the best interest rates on mortgages, car loans and credit cards. If your credit score drops under 620 immediately getting loans and credit cards with practical terms is difficult.&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p&gt;Presently there are more than 40 million people in the United States that have credit scores below 620 and if you&amp;#39;re almost certainly wondering what you can do to raise credit score for you. &lt;br /&gt; &lt;br /&gt; Here are six easy tips that you can use to raise credit score &lt;/p&gt;  &lt;strong&gt;Get a copy of your credit report&lt;/strong&gt;  &lt;p class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;Getting a copy of your credit report is a good idea since if there is something on your report that is inaccurate; you will raise credit score once it is deleted. Make sure you get in touch with the bureau right away to get rid of any incorrect information. Your credit report should come from the three major bureaus: Experian, Trans Union and Equifax. It&amp;#39;s essential to know that each credit bureau will give you a different credit score.&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;strong&gt;Pay      Your Bills On Time&lt;/strong&gt;  &lt;p class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;Your payment history composes up 35% of your whole credit score. Your new payment history will carry much more weight than what happened five years ago.&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;Missing just one months&amp;rsquo; payment on any creditor can tap 50 to 100 points off of your credit score. Paying your creditors on time is a single best way to begin rebuilding your credit score..&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;strong&gt;Pay      Down Your Debt&lt;/strong&gt;  &lt;p class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;Your credit card issuer reports your outstanding balance once a month to the credit bureaus. It doesn&amp;#39;t matter whether you pay off that balance a few days later or whether you carry it from month to month.&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;The majority people don&amp;#39;t comprehend that credit bureaus don&amp;#39;t differentiate between those who carry a balance on their cards and those who don&amp;#39;t. So by charging less you can raise credit score even if you pay off your credit cards every month.&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;Banks also like to see a lot of room between the amount of debt on your credit cards and your total credit limits. So the more debt you pay off, the wider that gap and the better your credit score.&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;strong&gt;Don&amp;#39;t      Close Old Accounts&lt;/strong&gt;  &lt;p class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;In the precedent people were instructed to close old accounts they weren&amp;#39;t using. However with today&amp;#39;s current scoring techniques that could actually hurt your credit score. Closing old or paid off credit accounts reduce the total credit available to you and makes any balances you have appear larger in credit score calculations. Closing your oldest accounts can actually cut down the length of your credit history and to a bank it makes you less credit worthy. &lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;strong&gt;Stay      Out Of Bankruptcy&lt;/strong&gt;  &lt;p class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;Bankruptcy is the distinct worst thing that will wipe out your credit score. Bankruptcy will lower your credit score by 200 points or more and is very hard to come back from. Once your credit score falls under 620, any loan you get will be far more expensive. A bankruptcy will be on your credit record is reported for up to 10 years. The truth of a bankruptcy is it will limit you to high-interest lenders that will pinch out high interest rate payments from you for years. It is better to get credit counseling to help you with your bills and avoid bankruptcy at all costs. By receiving credit counseling as an alternative of declaring bankruptcy you can raise credit score over a much shorter period of time.&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;strong&gt;Open a      Secure Account&lt;/strong&gt;  &lt;p class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;A secured card requires you to open and keep a savings account as protection for your line of credit; an unsecured loan does not. The necessary savings deposit for a secured loan may range from a few hundred to several thousand dollars. Your credit line is a percentage of your deposit, typically 50 to 100 percent. Frequently, a bank will pay interest on your deposit.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;  </description>
      <dc:creator>Blaine Newcomb (Remax Suburban West)</dc:creator>
      <pubDate>Mon, 05 Feb 2007 00:08:02 -0600</pubDate>
      <link>http://activerain.com/blogsview/41797/6-ways-to-raise-credit-score-for-baltimore-first-time-home-buyers</link>
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      <guid>http://activerain.com/blogsview/41465/buying-inexpensive-foreclosed-homes</guid>
      <title>Buying Inexpensive Foreclosed Homes</title>
      <description>&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;A bunch of people get a mortgage from the bank to be capable of buying a home. In view of the fact that the bank maintains the deed, in theory it does not belong to the home buyer until this has been completely paid. If the person is not capable to continue the payments, the home is foreclosed.&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;Big banks have a bundle of this idle &lt;a href=&quot;http://baltimorehudhomes.com/bank_foreclosures.html&quot; title=&quot;Bank Foreclosures&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Bank foreclosure&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/a&gt; REO. A number of of these are commercial while others are residential and given that the bank does not get anything from hanging on to foreclosure homes, it is best to either sell it or have it auctioned of&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;Must people who want to buy property should think of investing in foreclosure homes. Yes because the majority of these have clear titles and ownership rights, which saves time in doing the research. An extra benefit is the reality that most of the foreclosed property is sold 10 to 30% off the current market value. It is like buying a new car that was only used for less than 3 months.&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;If the home buyer is ready to invest, it is time to get some information such as the listings of properties that are offered. A number of foreclosure homes listings can be found in the newspaper while the bank&amp;#39;s website may be more updated.&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;There is always a first time for everything counting investing in foreclosed properties. One of the things to watch out for is the time limit to deposit the cash since failure to do so will result in losing the initial deposit that is essential to set in motion the transaction.&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;One more thing to be aware of are the laws, bad construction, type of soil used and septic systems. This will tell the potential home buyer if this is good to buy or not at the price offered by the bank.&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;Someone knowledgeable won&amp;#39;t be trick and can even bargain a little that will save some money when closing a deal. Life can coach anyone that but hear in it from an expert will save the time of getting burned and being able to make some money out of foreclosed property.&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;Banks are not the only ones doing away with foreclosed properties. The government is as well doing the same thing to home buyers who borrowed money and are unable to pay it back. The individual can check the Bureau of Housing and Development for idle assets that could also be bought at a reasonable price.&lt;/p&gt;  </description>
      <dc:creator>Blaine Newcomb (Remax Suburban West)</dc:creator>
      <pubDate>Sat, 03 Feb 2007 21:47:33 -0600</pubDate>
      <link>http://activerain.com/blogsview/41465/buying-inexpensive-foreclosed-homes</link>
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      <guid>http://activerain.com/blogsview/41142/watch-out-of-bogus-credit-repair-companies-</guid>
      <title>Watch out of Bogus Credit Repair Companies! </title>
      <description>  &lt;p class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;Credit repair companies say they can delete negative information from credit reports. Marketing them self&amp;rsquo;s as Credit advisor&amp;#39;s, Credit Rating Correction Services or Credit Consultants, they broadcast variations on these ads:&amp;nbsp; Turned down due to bad credit? We can help out! &amp;nbsp;Countless of these companies charge hundreds if not thousands of dollars for the promise to cleanse up bad credit reports. Nevertheless the truth is, this business can only do what you could do yourself at no charge. &lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;No one can remove negative information that is correct from your credit report. No company has a hush-hush ability to get rid of all negative information. &lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;However this doesn&amp;#39;t stop their claims. This misleading quote is from a credit repair company brochure: Charged-off accounts, collection accounts, judgments, tax liens, repossessions, and even bankruptcies can be deleted from your credit report in less than one year (five to seven month average). &lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;A particular approach is to flood credit reporting agencies with requests to verify information. If a credit reporting bureau cannot confirm an entry within 60 days, it will do away with the information from the report. However if the information is later demonstrated to be accurate, it will go back in the report. &lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;Before you even think putting your signature on a contract with a company that promises to repair your credit, keep in mind these facts: &lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;You can obtain a free copy of your credit report on your own.&lt;/strong&gt; &lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;You have the right to dispute accounts in your credit report.&lt;/strong&gt; &lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;Watch out guaranteed credit offers! &lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;Credit repair and other business frequently say they guarantee to get you a credit card, in spite of your credit record. In reality, these companies do not always keep their guarantee. From time to time, they&amp;#39;ll just take your money and run; you will not get any credit, regardless of what they agree. &lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;If they get you a credit card at all it often will be a secured bank credit card, with high up-front application fees, that stipulates you to deposit and keep some hundred dollars in a savings account, or a credit card that only allows you to purchase things in a cataloged from a business that you in all probability never heard of. &lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;Credit repair companies frequently promote on television, in newspapers and even on matchbooks. From time to time they require consumers to dial a 900 telephone number to get additional information. Calls to 900 numbers can charge $2 or $3 a minute, so listening to a small amount of minutes of information about the cards can be costly. &lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;Several companies try to get people a credit card by having them apply using a tax id number instead of an social security number. It is a criminal act to apply for credit under someone else&amp;#39;s social number or a tax id number; do not do business with one of these companies. &lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;Law enforcement organizations have shut down many credits repair companies however it is tough to stop a fraudulent credit repair companies; unless for people protest about it. Therefore, be careful about responding to credit repair ads and be sure to complain to the agencies listed below if you think a credit repair company took advantage of you. &lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;For more information&lt;/strong&gt; &lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.ftc.gov/&quot; title=&quot;The Federal Trade Commission&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;The Federal Trade Commission&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/a&gt; (FTC) revealed information for consumers on the subject of credit and put into action federal laws on credit. For a list of free publications, click on the FTC&amp;#39;s Public Reference Department at the address given below. Despite the fact that the FTC does not handle individual cases, it can act when it notices a pattern of possible law violations increase. Complaints about credit reporting agencies and credit repair scams must be in writing. Send them to: FTC Credit Practices Division, 6th St., N.W., Washington, DC 20580. &lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;Get in touch with your local consumer protection agency or your &lt;strong&gt;state Attorney General&amp;#39;s office&lt;/strong&gt;. Many Attorneys General have toll-free consumer hot lines. These numbers may be listed in the self-help or government partitions in the front of your phone book. These agencies can recommend you advice and may also be able to help resolve your complaint. &lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;Consumer Action&amp;#39;s free complaint/information switchboards offering non-legal consumer advice and referrals can be reached from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on weekdays. Chinese, English and Spanish are spoken. Call either (415) 777-9635 (San Francisco office) or (213) 624-8327 (Los Angeles office). Consumer Action has a free list of secured credit card banks that do not charge application fees. To receive a free copy, send a self-addressed stamped envelope to: &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.consumer-action.org/&quot; title=&quot;Consumer Action&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Consumer Action&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/a&gt; Secured Credit Card Survey, 717 Market St., Suite 310, San Francisco, CA 94103. &lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;&lt;strong&gt;The &lt;a href=&quot;http://www.cccsintl.org/&quot; title=&quot;Consumer Credit Counseling Service&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Consumer Credit Counseling Service&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/strong&gt; (CCCS) helps consumers who have troubles in paying their bills prior to their good credit ratings suffer. Your local CCCS office can help you work out an accommodating payment plans to make debt repayment more practical. Call (800) 388-CCCS for an interactive recording that will offer you with the phone number of the office nearest to you. Spanish-speakers can call (800) 68-AYUDA (800-682-9832) between 8 a.m. and 7 p.m. central time. &lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class=&quot;MsoNormal&quot;&gt;Previous to you signing an agreement with any establishment, make sure it listed with the local &lt;strong&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;http://www.bbb.org/&quot; title=&quot;Better Business Bureau&quot; target=&quot;_blank&quot;&gt;Better Business Bureau&lt;/a&gt; (BBB)&lt;/strong&gt;, a non-government assistance which gives advice to consumers on fraud prevention. Call your local BBB. If you cannot find a local number listed in the phone directory, call the Council of Better Business Bureaus at (703) 276-0100 for a recommendation to the office nearest you.&lt;/p&gt;  </description>
      <dc:creator>Blaine Newcomb (Remax Suburban West)</dc:creator>
      <pubDate>Fri, 02 Feb 2007 19:48:43 -0600</pubDate>
      <link>http://activerain.com/blogsview/41142/watch-out-of-bogus-credit-repair-companies-</link>
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      <guid>http://activerain.com/blogsview/39668/hud-1-as-a-marketing-tool-for-baltimore-realtors</guid>
      <title>HUD 1 As a Marketing Tool, For Baltimore Realtors</title>
      <description>&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;How Can HUD 1 Help You Generate Business?&amp;nbsp;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p class='MsoNormal'&gt;HUD 1 is a typical form you use very often. The form serves not just as a settlement closing statement, but also as a proof of payment of different tax deductions. Understanding the form and the tax deductible items and convey them to your clients will help your clients to reduce their taxes and help you to build trust and get more business publicity.&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class='MsoNormal'&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class='MsoNormal'&gt;&lt;strong&gt;What is the HUD 1?&lt;/strong&gt; &lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class='MsoNormal'&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class='MsoNormal'&gt;HUD 1 is a form used by the settlement agent (closing agent) to itemize all incoming funds and all charges paid and accrued by a borrower and seller for a real estate transaction. When is the HUD-1 Issued?&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class='MsoNormal'&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class='MsoNormal'&gt;The Real Estate Settlement Procedures Act (RESPA) requires that the form be issued in all real estate transactions in the United States which involve federally related mortgage loans. RESPA states you should be given a copy of the HUD-1 at least one day prior to settlement.&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class='MsoNormal'&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class='MsoNormal'&gt;&lt;strong&gt;When Do Clients Need HUD 1 for Taxes?&lt;/strong&gt; &lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class='MsoNormal'&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class='MsoNormal'&gt;Clients use the information included in the form when they file their annual taxes. The filing deadline is normally April 15 of every year for the proceeding year. To allow the client enough time to file taxes using the HUD-1 information, it is recommended that a copy of the HUD-1 will be sent to the client in January.&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class='MsoNormal'&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class='MsoNormal'&gt;Because the real estate transaction takes place during the year, usually long before filing the tax return, the HUD-1 given to the client at closing time could be lost or misplace. Sending the client a copy of the HUD-1 with a cover letter will be very helpful and time savings to the client.&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class='MsoNormal'&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class='MsoNormal'&gt;&lt;strong&gt;HUD 1 Client Sample Letter&lt;/strong&gt; &lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class='MsoNormal'&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class='MsoNormal'&gt;&lt;strong&gt;The following is a sample letter that I send out last year to my clients:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class='MsoNormal'&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class='MsoNormal'&gt;[Date]&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class='MsoNormal'&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class='MsoNormal'&gt;TAX TIME IS COMING&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class='MsoNormal'&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class='MsoNormal'&gt;Dear [Client&amp;rsquo;s Name]:&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class='MsoNormal'&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class='MsoNormal'&gt;Tax time indeed is just around the corner, and the first thing you will need is a copy of the Closing Statement on your property. Moving can be a very busy time, and you may have misplaced this very important document.&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class='MsoNormal'&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class='MsoNormal'&gt;I would like to be sure you benefit of all the tax advantages possible from our transaction. If your accountant has any questions, please have he or her call me (if you need a referral to an accounting you can trust, I&amp;rsquo;d be happy to provide you with one).&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class='MsoNormal'&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class='MsoNormal'&gt;I look forward to continuing as your realtor and providing you the highest level of service possible.&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class='MsoNormal'&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class='MsoNormal'&gt;Yours sincerely,&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class='MsoNormal'&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class='MsoNormal'&gt;[Your name]&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class='MsoNormal'&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class='MsoNormal'&gt;Oh, by the way&amp;hellip; If any of your friends or relatives is thinking about buying or selling a home, I&amp;#39;d love to be of service to them. So, when you think of these people, just give me a call with their name and number. I&amp;rsquo;ll be happy to follow up and tend to their Real Estate needs.&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class='MsoNormal'&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class='MsoNormal'&gt;Which HUD-1 Information Is Important For Your Client&amp;rsquo;s Taxes?&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class='MsoNormal'&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class='MsoNormal'&gt;The information reported in the HUD-1 relates to the following tax statements and schedules:&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class='MsoNormal'&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class='MsoNormal'&gt;Tax form HUD-1 line&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class='MsoNormal'&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class='MsoNormal'&gt;Schedule A (itemized deductions), Line 10 - Annual mortgage interest deduction Line 901&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class='MsoNormal'&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class='MsoNormal'&gt;Schedule A (itemized deductions), Line 10 &amp;ndash; Points deduction Line 802&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class='MsoNormal'&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class='MsoNormal'&gt;Schedule A (itemized deductions), Line 6 &amp;ndash; Real estate taxes deduction Line 1003, 1004&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class='MsoNormal'&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class='MsoNormal'&gt;Schedule E (rental income), Line 20 &amp;ndash; Depreciation (cost of property is required) Line 101, 102&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class='MsoNormal'&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class='MsoNormal'&gt;Schedule E (rental income), Line 12a &amp;ndash; Mortgage Interest Deduction Line 901, 802&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class='MsoNormal'&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class='MsoNormal'&gt;Schedule E (rental income), Line 9 &amp;ndash; Insurance 903, 1001, 1002&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class='MsoNormal'&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class='MsoNormal'&gt;Schedule E (rental income), Line 16a &amp;ndash; Real state taxes 1003, 1004&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class='MsoNormal'&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class='MsoNormal'&gt;Schedule E (rental income), Line 18 &amp;ndash; Other deductions 703, 801-811, 1005, 1101-1110, 1201-3, 1301-1302&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class='MsoNormal'&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class='MsoNormal'&gt;Schedule D (capital gain) Part I, II, Column d &amp;ndash; Sales Price 401, 402&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class='MsoNormal'&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class='MsoNormal'&gt;Schedule D (capital gain) &amp;ndash; Part I, II, Column e &amp;ndash; Cost or other basis 101, 102&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class='MsoNormal'&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class='MsoNormal'&gt;Form 6252 (installment sale), Line 8 &amp;ndash; Selling price 401, 402&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class='MsoNormal'&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class='MsoNormal'&gt;Form 6252 (installment sale), Line 8 &amp;ndash; Cost or other basis 101, 102&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class='MsoNormal'&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class='MsoNormal'&gt;Form 4797 (sale of business property), Part I, Column d &amp;ndash; Cost or other basis 401, 402&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class='MsoNormal'&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class='MsoNormal'&gt;Form 4797 (sale of business property), Part I, Column f - 101, 102&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class='MsoNormal'&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class='MsoNormal'&gt;HUD-1&amp;rsquo;s two sections &lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class='MsoNormal'&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class='MsoNormal'&gt;Section J, Summary of Borrower&amp;#39;s Transaction&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class='MsoNormal'&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class='MsoNormal'&gt;This section contains 6 sections, and basically summarizes the entries made to the section L (Settlement charges, see below).&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class='MsoNormal'&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class='MsoNormal'&gt;&amp;bull;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; Section 100, Gross Amount Due from Borrower&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class='MsoNormal'&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class='MsoNormal'&gt;&amp;bull;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; Section 200, Amounts Paid By or In Behalf of Borrower&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class='MsoNormal'&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class='MsoNormal'&gt;&amp;bull;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; Section 300, Cash at Settlement From/To Borrower&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class='MsoNormal'&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class='MsoNormal'&gt;&amp;bull;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; Section 400, Gross Amount Due to Seller&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class='MsoNormal'&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class='MsoNormal'&gt;&amp;bull;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; Section 500, Reductions in Amount Due to Seller&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class='MsoNormal'&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class='MsoNormal'&gt;&amp;bull;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; Section 600, Cash at Settlement To/From Seller&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class='MsoNormal'&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class='MsoNormal'&gt;Section L, Settlement Charges&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class='MsoNormal'&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class='MsoNormal'&gt;That&amp;#39;s where many entries are tabulated before being brought forward to page 1. Columns contain charges that are paid from either the borrower&amp;#39;s or the seller&amp;#39;s funds. Your closing statement probably won&amp;#39;t have entries in all lines.&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class='MsoNormal'&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class='MsoNormal'&gt;&amp;bull;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; Section 700, Agency Commissions&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class='MsoNormal'&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class='MsoNormal'&gt;&amp;bull;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; Section 800, Items Payable in Connection with Loan&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class='MsoNormal'&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class='MsoNormal'&gt;&amp;bull;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; Section 900, Items Required by Lender to be Paid in Advance&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class='MsoNormal'&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class='MsoNormal'&gt;&amp;bull;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; Section 1000, Reserves Deposited with Lender&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class='MsoNormal'&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class='MsoNormal'&gt;&amp;bull;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; Section 1100, Title Charges&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class='MsoNormal'&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class='MsoNormal'&gt;&amp;bull;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; Section 1200, Government Recording and Transfer Charges&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class='MsoNormal'&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class='MsoNormal'&gt;&amp;bull;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; Sections 1300 &amp;amp; 1400, Additional Settlement Charges and Totals&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class='MsoNormal'&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class='MsoNormal'&gt;Line By Line Description&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class='MsoNormal'&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class='MsoNormal'&gt;Section 700, Agency Commissions&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class='MsoNormal'&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class='MsoNormal'&gt;701 Commissions paid to real estate agencies&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class='MsoNormal'&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class='MsoNormal'&gt;702 Commissions paid to real estate agencies Section 800, Items Payable in Connection with Loan&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class='MsoNormal'&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class='MsoNormal'&gt;801 Processing or originating loan fees. If the fee is a percentage of the loan amount, the percentage will be stated.&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class='MsoNormal'&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class='MsoNormal'&gt;802 &amp;quot;Points&amp;quot; charged by the lender. Each point is 1% of the loan amount.&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class='MsoNormal'&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class='MsoNormal'&gt;803 Appraisal fees. If paid with loan application before closing, it should be marked &amp;quot;POC,&amp;quot; (paid outside of closing). The amount would be shown, but would not be included in the total fees you bring to settlement.&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class='MsoNormal'&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class='MsoNormal'&gt;804 Cost of the credit report if it is not included in the Origination Fee.&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class='MsoNormal'&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class='MsoNormal'&gt;805 Inspections fee, done at the request of the lender.&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class='MsoNormal'&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class='MsoNormal'&gt;806 Private Mortgage Insurance (PMI) application fee.&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class='MsoNormal'&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class='MsoNormal'&gt;807 Assumption fee, when buyer takes over seller&amp;#39;s existing mortgage.&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class='MsoNormal'&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class='MsoNormal'&gt;808 Miscellaneous items connected with the loan, such as fees paid to a mortgage broker.&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class='MsoNormal'&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class='MsoNormal'&gt;809 Miscellaneous items connected with the loan, such as fees paid to a mortgage broker.&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class='MsoNormal'&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class='MsoNormal'&gt;810 Miscellaneous items connected with the loan, such as fees paid to a mortgage broker.&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class='MsoNormal'&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class='MsoNormal'&gt;811 Miscellaneous items connected with the loan, such as fees paid to a mortgage broker.&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class='MsoNormal'&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class='MsoNormal'&gt;Section 900, Items Required by Lender to be paid in Advance&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class='MsoNormal'&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class='MsoNormal'&gt;901 Interest collected at settlement for the time period between closing and the first monthly payment.&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class='MsoNormal'&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class='MsoNormal'&gt;902 Mortgage insurance premiums due at settlement. Escrow reserves for mortgage insurance are recorded later. If your mortgage insurance is a lump sum payment good for the life of the loan it should be noted.&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class='MsoNormal'&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class='MsoNormal'&gt;903 Hazard insurance premiums due at settlement. It is not used for insurance reserves that will go into escrow.&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class='MsoNormal'&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class='MsoNormal'&gt;904 Miscellaneous items: flood insurance, mortgage life insurance, credit life insurance and disability insurance premiums.&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class='MsoNormal'&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class='MsoNormal'&gt;905 Miscellaneous items: flood insurance, mortgage life insurance, credit life insurance and disability insurance premiums.&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class='MsoNormal'&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class='MsoNormal'&gt;Section 1000 Reserves Deposited with Lender&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class='MsoNormal'&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class='MsoNormal'&gt;1001-1007 Funds used to start the borrower&amp;#39;s escrow account, from which the lender will pay next year&amp;#39;s premiums. Each mortgage payment includes an amount that covers a portion of these recurring expenses.&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class='MsoNormal'&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class='MsoNormal'&gt;1008 Escrow adjustment calculated by the settlement agent by comparing different escrow formulas to assure the lender does not collect more escrow funds than allowed.&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class='MsoNormal'&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class='MsoNormal'&gt;Section 1100, Title Charges&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class='MsoNormal'&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class='MsoNormal'&gt;1101 Settlement agent&amp;#39;s fee. The fees for the abstract or title search and examination are entered in lines&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class='MsoNormal'&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class='MsoNormal'&gt;1102 Abstract / title search fee&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class='MsoNormal'&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class='MsoNormal'&gt;1103 Examination fee&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class='MsoNormal'&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class='MsoNormal'&gt;1104 Title insurance binder (also called a commitment to insure). Payment for title insurance policies is entered later.&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class='MsoNormal'&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class='MsoNormal'&gt;1105 Deed preparations record charges and work on mortgages and notes&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class='MsoNormal'&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class='MsoNormal'&gt;1106 The fee charged by a notary public for authenticating the execution of the settlement documents&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class='MsoNormal'&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class='MsoNormal'&gt;1107 Attorney&amp;#39;s fees.&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class='MsoNormal'&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class='MsoNormal'&gt;1108 Title insurance (except the cost of the binder).&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class='MsoNormal'&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class='MsoNormal'&gt;1109 Informational lines disclosing costs for the separate title insurance policies (Only line 1108 is carried forward.)&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class='MsoNormal'&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class='MsoNormal'&gt;1110 Informational lines disclosing costs for the separate title insurance policies (Only line 1108 is carried forward.)&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class='MsoNormal'&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class='MsoNormal'&gt;1111-1113 other title-related charges which vary by location: tax certificate fee / private tax fee&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class='MsoNormal'&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class='MsoNormal'&gt;Section 1200, Government Recording and Transfer Charges&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class='MsoNormal'&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class='MsoNormal'&gt;1201 Recording fee&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class='MsoNormal'&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class='MsoNormal'&gt;1202 City or County recording fee&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class='MsoNormal'&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class='MsoNormal'&gt;1203 State recording fee&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class='MsoNormal'&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class='MsoNormal'&gt;1204-1205 miscellaneous recording fee items&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class='MsoNormal'&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class='MsoNormal'&gt;Section 1300, Survey and inspections fees (for pests, lead-based paint, radon, structural inspections, inspections for heating, plumbing, or electrical equipment) and home warranty.&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class='MsoNormal'&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class='MsoNormal'&gt;Line 1400 Total settlement charges paid from borrower&amp;#39;s and seller&amp;#39;s funds. They are also entered in Sections J and K, lines 103 and 502.&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class='MsoNormal'&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class='MsoNormal'&gt;Section J, Summary of Borrower&amp;#39;s Transaction&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class='MsoNormal'&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class='MsoNormal'&gt;Section 100, Gross Amount Due from Borrower&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class='MsoNormal'&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class='MsoNormal'&gt;Line 101 Gross sales price of the property.&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class='MsoNormal'&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class='MsoNormal'&gt;Line 102 Personal property charges (draperies, washer, dryer, outdoor furniture, and decorative items purchased from the seller)&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class='MsoNormal'&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class='MsoNormal'&gt;Line 103 Total settlement charges to borrower (from Line 1400 section L)&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class='MsoNormal'&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class='MsoNormal'&gt;Lines 104-105 Amounts owed by the borrower or previously paid by the seller (include balance in the seller&amp;#39;s escrow account if the borrower is assuming the loan and uncollected rents borrower may owe the seller)&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class='MsoNormal'&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class='MsoNormal'&gt;Lines 106-112 Item paid in advance by seller (Prorated portion of city/county taxes)&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class='MsoNormal'&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class='MsoNormal'&gt;Line 120 Gross amount due from borrower. Total of Lines 101 through 112&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class='MsoNormal'&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class='MsoNormal'&gt;Section 200, Amounts Paid By or In Behalf of Borrower&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class='MsoNormal'&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class='MsoNormal'&gt;Line 201 Buyer&amp;rsquo;s credit for the earnest money paid when the offer was accepted.&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class='MsoNormal'&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class='MsoNormal'&gt;Line 202 The new loan paid to the borrower by the lender.&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class='MsoNormal'&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class='MsoNormal'&gt;Line 203 Loan borrower assumes or takes title subject to an existing loan or lien on the property.&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class='MsoNormal'&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class='MsoNormal'&gt;Lines 204-209 miscellaneous items paid by or on behalf of the buyer (allowance the seller is making for repairs or replacement of items or a note seller accepts from borrower for part of the purchase price)&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class='MsoNormal'&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class='MsoNormal'&gt;Lines 210-219 Bills seller has not yet paid, but owes (taxes, assessments or rent collected in advance by the seller for a period extending beyond the settlement date)&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class='MsoNormal'&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class='MsoNormal'&gt;Lines 220 Total for all items in Section 200. The total is added to the borrower&amp;#39;s proceeds. Section 300, Cash at Settlement From/To Borrower&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class='MsoNormal'&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class='MsoNormal'&gt;Lines 301 Summary of the total amount due from the borrower.&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class='MsoNormal'&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class='MsoNormal'&gt;Lines 302 Summery of all items already paid by or for the borrower.&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class='MsoNormal'&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class='MsoNormal'&gt;Lines 303 The difference between lines 301 and 302 representing the amount of money the borrower owes at closing. If negative number the borrower will receive funds back at closing.&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class='MsoNormal'&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class='MsoNormal'&gt;Section K, Summary of Seller&amp;#39;s Transaction&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class='MsoNormal'&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class='MsoNormal'&gt;Section 400, Gross Amount Due to Seller (amounts added to the seller&amp;#39;s funds)&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class='MsoNormal'&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class='MsoNormal'&gt;Line 401 Gross sales price of the property.&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class='MsoNormal'&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class='MsoNormal'&gt;Lines 404-405 Amounts owed by the borrower or previously paid by the seller (escrow account&amp;rsquo;s balance or uncollected rents)&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class='MsoNormal'&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class='MsoNormal'&gt;Lines 406-412 Items paid in advance by the seller (prorated portion of city / county taxes)&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class='MsoNormal'&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class='MsoNormal'&gt;line 420 is the gross amount due to the seller. Total of Lines 401 through 412.&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class='MsoNormal'&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class='MsoNormal'&gt;Section 500, Reductions in Amount Due to Seller (amounts are subtracted from the seller&amp;#39;s funds)&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class='MsoNormal'&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class='MsoNormal'&gt;line 501 When a third party holds the borrower&amp;#39;s earnest money deposit, and will pay it directly to the seller.&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class='MsoNormal'&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class='MsoNormal'&gt;line 502 Total from line 1400, the seller&amp;#39;s total charges as computed in Section L.&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class='MsoNormal'&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class='MsoNormal'&gt;line 503 When borrower assumes or takes title subject to existing liens which are deducted from the sales price.&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class='MsoNormal'&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class='MsoNormal'&gt;line 504-505 First and/or second loans which will be paid-off as part of settlement (including accrued interest).&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class='MsoNormal'&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class='MsoNormal'&gt;line 506-509 Miscellaneous entries&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class='MsoNormal'&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class='MsoNormal'&gt;Line 506 Deposits paid by the borrower to the seller or third party other than the settlement agent&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class='MsoNormal'&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class='MsoNormal'&gt;Line 510-519 Bills unpaid by seller (taxes, assessments or rent collected in advance )&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class='MsoNormal'&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class='MsoNormal'&gt;Line 520 Total of all items in Section 500. The total is deducted from the seller&amp;#39;s proceeds.&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class='MsoNormal'&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class='MsoNormal'&gt;Section 600, Cash at Settlement To/From Seller&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class='MsoNormal'&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class='MsoNormal'&gt;Line 601 Gross amount due to the seller, from line 420.&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class='MsoNormal'&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class='MsoNormal'&gt;Line 602 Total reductions in seller&amp;#39;s proceeds, from line 520.&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class='MsoNormal'&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class='MsoNormal'&gt;Line 603 Difference between lines 601 and 602. Cash amount paid to seller (if a negative number the seller owes money at closing)&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class='MsoNormal'&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class='MsoNormal'&gt;I was introduced to this marketing idea By &lt;a href='http://www.tax-usa.net/' title='Arik Rozen' target='_blank'&gt;Arik Rozen&lt;/a&gt; &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p class='MsoNormal'&gt;Blaine Newcomb&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;</description>
      <dc:creator>Blaine Newcomb (Remax Suburban West)</dc:creator>
      <pubDate>Mon, 29 Jan 2007 21:13:25 -0600</pubDate>
      <link>http://activerain.com/blogsview/39668/hud-1-as-a-marketing-tool-for-baltimore-realtors</link>
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      <guid>http://activerain.com/blogsview/39386/selecting-the-best-mortgage</guid>
      <title>Selecting the Best Mortgage</title>
      <description>  &lt;p class='MsoNormal'&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Selecting the Best Baltimore Mortgage Rates&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class='MsoNormal'&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class='MsoNormal'&gt;Your objective is not merely to locate the best rates and programs, by looking through a massive number of lenders products, and save yourself thousands of dollars on mortgage payments every year, nevertheless also, to save time and bother by making it simpler the loan process and reducing the paperwork. At this juncture here are some things you can keep in mind when selecting a mortgage provider. &lt;/p&gt;      &lt;p class='MsoNormal'&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class='MsoNormal'&gt;&lt;strong&gt;1. Search for Baltimore Mortgage Rates&lt;/strong&gt; &lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class='MsoNormal'&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class='MsoNormal'&gt;You ought to apply securely on line and get immediate on line free quotes. &lt;/p&gt;    &lt;p class='MsoNormal'&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class='MsoNormal'&gt;&lt;strong&gt;2. Apply On line&lt;/strong&gt; &lt;/p&gt;    &lt;p class='MsoNormal'&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class='MsoNormal'&gt;Apply On line with secure&amp;nbsp; web site. &lt;/p&gt;      &lt;p class='MsoNormal'&gt;&amp;nbsp; &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class='MsoNormal'&gt;&lt;strong&gt;3. Get pre qualified&lt;/strong&gt; &lt;/p&gt;    &lt;p class='MsoNormal'&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class='MsoNormal'&gt;Discover out how much money you can borrow for your home purchase! &lt;/p&gt;    &lt;p class='MsoNormal'&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class='MsoNormal'&gt;&lt;strong&gt;4. Get Pre Approved&lt;/strong&gt; &lt;/p&gt;      &lt;p class='MsoNormal'&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;br /&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class='MsoNormal'&gt;Obtain a free, no commitment pre-approved letter that you meet the criteria. &lt;/p&gt;      &lt;p class='MsoNormal'&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class='MsoNormal'&gt;&lt;strong&gt;5. Loan Processing and Approval&lt;/strong&gt; &lt;/p&gt;      &lt;p class='MsoNormal'&gt;&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class='MsoNormal'&gt;This is once your loan is processed, goes out to underwriting and final approval.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p class='MsoNormal'&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p class='MsoNormal'&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;  </description>
      <dc:creator>Blaine Newcomb (Remax Suburban West)</dc:creator>
      <pubDate>Mon, 29 Jan 2007 01:15:19 -0600</pubDate>
      <link>http://activerain.com/blogsview/39386/selecting-the-best-mortgage</link>
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      <guid>http://activerain.com/blogsview/38792/creating-a-great-first-impression-when-selling-your-baltimore-home</guid>
      <title>Creating a great first impression when selling your Baltimore home</title>
      <description>  &lt;p class='MsoNormal'&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p class='MsoNormal'&gt;&lt;a href='http://blainenewcomb.point2agent.com/' title='Baltimore MLS Listingd' target='_blank'&gt;&lt;img title='Remax' src='http://baltimorehudhomes.com/blaine/images/remax_logo.gif' height='133' alt='Remax' width='100' /&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;strong&gt;So you&amp;#39;ve decided to sell your home&lt;/strong&gt;. Seeing that you know, buying a house is the most significant purchase a purchaser can make. &lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class='MsoNormal'&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class='MsoNormal'&gt;So it&amp;#39;s logical that when potential buyers come through your house, your home will be scrutinized like it&amp;#39;s never been before (well not ever since you bought it anyway!). Everyone knows you in no way get a second opportunity to make a first impression, so contemplate implementing the following cost-effective idea, before you greet any potential buyers. &lt;/p&gt;    &lt;p class='MsoNormal'&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Reflect on the view that people see at what time they first drive up.&lt;/strong&gt; &lt;/p&gt;    &lt;p class='MsoNormal'&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;br /&gt;To make sure that you don&amp;#39;t send any possible buyers running down the driveway prior to having them even see the house, make sure the outside of the home is immaculate. Paint or wash as required and don&amp;#39;t overlook to mow the lawn and spruce up any outdoor plants. &lt;/p&gt;    &lt;p class='MsoNormal'&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Upon arriving to your home, what will they see?&lt;/strong&gt; &lt;/p&gt;    &lt;p class='MsoNormal'&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;br /&gt;If you have an area that makes statements when you walk in, possibly the walls are decorated a very bright color or the style of furniture is eclectic, probable buyers may have a tough time picturing their own stuff in the room. A new coat of paint in a neutral color is an economical but established technique for boosting the demand of any home. A spotless, fresh smell makes a good impression. Try placing air fresheners in closets to get rid of musty smells. The scent of recently baked bread also goes a long way. Don&amp;#39;t go overboard though - not everybody likes the strong aroma of potpourri or incense. Of course, it goes without saying that clean and bright equals a sale. Scrub, clean, wash windows, walls, floors and tiles and shampoo dirty carpets - leaving no stone unturned. &lt;/p&gt;        &lt;p class='MsoNormal'&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Clean under sinks, fix any leaks and clean up any damage.&lt;/strong&gt; &lt;/p&gt;        &lt;p class='MsoNormal'&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;br /&gt;Utilize exceptional cleaning agents to exonerate toilets, tubs and sinks of dirty. If you have lots of possessions, it&amp;#39;s hard for possible buyers to see around it to see the room. Pile up any assorted items, making sure to keep the garage, basement, attic and any closets tidy. This will make your home look more roomy and clean. Make repairs as required. If the baseboard around the cupboard is loose, for example, get out the hammer or glue and fasten it securely. Are the handles on the closet door unstable? If so, get out the screwdriver and tighten them. Impending buyers don&amp;#39;t want to have to look after a cluster of little stuff when they move in and they may subconsciously be noting all the little repairs. &lt;/p&gt;      &lt;p class='MsoNormal'&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;p class='MsoNormal'&gt;In conclusion, they may decline the house since they imagine all the minor repairs will amount to a bunch of work for them. By applying these effortless tips, you can make sure that your house will sell in no time!&lt;/p&gt;  </description>
      <dc:creator>Blaine Newcomb (Remax Suburban West)</dc:creator>
      <pubDate>Fri, 26 Jan 2007 17:22:13 -0600</pubDate>
      <link>http://activerain.com/blogsview/38792/creating-a-great-first-impression-when-selling-your-baltimore-home</link>
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      <guid>http://activerain.com/blogsview/38153/buying-home-appliances</guid>
      <title>Buying Home Appliances</title>
      <description>&lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;Once you add up all the mulla that you can splurge on home appliances and fixtures it becomes evident that you have to spend sensibly and cautiously to maintain costs under control. This stuff have a tendency to be some of the bigger ticket purchases around the home and plenty of money can be wasted if buying isn&amp;#39;t done correctly. &lt;br /&gt; &lt;br /&gt; One of the most valuable suggestions for buying appliances and fixtures the clever way is to make a decision before you start shopping precisely how much money you desire to spend, or what will fit in your budget. Amazingly, this is often not done until the buyer is already in the store. Regrettably, the heart habitually takes over when glancing over the hottest high-tech gadgets and features on the item being considered and results in the purchase of a much more costly item than is truthfully needed. Consequently take some time to make a decision exactly what your spending limit is before you even start to shop and then stick to your guns on that choice all the way during the buying process. &lt;br /&gt; &lt;br /&gt; In addition a good idea to investigate before you starts looking at actual goods themselves. These days there are countless consumer publications that facilitate you make an intelligent selection on a wide range of consumer items, including home appliances and fixtures. They extensively check the major brands and give their neutral opinions on a ample selection of features and issues related to each product. This is priceless information that can&amp;#39;t be had almost anywhere else, so take good advantage of it. You can come across most of these publications offered for free at your local library. This kind of research will also assist you making your mind up in advance exactly which features are most vital to you and which should you stay away from as needless expenses; in other words, invest your hard-earned money into basics not features. Always opt for better quality over more features too. &lt;br /&gt; &lt;br /&gt; Don&amp;#39;t just take for granted that buying in the neighborhood is the smartest move either. From time to time, the identical item can be found online at a much lower price than is possible in the vicinity and you can frequently get free delivery and even avoid sales tax on an online purchase too. Be cautious though and find out how much installation is needed for any item you make and factor installation costs in with any purchase that doesn&amp;#39;t take account of those costs in the purchase price. &lt;br /&gt; &lt;br /&gt; It may seems like a straightforward thing, but be sure to measure very cautiously to conclude that the item you want to buy will fit in the space that you have chosen for it in your home. Amazingly, this is something that is repeatedly overlooked until the delivery of the product and can result in plenty of avoidable stress. Just get the measuring tape out in advance and get familiar with the space required to save this problem from happening to you. &lt;br /&gt; &lt;br /&gt; In conclusion, mull over the warranty on the items you want to buy. Be certain to ask questions in advance so that you know what the warranty will cover and how long it will last. Furthermore, will you have to send the appliance out to be repaired under warranty or is home repair covered under the warranty contract? </description>
      <dc:creator>Blaine Newcomb (Remax Suburban West)</dc:creator>
      <pubDate>Wed, 24 Jan 2007 20:25:22 -0600</pubDate>
      <link>http://activerain.com/blogsview/38153/buying-home-appliances</link>
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      <guid>http://activerain.com/blogsview/37941/home-inspection-or-home-warranty-</guid>
      <title>Home Inspection or Home Warranty?</title>
      <description>Baltimore First time home buyers are questioning me lot. They regularly ask questions. A frequently question is, &amp;quot;If I obtain a home inspection, must I still acquire a home warranty?&amp;quot; followed by there&amp;#39;s always this question, &amp;quot;If I purchase a home warranty, do I still have to get a home inspection?&amp;quot; &lt;img title='Baltimore First Time Home Buyer' src='http://blainenewcomb.remax.com/TemplateSiteTemplates/REMAXBroker_60000020/ColorVariations/Dark%20Blue/images/header.jpg' height='92' alt='Baltimore First Time Home Buyer' width='646' /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The option of obtaining a home inspection and purchasing a home warranty is a subject that I honestly do not comprehend. Each is intended to provide a distinct reason and preferably work simultaneously to look after and diminish the risk of homeownership. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Perhaps a comparison will make the matter clear. A person has just had a complete and throughout physical exam. The outcome of the exam and all related lab tests are that the individual seems to free of all disease or illness. They are at the moment the picture of health! &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Would it be sensible or conscientious for the doctor then to suggest to the patient, due to their excellent physical condition, that it is a waste of money to keep on to paying for health insurance? Of course not! &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Nobody would think the doctor even sane, let alone reliable to make such an advice. However, is that not the similar situation to someone feeling that they need not pay for a home warranty since they just had a home inspection? &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;  &lt;p class='MsoNormal'&gt;In addition to let&amp;#39;s examine this same circumstances from the opposite direction. Would we expect that our life insurance company would advocate to us that we forego the expense of customary physical exams, since, after all, we now have life insurance! &lt;br /&gt; &lt;br /&gt; The life insurance companies, in reality, feel so strongly that a physical exam is such an important part of risk reduction that a physical exam is often required to secure a life insurance policy, or at least has an effect on the insurance rate. &lt;br /&gt; &lt;br /&gt; If insurance companies feel like to have you inspected prior to taking on the risk of your death, it definitely makes common sense for the home buyer to have the home inspected prior to buying your home. Doesn&amp;#39;t it, consequently, make similar sense to warrant unanticipated failure with the home warranty? &lt;br /&gt; &lt;br /&gt; At what time buyers fully understand risk and the cost-effectiveness of risk reduction tools, they more or less always want all of the risk reduction tools on hand. It is in everyone&amp;#39;s best significance to reduce risk by all cost effective means possible. Buyers love to be well-informed about understanding and reducing risk, and everyone loves a happy Baltimore first home buyer.&lt;/p&gt;  &lt;br /&gt;</description>
      <dc:creator>Blaine Newcomb (Remax Suburban West)</dc:creator>
      <pubDate>Wed, 24 Jan 2007 07:17:59 -0600</pubDate>
      <link>http://activerain.com/blogsview/37941/home-inspection-or-home-warranty-</link>
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