May 16, 2014 / by Dominique Brown / Financial Basics, Real Estate / 0 comments
When you buy a home, you will typically have an escrow account. All escrow means is that the money is being held by a third party. It’s separate from your mortgage account, though your mortgage payment typically covers your house payment and your escrow payment. Your payment will typically consist of money that goes toward […]
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Helping You Simplify Your Finances
Hacking The Down Payment For Your Home Purchase
May 25, 2015 / by Jim Gibson / Financial Basics, Real Estate / 0 comments
Certainly you must have heard something in the news or even around the water cooler at work about Real Estate. It’s back, goes the chatter. Case-Shiller just said home prices are rising again. As a quick down and dirty review, recall that the Case-Shiller Home Price Index is based on the work of economists Karl […]
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American Dream or American Nightmare?
September 3, 2014 / by Jim Gibson / Real Estate / 0 comments
Does owning your own home or better yet, working and slaving away to even qualify to own your own home even makes sense anymore? Is it about time to reexamine the tired old advice from Grandpa about the importance owning your own home? Has the world and society changed so much and so fast that […]
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7 Things Every Renter Should Know that Your Landlord Won’t Tell You
September 1, 2014 / by H. D. Carver / Real Estate / 0 comments
The debate surrounding the relative merits of owning versus renting one’s home will continue ad nauseam. I have a foot firmly planted in each camp. However, for many, renting is not just a personal choice, it is a financial necessity. The dwindling middle class, victims of stagnant wages and diminished job opportunities, have unacceptable credit […]
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What is a Home Inspection?
June 13, 2014 / by Dominique Brown / Financial Basics, Real Estate / 0 comments
Once you have made a purchase contract with the seller, your job isn’t done. You cannot sit back and relax until closing because you have several things that you need to accomplish in the meantime. For example, you will need to find a home inspector, and you will need to schedule time for a home […]
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How to Buy Real Estate with No Down Payment, No Mortgage and No Land Contract…Ever!
June 9, 2014 / by H. D. Carver / Investing, Real Estate / 0 comments
I know what you are thinking—just another misleading headline to attract attention. Nope! The Real Estate Investment Trust (REIT) really does allow you to invest in real estate with none of the entanglements you normally associate with owning property and it is as easy as buying stock. The Real Estate Investment Trust is an indirect […]
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What is a Purchase Contract (in Real Estate)?
June 6, 2014 / by Dominique Brown / Financial Basics, Real Estate / 0 comments
Before you get to the purchase contract, you have to make an offer, which is the exciting part! You’re actually making an offer on the home that you want. Will the buyer accept it? Will he counter? You’ll just have to wait and see.
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What is an FHA Loan?
May 30, 2014 / by Dominique Brown / Financial Basics, Real Estate / 0 comments
FHA (Federal Housing Association) loans are insured by the Federal Housing Administration, are available to a number of people, including first time homebuyers.
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Reader Question: Closing Costs vs. Mortgage Points
May 29, 2014 / by Dominique Brown / Reader Question, Real Estate / 0 comments
Do you have a financial question? If you do, you definitely aren’t the only one. I get frequently get financial questions, and I do my best to answer some of them on the site. For example, Tya, recently emailed me to ask a question for one of her friends. She told me, I have a […]
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What is Pre-Approval?
May 23, 2014 / by Dominique Brown / Financial Basics, Real Estate / 0 comments
Are you ready for a home of your own? Would you rather own your house than rent it? It may not be a bad time to buy a home, but before you rush off to find a realtor, you will want to look at getting pre-approved for a loan. Pre-approval is when you approach a […]
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What is Escrow?
May 16, 2014 / by Dominique Brown / Financial Basics, Real Estate / 0 comments
When you buy a home, you will typically have an escrow account. All escrow means is that the money is being held by a third party. It’s separate from your mortgage account, though your mortgage payment typically covers your house payment and your escrow payment. Your payment will typically consist of money that goes toward […]
Read more