To Buy or To Rent: Which one makes more financial sense?

Every potential home buyer has to stop for at least a moment and consider this question. Today, we want to look at one of the many financial reasons to buy instead of rent: Read more

Short Sales – 10 Common Myths Busted

It’s likely you’ve heard the term “short sale” thrown around quite a bit. What exactly is a short sale?

A short sale is when a bank agrees to accept less than the total amount owed on a mortgage to avoid having to foreclose on the property. Read more

Get Out Of Debt

Get out of debt today! It sounds a bit like a late-night infomercial, but the truth is that a debt-free lifestyle can be within reach for you and your family.

Reducing your debt-load can be the next, and biggest step, towards owning a home of your own. This is because you must have a strong credit score to buy in today’s market and a strong credit score comes from healthy spending habits and low debt ratio.

Credit used to be something different than it is today. Some reports show that the volume of consumer loans more than doubled in from 1990 to 2000. Changes in credit were happening long before this decade, though. People used to buy only what they had the cash to use. Times have changed. Read more

5 Ways to Improve Your Credit Score

In today’s world, your credit score can have a significant effect on the financial aspects of your life. Your credit history determines loan and credit card interest rates, can raise your insurance premiums, and can even be a determining factor for getting a job.

Therefore, it’s very important to take steps to achieve and maintain a healthy credit score, and to check up on it frequently to ensure that it is accurate. Read more

12 Ways To Sell Your House In This Down Market

To buy or sell in 2012, what with Armageddon coming and all? Absent any ancient Mayan wisdom on real estate strategies, let’s just hope the real cataclysmic event in the real estate market already has passed, even if the rubble from the bubble remains.

A stubborn overstock of households with loans higher than their value will continue to restrain prices and create some major obstacles for sellers in 2012, a year that’s shaping up to be another homebuyer’s market. In fact, recent studies indicate that more than 20 percent of all residential properties with a mortgage are still underwater, hinting that many foreclosures and workouts are still to come. Read more

Survey Reveals Why Buyers Are Waiting on Sidelines

Twenty-seven percent of Americans say they plan to buy a home in the future (with most saying in two or more years), and only two percent say they plan to purchase a home in the next 12 months, according to a new Move Inc. survey of 1,000 American adults. So why are so many buyers continuing to wait on the sidelines when home affordability is high and interest rates are at or hovering near record lows?

About 23 percent of those surveyed say they are delaying buying a home because they are concerned about the real estate market in their local area, particularly with concerns over the future of home values, the economy and jobs, as well as difficulty in saving for a down payment. Read more

Should I buy or rent?

NEW YORK (CNNMoney) — For the last three years, my husband and I have been renting a house. But I would rather buy than throw my money away on rent. Still, even though we have about $120,000 in savings, great credit and no debt, my husband is reluctant. The job he’s had the past two years took 15 months to find, and it pays a lot less than his previous job. He’s afraid buying now isn’t a good idea because of the shaky economy. What do you think: Should we buy or continue renting? — Jean J.

First things first, I want to dispel the belief that you are throwing money away on rent.

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This is a self-serving notion real estate agents often spout that not only isn’t true, but isn’t a basis for making a rational decision when it comes to buying versus renting. Read more