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From buying and selling advice for consumers to money-making tips for Agents, our content, updated daily, has made Realty Times a must-read site for anyone involved in Real Estate.
Home and garden articles.
All about gardening. Includes a forum and an exchange for buying or selling special items from other gardeners.
Print these pages, and take them with you as you inspect homes for buying, or use it to see how your own home checks out.
This is a great site for selling and finding homes on your own. It is free to use and to list. It has many great features that make finding a home a breeze.
Texas, Pennsylvania, and New York have the highest rates, costing about $1,400 for $180,000. $1,100 is an average price across the country.
The title insurance industry pays about 4% of its collected premiums in claims, compared to a 75% payout for auto insurance. It is argued that a good deal of the premium is used for research to prevent later losses. But considering that much of this research is stored in online databases, how much can it cost, really? Even the premiums for boiler insurance, where part of the premium is spent for inspections and risk analysis, pays out 25%.
Most consumers get sucked in because they usually don't choose the title insurance company, but is chosen for them by the mortgage provider or the real estate agent. Naturally, the title insurance companies market heavily to them. Since they're not the actual purchasers, the price will usually not be an option.
Iowa is the only state that does not allow the sale of title insurance. Iowa has a state-run Title Guaranty Program that costs the home buyer just $385 for up to $500,000 of coverage—$110 for the coverage, $150 for an abstractor who does the research, and $125 for a review by a lawyer.
Home Buying Tip: Obviously, in other states, the best way to save money is for the home buyer to buy her own insurance, and to get prices well before closing.
Deciding when and where to buy, and making sure you get what you pay for.
Shows what to look out for when having a new home constructed.
Thorough explanation of closing costs, the money you need to close a transaction deal.
Some websites mentioned:
This site helps you to find real estate agents in your zip code. You can see what houses they have sold recently, what price was asked for, what price did they get, and what opinion the home seller had of the real estate agent. You select the real estate agents. No forms to fill out, no unsolicited calls from agents, and no unwanted email.
This site obviously helps you sell your house yourself. There is a small fee that starts at $89.95, but they guarantee that you will sell your home at your price, or they will refund your money.
Although there is 1 or 2 examples of sellers getting even more than the price range, seller beware. An article in The Journal of Real Estate Finance and Economics stated that homes with a range take longer to sell, and with little effect on actual selling prices.
This article explains the calculations and requirements that lenders use to determine how much of a mortgage you can afford.
When a homebuyer defaults on his mortgage payments, the bank takes possession of the house, and then, puts it up for sale in the market. This is called foreclosure.
Helps you calculate important personal financial ratios to see if you can qualify for a mortgage, and if so, how much.
Authorized by the 1984 Tax Reform Act, mortgage credit certificates allow home buyers to deduct up to 20% of their annual mortgage interest as a tax credit. Unlike most tax deductions, a tax credit reduces your tax bill dollar for dollar, and can result in substantial savings for those who qualify.
How to lessen your down payment for a home with mortgage insurance.
Private mortgage insurance is not tax deductible. This short article lists 2 other ways to help finance your home that is tax deductible.
What Fannie Mae Considers in Approving Mortgages — What Desktop Underwriter® Analyzes in Your Loan Application
Mortgage calculator that shows, in a table, monthly payment, total interest paid, and total payment for 5 to 30 year mortgages. Calculate the monthly payment for a given loan at a specified interest, or calculate the loan amount, given a monthly payment and interest rate.
Consult this government site—the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration—before hiring a mover, especially one that you found on the Internet.
One of the best resources on all aspects of homes, published by The Wall Street Journal. Search more than 1 million active home listings; get in-depth information on 100 of the largest metropolitan areas; and find the best places to live. Includes information on buying and selling, relocation, home design, home improvement, and lawn and garden. The general articles that are published every weekday are excellent. http://owners.com/
Resource for home owners, including help with buying and selling a home without an agent, and, if wanted, finding an agent.
This site has many links related to real estate. Categories include agents and brokers, apartments and rentals, career training, commercial real estate, construction, finance and mortgage, for sale by owner, real estate foreclosure, international real estate, moving, property management and listing, and vacation homes.
One of the best resources on mortgages. Find the best rates for buying or refinancing your home, or look for the best rates for home equity loans.
Everything you always wanted to know about home inspections--and more. Includes how to find reputable home inspectors, and what to expect.
Topics: buyer tips, financing, insurance, home inspections, selling tips, title and escrow, and much more.
Consumer Information on Reverse Mortgages
Reverse Mortgages: Get the Facts Before Cashing In On Your Home’s Equity - FTC page about reverse mortgages.
An article about the hazards of dealing with mortgage workout companies, sometimes called foreclosure service prevention companies.
The listings on the right can be sorted by price, number of bedrooms, description, city, or date listed by clicking on the column headings. Click once for a lowest to highest sort, click the header again to reverse the sort.
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530 Tax Information for First-Time Homeowners
587 Business Use of Your Home, Publication 587
523 Selling Your Home, Publication 523
527 Residential Rental Property, Including Vacation Homes
521 Moving Expenses, Publication 521
936 Home Mortgage Interest Deduction, Publication 936