Tips For Buying A House

The top 10 things you need to know when buying a home. BY: CNN MONEY 101 1. Don’t buy if you can’t stay put. 2. Start by shoring up your credit. 3. Aim for a home you can really afford. 4. If you can’t put down the usual 20 percent, you may still qualify for

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Buying a House: How Much Can You Afford?

By Ronda Kaysen …When the housing bubble burst and it became clear that lenders were handing out mortgages with their eyes closed, many banks tightened their lending practices. Buyers suddenly were being asked to show stellar credit ratings and lay out 20% of the price of the home as a down payment. But, five years later, as the

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Rick Otton Explains How Creative Strategies Can Save Buyers And Sellers From Losing Money Off Property Investment

September 06, 2013 Rick Otton, author of How To Buy A House For A Dollar, explains to Aussies how creative strategies in his real estate book can make better real estate transactions in light of news that many investors are losing money over property investment. On 27 August 2013, the Property Observer reported that 42 residential units bought off-

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Tapping your equity to buy a second home

Should I use my home’s equity to purchase another property? — Anonymous With housing markets heating up and interest rates still low, it can be a great time to invest in real estate. But if you don’t have a lot of extra cash on hand, how do you pay for it? There are the usual

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Real Estate Overtakes Commodities as Top Sovereign Asset

By: Klaus Wille Real estate topped the list of sovereign wealth funds’ investments last year, overtaking commodities and financial services, according to Institutional Investor’s Sovereign Wealth Center. Properties made up 26 percent of investments by these funds last year, up from 14 percent in 2011, according to the center’s report on investment trends by the

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Real Estate Matters: How to be a smart property investor

By  Ilyce R. Glink and Samuel J. Tamkin Home buyers and real estate investors have been in a good mood for years, since around 2007, when the housing crisis began. And why not? Historic low interest rates and home values that have dropped off anywhere from 30 to 60 percent are a potent combination. But you

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10 things to consider before buying a brownstone

By Leonora Desar We’ve already touched on some of the considerations when buying an apartment in a brownstone — issues such as noise (since brownstones often weren’t intended to be divided the way they are); chimney, fireplace and overall structural problems; and the general upkeep required. If fractional living isn’t your thing and you’re looking to buy an

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‘Sell and Buy’ Sustained low interest rates and rising prices have energized the marketplace.

By Tim Peterson The local real estate market is thriving, with Realtors reporting multiple offers on homes in some areas and dwindling inventory of homes for sale. At least two things are contributing to this change in the market. First, interest rates have been in the basement: Freddie Mac reported a 30-year fixed-rate of 3.57

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Before Becoming a Landlord, Add Up Costs

ANYA MARTIN One of life’s luxuries is being able to afford a vacation home. But don’t underestimate its true cost—especially if you plan to rent it out… Doug Lebda, chief executive of Lending Tree, made a bigger down payment and pays higher interest rates because he plans to rent out the $960,000 beach condo he

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Rental Investment May Seem Safer Than It Really Is

By TARA SIEGEL BERNARD Investing in a tangible asset like real estate may seem to offer a greater sense of control. You can walk through a house, after all, which somehow feels safer than subjecting your savings to the whims of the stock market… THE TAX IMPLICATIONS Rental income is taxed at ordinary income rates, but experts

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