Home Buying Blog

HUD Settlement Cost Booklet

Sun, 30 Jan 2011 21:53:54 GMT

HUD revised their Settlement Cost Booklet in December, 2009. Here is information about the US Department of Housing and Urban Development's, HUD Settlement Cost Booklet

Financing Terminology

Wed, 03 Nov 2010 15:10:49 GMT

A description of the most used real estate mortgage financing terminology to help you better understand the process and being armed to ask the right questions.

Homes For Sale

Wed, 03 Nov 2010 15:07:42 GMT

Home Buyers Best Realty LLC, exclusive buyer agents, provides information on homes for sale in the Albany NY - Capital Region

Homes For Sale Colonie NY

Thu, 09 Sep 2010 20:05:54 GMT

Home Buyers Best Realty LLC provides information about homes for sale Colonie NY

Homes For Sale Troy NY

Mon, 06 Sep 2010 20:45:30 GMT

Home Buyers Best Realty LLC provides information about homes for sale Troy NY.

Homes For Sale Schenectady NY

Mon, 06 Sep 2010 20:44:04 GMT

Home Buyers Best Realty LLC provides information about homes for sale Schenectady NY

Homes For Sale Saratoga Springs NY

Mon, 06 Sep 2010 20:42:46 GMT

Home Buyers Best Realty LLC provides information about homes for sale Saratoga Springs NY

Homes For Sale Lake George NY

Mon, 06 Sep 2010 20:41:58 GMT

Home Buyers Best Realty LLC provides information about homes for sale Lake George NY

Homes For Sale Glens Falls NY

Mon, 06 Sep 2010 20:40:51 GMT

Home Buyers Best Realty LLC provides information about homes for sale Glens Falls NY

Homes For Sale Albany NY

Mon, 06 Sep 2010 20:39:15 GMT

Home Buyers Best Realty LLC provides information about homes for sale Albany NY.

Homes For Sale Ballston Spa NY

Mon, 06 Sep 2010 20:37:03 GMT

Home Buyers Best Realty LLC provides information about homes for sale Ballston Spa NY

HUD Homes

Sun, 01 Aug 2010 21:11:05 GMT

Information about HUD homes and the HUD foreclosure and bidding process.

Conflict free home buyer representation

Thu, 24 Jun 2010 19:05:33 GMT

Home buyers need to find conflict free representation which they can't get from a traditional real estate company.

Be Wary of Dual Agency

Thu, 24 Jun 2010 19:01:08 GMT

From the Counsel's Office, NYS Department of State, "As a principal in a real estate transaction, you should always know that you have the right to be represented by an agent who is loyal only to you throughout the entire transaction. Your agent's fiduciary duties to you need never be compromised."

Home Buyer Tax Credit Extended One Year for Military

Wed, 26 May 2010 18:53:14 GMT

The home buyer tax credit is extended another full year until April 30, 2011, for certain military and government personnel. Do you qualify? Check out the IRS's website to see if you do.

REO

Mon, 15 Mar 2010 21:47:32 GMT

Discussion of REO property or better known as bank owned or real estate owned property.

Find an Agent

Mon, 15 Mar 2010 20:36:07 GMT

Find an Agent resources that help you determine the right agent for you and help in finding such an agent, buyer agent, exclusive buyer agent.

Looking For An Agent? Start by Ignoring Your Friends and Relatives

Sat, 20 Feb 2010 01:40:37 GMT

According to NAR's (the National Association of Realtors) Profile of Home Buyers and Sellers 2009, "Forty-four percent of buyers found their agent through a referral from a friend or family member." The problem is your friends, family members, and co-workers may not know that there are special agents, "exclusive buyer agents", around the country who represent home buyers only. Consequently, you will probably end up working with the wrong agent.

Home Buyers - Check Your Credit First!

Fri, 19 Feb 2010 14:57:03 GMT

Home buyers often wait until they have a property under contract or until they apply for a mortgage to have their credit reports pulled. It can take 4 to 6 months sometimes to get inaccurate information removed from your credit reports and even longer to get your credit scores to readjust and increase to where you can qualify for a mortgage.

Is Credit Repair a Rip Off?

Fri, 19 Feb 2010 14:57:03 GMT

Credit repair has a very negative connotation. It is open to a lot of scams and is one of the most investigated financial industries. As a result of such problems a law was passed governing credit improvement entities, the Credit-Repair-Organizations-Act (CROA). In part the law states:

One In Four Credit Reports Contain Serious Errors!

Fri, 19 Feb 2010 14:57:03 GMT

A survey by U.S. PIRG (The U.S. Public Interest Research Group) found: "One in four credit reports contains errors serious enough to cause consumers to be denied credit, a loan, an apartment or home loan or even a job." 'The big credit bureaus and big business tolerate big mistakes in credit reports,' said Ed Mierzwinski, U.S. PIRG Consumer Program Director. 'But those mistakes ruin the financial reputations of hardworking Americans.'

The Housing Double Dip Began in December

Tue, 16 Feb 2010 00:06:52 GMT

December brought signs that the fledgling recovery of home values in many markets is slowing again. U.S. home values got a bit lower again in December relative to November levels and the rate of decline got just a little bit higher as well.

HUD Booklet Advises Buyers to Search for an Agent Who Will Represent Their Best Interests

Sun, 14 Feb 2010 21:46:48 GMT

The US Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Releases Latest Version of Shopping for your Home Loan - HUD Settlement Cost Booklet. It advises buyers to search for an agent who will represent their interests in a real estate transaction. In its first revision in over 10 years, HUD advises home buyers that it is their responsibility to search for a real estate agent that will represent their interests. In Shopping for Your Home Loan - HUDs Settlement Cost Booklet, HUD states: If you want someone to represent only your interests, consider hiring an exclusive buyers agent, who will be working for you.

FHA Regulations Change

Fri, 22 Jan 2010 23:05:34 GMT

FHA recently announced changes in the FHA mortgage program. Borrowers with a FICO score of less than 580 will need 10 down payment. Borrowers with a FICO score of 580+ will need 3.5 down. The upfront MIP, Mortgage Insurance Premium, is being raised to 2.25 of the mortgage amount. And, the seller concession limit is being changed downward from 6 to 3. The result is that home buyers may need to save up more money for down payment and closing costs after these changes go into effect in early summer.

Foreclosures

Fri, 22 Jan 2010 22:39:38 GMT

Discussion of the steps of a foreclosure including pre-foreclosures and REO property owned by a bank.

Short Sale

Fri, 22 Jan 2010 22:37:34 GMT

A discussion of the steps involved in buying a home using a short sale process.

Little Known Realtor Rule Could Cost You Thousands

Fri, 22 Jan 2010 18:30:25 GMT

There is a little known drama that sometimes plays out behind the scenes when buying a home. An agent, that you had a brief contact with earlier, comes out of the blue claiming a commission on the home you are buying through another agent. Welcome to "One Date And You Are Married", a behind the scenes drama that plays out from time to time without buyers or sellers initially knowing what is happening.

Skeletons In The Closet

Fri, 22 Jan 2010 15:24:02 GMT

Aliens, skeletons and other selling horrors leave impact on would-be buyers. These and numerous other annoyances usually leave a lasting impression on would-be buyers. But they are not the kind of imprint you want to make. They are far more likely to kill a sale than seal it. And they happen more often than most people think.

One Date You Are Married

Fri, 22 Jan 2010 13:12:39 GMT

One Date You Are Married discusses the problem with buyers seeing property or obtaining real estate information from more than one agent. The first agent can make a claim for a commission later.

Tricky Terrain

Fri, 22 Jan 2010 12:52:21 GMT

Any contact with a real estate agent, no matter how innocuous it seems, could wind up costing you money.

Home Buying - Six Mistakes to Avoid

Fri, 22 Jan 2010 12:34:46 GMT

Homebuyers routinely make costly mistakes when buying a home. Here are six costly mistakes made by homebuyers that could easily be avoided.