All Posts Tagged With: "real"
Is A Commercial Foreclosure Crisis Next?
Go to any major metro area and you can always find a slew of downtown high-rise apartment buildings, office parks, shopping malls, and warehouses. Just like single-family homes and condos, these commercial properties are “real estate” too — and often real estate with a mortgage. Writing in the Dallas Morning News, Steve Brown notes that [...]
10Jul2009 | Peter G. Miller | 1 comment | Continued
Inflation, Deflation, Mortgages & Wealth
Freddie Mac’s weekly mortgage rate survey shows that the average 30-year fixed-rate mortgage (FRM) was priced at 5.59% with .7 points. This is a huge jump from last week when the rate stood at 5.29 percent and a vast leap when compared with the rate for the week of May 21st: 4.82%. Higher rates are [...]
12Jun2009 | Peter G. Miller | 0 comments | Continued
Help — My Job Isn’t Perfect!
Every so often I speak with someone who’s having a hard time at work. Sure the pay is okay and the benefits exist, but lately the boss is a bastard, the schedule is a mess and no one appreciates them. I want to quit and I want to quit now, they say. I listen to [...]
13Feb2009 | Peter G. Miller | 0 comments | Continued
Should We End State-Wide Real Estate Licensing?
By it’s nature real estate is a localized commodity. If you’ve ever heard someone say, “my home would be worth $400,000 more if only it was located elsewhere” you can see the issue: Location is crucial. The home isn’t located elsewhere, it’s located where it is and that’s one reason it’s not worth an additional [...]
16Sep2008 | Peter G. Miller | 0 comments | Continued
Secrets of Real Estate Wealth Revealed By Masters
Real estate and real wealth have been a natural combination ever since someone wanted the best cave in the valley. Even at a time when the stock market has soured to historic highs, real estate remains the bedrock of some of the largest fortunes in America. My interest in real estate and money began in [...]
10Sep2008 | Peter G. Miller | 0 comments | Continued
Who Owns Real Estate Broker Data?
There was never a question of who owned broker data before the advent of the Web. Brokers owned the listings, descriptions, and photographs they gathered and aggregated. Such content was private. And now, says still another court decision, it still is. The importance of broker data is plain: Major web sites need broker data and [...]
6Sep2008 | Peter G. Miller | 0 comments | Continued
Can I Sell My House With A Raffle?
A “lottery” or “raffle” operated by a private individual is purely a game of chance (gambling) and thus generally prohibited. A “contest” requiring an element of skill, independent judging, money held in escrow, etc., may be acceptable in some states. You need an attorney to look at state rules and postal regulations before making a [...]
29Aug2008 | Peter G. Miller | 0 comments | Continued
Can I Buy Real Estate With Less Than 20% Down?
While so-called “conventional” loans do require 20 percent, other loan programs do not. As examples: • Qualified individuals can buy with nothing down under the VA loan program. • FHA loan programs require 3.5 percent down — and maybe less with some state assistance programs. • The “Affordable Gold” and “Community Home Buyers Program” each [...]
29Aug2008 | Peter G. Miller | 0 comments | Continued
Can I Get A Mortgage For A Mobile Home?
In 1976, the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) began to regulate mobile homes. One benefit of such regulation is that mobile home standards have improved over time, something which makes them more attractive to lenders — and owners. That said, a mobile home may or may not be real estate. In some states [...]
28Aug2008 | Peter G. Miller | 0 comments | Continued
My father had a stroke. Does that create any special requirements in a real estate transaction?
How bad a stroke? When an individual lacks capacity or has questionable capacity (because of illness, for example), steps must be taken to assure that the individual’s assets are protected. Depending on your state, it may be necessary to get a court to supervise the sale. If the individual seems fine, it may nevertheless be [...]
26Aug2008 | Peter G. Miller | 0 comments | Continued
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