Availing Home Loans for the First Time

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Here is a look at real-estate news in the weekend’s and Monday’s WSJ Go to Source @import ‘http://heyzap.com/elightbox/lightbox.external.css’; var heyzap_link = new Heyzap(‘heyzap_games’, {“embed_key”: “d673fbb81e”}); Play games on Finance Blog

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Let's say you wanted to buy a house. @import ‘http://heyzap.com/elightbox/lightbox.external.css’; var heyzap_link = new Heyzap(‘heyzap_games’, {“embed_key”: “d673fbb81e”}); Play games on Finance Blog

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Nokia (NOK) has started shipping the C7, a smart phone with a 3.5-inch touch screen AMOLED display. The phone is listed at 335 Euros – about $468 – excluding taxes and subsidies. NOK this morning is up 9 cents, at $10.92. Earlier: Nokia: Charter Equity Upgrades; But Sees No Quick Recovery Go to Source @import [...]

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Image : http://www.flickr.com Home prices have reached record levels, and in many parts of the country, homes have become nearly unaffordable. Real estate has replaced the tech stocks of the late 1990’s as the hot investment, and everyone has sold their stocks and jumped into investment property. Real estate prices have increased at a [...] [...]

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With rates of interest at an all-time low and houses at rock bottom costs now will be the ideal time for first time household consumers or residence investment. Whether you’re a buyer, seller or each, check out these 10 suggestions for navigating the real estate market successfully. Guidelines for customers 1. Be the king from the [...]

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An open end mortgage is a type of mortgage that actually allows a borrower to borrow more money at some point in the future. This type of loan is essentially still open with the lender, and the lender leaves open the possibility of increasing the loan amount at some date in the future. In most [...]

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We all know the TV advertising for your offers to buy structured settlements, lottery winnings, mortgage, or refer to. The question is, how much will you get? Well, the answer is not straightforward, but here are a few factors to consider when determining the value of your pension. @import ‘http://heyzap.com/elightbox/lightbox.external.css’; var heyzap_link = new Heyzap(‘heyzap_games’, [...]

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If you're reading this article now, there's a good chance you have bad credit. Does bad credit make you a bad person? Absolutely not. Go over the years on this earth to rise to the debt and go. In fact, more than thirty to forty percent of all Americans a kind of debt that does [...]

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Have trouble finding a loan scheme by the owner CCJS? Unfortunately, obtaining a loan, not owner, with CCJS is more difficult than expected, and the mistreatment of businesses can lead to making depreciation. Although it is not aware that there are things you can do to learn the right product for the credit you need. [...]

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With a further increase in property prices on a large scale, many people can not afford to go to the properties or larger. To improve the property that many people take dui. This method has the advantage of no added value that your property has accumulated in recent years to make it a more attractive [...]

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Moving? Rent First, Ask Questions Later

This is a guest-post from Tim Ellis, author of Seattle Bubble, a blog and forum dedicated to discussing real estate market conditions in the Seattle area. Tim is a long-time GRS reader. During my last trip to Europe, he shared a controversial article on renting vs. buying.

Given the fact that each year around sixteen million Americans move to a new county, it’s likely that at some point in your life you’ll find yourself moving to an unfamiliar area.

Starting a new chapter of your life in a fresh locale can be an exciting and memorable time, but it can also be rough on your personal finances. Many of the expenses associated with a major move are unavoidable, but there’s one major mistake that is easy to avoid: buying a home immediately upon arriving.

Maybe you’re tired of renting and homes are a lot cheaper where you’re going, or maybe you own a home in your old city and feel like it would be a financial defeat to go back to renting.

In reality, starting by renting when you move to a new city is anything but defeat. It’s actually the smartest decision you can make, both for your sanity and your bank account.

A real world example
In early 2007, a new employee (we’ll call him Ben) was hired to my team at work. Fresh from the midwest, Ben and his wife had owned a home in their old city, and were anxious to buy as soon as they moved to Seattle. I urged Ben to hold off, rent for a while, and get to know the area before making that level of commitment, but they decided to buy a home in a quiet suburban neighborhood north of Seattle.

Fast-forward to 2010: Ben and his wife have realized that the quiet suburban life isn’t their style. They would rather live closer to the city. Unfortunately, their home has depreciated so much that their entire 20% down payment is gone, and they would likely have to come to the closing table with a check for tens of thousands of dollars to sell their home.

Ben and his wife would like to move to a neighborhood that better suits their lifestyle, but now they’re stuck in a neighborhood they don’t really like until the housing market recovers.

Avoid the lure of the new-car smell
Everyone understands and accepts that when you buy a new car, it loses twenty percent of its value the moment you drive it off the lot. Buying a home (used or new) is similar. Even if home prices begin to appreciate regularly again, agent fees, excise taxes, staging, seller concessions, and other random costs add up quickly when you try to sell your home, sucking away about ten percent of the sale price.

There really is no way to know what neighborhood will work best for you until you’ve spent a good amount of time actually living in the area. Consider all the variables at play:

What’s the commute like to your work?How convenient is shopping?Is there enough entertainment nearby?Does the neighborhood feel safe?Do you like the neighborhood vibe?Are there sources of noise at odd hours?

Wouldn’t you prefer to rent for a while and learn the area rather than buy right away only to learn after a few months that you’d rather live across town, but you’re stuck for at least a few years (or worse, like Ben) until the value of your home rises enough to offset the selling costs?

Give yourself time to find out what works for you
Don’t be tempted to take shortcuts when it comes to a decision as important as where you will live. You might think that you can do sufficient research online or get advice from people who do live in an area so you can make an informed decision from afar. Think again.

Above is a little map I made based on a recent forum thread on LinkedIn started by a simple question:

I have some friends who are relocating to the Seattle area. They will be working in downtown Seattle, have kids and about a $650K housing budget. Looking for thoughts on best cities to live in the Seattle area for education, school districts, quality of life, etc. Any ideas would be appreciated!

Each pin on the map represents an answer to this question that was offered by one of the commenters. Believe it or not, the Seattle area is somewhere under that mass of purple. Good luck making any sort of informed decision based on that mess!

The only person that can really know if you’ll like living in a given neighborhood is you. Buying a home is a major financial commitment, and rushing into a purchase before you’ve had time to get to know the area is a recipe for disaster. If you find yourself planning a major move, find a nice rental and take your time learning the ups and downs of your new hometown before you buy a new home. You’ll be glad you did.

This article is about House and Home  Tuesday, 5th October 2010 (by J.D. Roth)  

View the original article here

Moving? Rent First, Ask Questions Later

This is a guest-post from Tim Ellis, author of Seattle Bubble, a blog and forum dedicated to discussing real estate market conditions in the Seattle area. Tim is a long-time GRS reader. During my last trip to Europe, he shared a controversial article on renting vs. buying.

Given the fact that each year around sixteen million Americans move to a new county, it’s likely that at some point in your life you’ll find yourself moving to an unfamiliar area.

Starting a new chapter of your life in a fresh locale can be an exciting and memorable time, but it can also be rough on your personal finances. Many of the expenses associated with a major move are unavoidable, but there’s one major mistake that is easy to avoid: buying a home immediately upon arriving.

Maybe you’re tired of renting and homes are a lot cheaper where you’re going, or maybe you own a home in your old city and feel like it would be a financial defeat to go back to renting.

In reality, starting by renting when you move to a new city is anything but defeat. It’s actually the smartest decision you can make, both for your sanity and your bank account.

A real world example
In early 2007, a new employee (we’ll call him Ben) was hired to my team at work. Fresh from the midwest, Ben and his wife had owned a home in their old city, and were anxious to buy as soon as they moved to Seattle. I urged Ben to hold off, rent for a while, and get to know the area before making that level of commitment, but they decided to buy a home in a quiet suburban neighborhood north of Seattle.

Fast-forward to 2010: Ben and his wife have realized that the quiet suburban life isn’t their style. They would rather live closer to the city. Unfortunately, their home has depreciated so much that their entire 20% down payment is gone, and they would likely have to come to the closing table with a check for tens of thousands of dollars to sell their home.

Ben and his wife would like to move to a neighborhood that better suits their lifestyle, but now they’re stuck in a neighborhood they don’t really like until the housing market recovers.

Avoid the lure of the new-car smell
Everyone understands and accepts that when you buy a new car, it loses twenty percent of its value the moment you drive it off the lot. Buying a home (used or new) is similar. Even if home prices begin to appreciate regularly again, agent fees, excise taxes, staging, seller concessions, and other random costs add up quickly when you try to sell your home, sucking away about ten percent of the sale price.

There really is no way to know what neighborhood will work best for you until you’ve spent a good amount of time actually living in the area. Consider all the variables at play:

What’s the commute like to your work?How convenient is shopping?Is there enough entertainment nearby?Does the neighborhood feel safe?Do you like the neighborhood vibe?Are there sources of noise at odd hours?

Wouldn’t you prefer to rent for a while and learn the area rather than buy right away only to learn after a few months that you’d rather live across town, but you’re stuck for at least a few years (or worse, like Ben) until the value of your home rises enough to offset the selling costs?

Give yourself time to find out what works for you
Don’t be tempted to take shortcuts when it comes to a decision as important as where you will live. You might think that you can do sufficient research online or get advice from people who do live in an area so you can make an informed decision from afar. Think again.

Above is a little map I made based on a recent forum thread on LinkedIn started by a simple question:

I have some friends who are relocating to the Seattle area. They will be working in downtown Seattle, have kids and about a $650K housing budget. Looking for thoughts on best cities to live in the Seattle area for education, school districts, quality of life, etc. Any ideas would be appreciated!

Each pin on the map represents an answer to this question that was offered by one of the commenters. Believe it or not, the Seattle area is somewhere under that mass of purple. Good luck making any sort of informed decision based on that mess!

The only person that can really know if you’ll like living in a given neighborhood is you. Buying a home is a major financial commitment, and rushing into a purchase before you’ve had time to get to know the area is a recipe for disaster. If you find yourself planning a major move, find a nice rental and take your time learning the ups and downs of your new hometown before you buy a new home. You’ll be glad you did.

This article is about House and Home  Tuesday, 5th October 2010 (by J.D. Roth)  

View the original article here

Postseason Links: Your first look at a TBS Conan commercial

A quick look at some worthy postseason links ...

• The first Conan promo is funny on first watch, but may be less so on the 398th viewing during the upcoming ALDS and NLDS action on TBS. [Warming Glow]

• Also, here's a look at the all-orange TBS Conan blimp that will be flying over the Phillies-Reds game in Philadelphia on Wednesday. [Natuba]

• Tampa Bay's James Shields(notes): "We're the team to beat." [Rays Report]

• An excellent profile of Dusty Baker, even if it includes more than you want to know about the after-effects — or lack thereof — of his battle with prostate cancer. [ESPN]

• Will the 2010 Yankees follow in the footsteps of the 2006 Tigers? [Subway Squawkers]

• At last count there were at least three fake Twitter accounts for Carl Pavano's(notes) mustache. [HOVG]

• Why the San Francisco Giants have been better than expected. [Bay City Ball]

• Red Sox fans are already coveting the services of Juan Uribe(notes). Really. [Fire Brand]

• The David Price(notes) Sports Illustrated cover is bubblicious. [The Heater]

Related: David Price, Carl Pavano, Juan Uribe, San Francisco Giants, 2010 Postseason

View the original article here