home equity. Why? Certain

Home Equity Scams: Borrowers Beware! Home Equity Loans : Borrowers Beware! D o you own your home? If so, it's likely to be your greatest single asset. Unfortunately, if you agree to a loan that's based on the equity you have in your home, you may be putting your most valuable asset at risk. Homeowners-particularly elderly, minority and those with low incomes or poor credit-should be careful when borrowing money based on their home equity. Why? Certain abusive or exploitative lenders target these borrowers, who unwittingly may be putting their home on the line. Abusive lending practices range from equity stripping and loan flipping to hiding loan terms and packing a loan with extra charges. The Federal Trade Commission urges you to be aware of these loan practices to avoid losing your home. The Practices Equity Stripping You need money. You don't have much income coming in each month. You have built up equity in your home. A lender tells you that you could get a loan, even though you know your income is just not enough to keep up with the monthly payments. The lender encourages you to "pad" your income on your application form to help get the loan approved. This lender may be out to steal the equity you have built up in your home. The lender doesn't care if you can't keep up with the monthly payments. As soon as you don't, the lender will foreclose-taking your home and stripping you of the equity you have spent years building. If you take out a loan but don't have enough income to make the monthly payments, you are being set up. You probably will lose your home. Hidden Loan Terms: The Balloon Payment You've fallen behind in your mortgage payments and may face foreclosure. Another lender offers to save you from foreclosure by refinancing your mortgage and lowering your monthly payments. Look carefully at the loan terms. The payments may be lower because the lender is offering a loan on which you repay only the interest each month. At the end of the loan term, the principal-that is, the entire amount that you borrowed-is due in one lump sum called a balloon payment. If you can't make the balloon payment or refinance, you face foreclosure and the loss of your home. Loan Flipping Suppose you've had your mortgage for years. The interest rate is low and the monthly payments fit nicely into your budget, but you could use some extra money. A lender calls to talk about refinancing, and using the availability of extra cash as bait, claims it's time the equity in your home started "working" for you. You agree to refinance your loan. After you've made a few payments on the loan, the lender calls to offer you a bigger loan for, say, a vacation. If you accept the offer, the lender refinances your original loan and then lends you additional money. In this practice-often called "flipping"-the lender charges you high points and fees each time you refinance, and may increase your interest rate as well. If the loan has a prepayment penalty, you will have to pay that penalty each time you take out a new loan. You now have some extra money and a lot more debt, stretched out over a longer time. The extra cash you receive may be less than the additional costs and fees you were charged for the refinancing. And what's worse, you are now paying interest on those extra fees charged in each refinancing. Long story short? With each refinancing, you've increased your debt and probably are paying a very high price for some extra cash. After a while, if you get in over your head and can't pay, you could lose your home. The "Home Improvement" Loan A contractor calls or knocks on your door and offers to install a new roof or remodel your kitchen at a price that sounds reasonable. You tell him you're interested, but can't afford it. He tells you it's no problem-he can arrange financing through a lender he knows. You agree to the project, and the contractor begins work. At some point after the contractor begins, you are asked to sign a lot of papers. The papers may be blank or the lender may rush you to sign before you have time to read what you've been given. The contractor threatens to leave the work on your house unfinished if you don't sign. You sign the papers. Only later, you realize that the papers you signed are a home equity loan. The interest rate, points and fees seem very high. To make matters worse, the work on your home isn't done right or hasn't been completed, and the contractor, who may have been paid by the lender, has little interest in completing the work to your satisfaction. Credit Insurance Packing You've just agreed to a mortgage on terms you think you can afford. At closing, the lender gives you papers to sign that include charges for credit insurance or other "benefits" that you did not ask for and do not want. The lender hopes you don't notice this, and that you just sign the loan papers where you are asked to sign. The lender doesn't explain exactly how much extra money this will cost you each month on your loan. If you do notice, you're afraid that if you ask questions or object, you might not get the loan. The lender may tell you that this insurance comes with the loan, making you think that it comes at no additional cost. Or, if you object, the lender may even tell you that if you want the loan without the insurance, the loan papers will have to be rewritten, that it could take several days, and that the manager may reconsider the loan altogether. If you agree to buy the insurance, you really are paying extra for the loan by buying a product you may not want or need. Mortgage Servicing Abuses After you get a mortgage, you receive a letter from your lender saying that your monthly payments will be higher than you expected. The lender says that your payments include escrow for taxes and insurance even though you arranged to pay those items yourself with the lender's okay. Later, a message from the lender says you are being charged late fees. But you know your payments were on time. Or, you may receive a message saying that you failed to maintain required property insurance and the lender is buying more costly insurance at your expense. Other charges that you don't understand-like legal fees-are added to the amount you owe, increasing your monthly payments or the amount you owe at the end of the loan term. The lender doesn't provide you with an accurate or complete account of these charges. You ask for a payoff statement to refinance with another lender and receive a statement that's inaccurate or incomplete. The lender's actions make it almost impossible to determine how much you've paid or how much you owe. You may pay more than you owe. Signing Over Your Deed If you are having trouble paying your mortgage and the lender has threatened to foreclose and take your home, you may feel desperate. Another "lender" may contact you with an offer to help you find new financing. Before he can help you, he asks you to deed your property to him, claiming that it's a temporary measure to prevent foreclosure. The promised refinancing that would let you save your home never comes through. Once the lender has the deed to your property, he starts to treat it as his own. He may borrow against it (for his benefit, not yours) or even sell it to someone else. Because you don't own the home any more, you won't get any money when the property is sold. The lender will treat you as a tenant and your mortgage payments as rent. If your "rent" payments are late, you can be evicted from your home. Protecting Yourself You can protect yourself against losing your home to inappropriate lending practices. Here's how: Don't: Agree to a home equity loan if you don't have enough income to make the monthly payments. Sign any document you haven't read or any document that has blank spaces to be filled in after you sign. Let anyone pressure you into signing any document. Agree to a loan that includes credit insurance or extra products you don't want. Let the promise of extra cash or lower monthly payments get in the way of your good judgment about whether the cost you will pay for the loan is really worth it. Deed your property to anyone. First consult an attorney, a knowledgeable family member, or someone else you trust. Do: Ask specifically if credit insurance is required as a condition of the loan. If it isn't, and a charge is included in your loan and you don't want the insurance, ask that the charge be removed from the loan documents. If you want the added security of credit insurance, shop around for the best rates. Keep careful records of what you've paid, including billing statements and canceled checks. Challenge any charge you think is inaccurate. Check contractors' references when it is time to have work done in your home. Get more than one estimate. Read all items carefully. If you need an explanation of any terms or conditions, talk to someone you can trust, such as a knowledgeable family member or an attorney. Consider all the costs of financing before you agree to a loan. For More Information The FTC works for the consumer to prevent fraudulent, deceptive and unfair business practices in the marketplace and to provide information to help consumers spot, stop and avoid them. To file a complaint or to get free information on consumer issues , visit www.ftc.gov or call toll-free, 1-877-FTC-HELP (1-877-382-4357); TTY: 1-866-653-4261. The FTC enters Internet, telemarketing, identity theft and other fraud-related complaints into Consumer Sentinel , a secure, online database available to hundreds of civil and criminal law enforcement agencies in the U.S. and abroad. FEDERAL TRADE COMMISSION FOR THE CONSUMER 1-877-FTC-HELP www.ftc.gov April 1998

Buy House

How to Buy a House -- A guide for first-time home buyers How to Buy a House home Learn the basics 1. The Basics 2. How much home can you afford? 3. The Down Payment 4. The Loan - Assuming a Loan - Owner Financing 5. Qualifying for a loan 6. Understand Closing Costs Do the groundwork 7. Get your finances in order 8. Clean Up Your Credit Record 9. Establish Credit if you don't have any The Process 10. Find a Lender 11. Get the bank's offer 12. Start looking at houses 13. Get the Disclosure 14. Sign a Contract 15. Pay Earnest Money 16. Have the House Inspected 17. Problems on the Inspection? 18. Appraisal, Survey, & Insurance 19. Appraisal went through? 20. Closing! After the purchase Avoding scams More about Mortgages How much loan can you get? Understand Compound Interest Paying off a 30-yr. loan in 15 yrs. Private Mortgage Insurance Other Appendices Renting vs. Buying: Financial Impacts Don't pay cash even if you can The Debt Ratio Figuring your monthly pmt. If you won't live long enough to pay off the mortgage Tax breaks are actually welfare for the rich Other Links to helpful sites Fan Mail Michael Bluejay's home page Email Me How to Buy a House VA Loans VA Mortgage Center . Loans and Refinancing here. Welcome! I'm a real estate investor. I've bought and sold a few homes so I'm in a good position to explain how to buy a house to first-time home buyers. I'm not a realtor, and I'm not trying to sell you anything. I created this site only to share my knowledge of house-buying with others; I wanted to create the guide that *I* wish I had when I was a rookie home buyer. This is not an exhaustive guide -- I don't cover every single possible detail related to buying a house. On the other hand, this site contains a lot more than a typical pamphlet or even what you'd learn from most realtors. Certainly many people have bought houses without knowing nearly this much . (Including me, when I bought my first home.) I believe everything here to be accurate, but of course it's "use at your own risk". And by the way, I have no idea whether the house-buying info listed here applies anywhere outside the USA. Ready to get started? Then go to the first lesson : The Basics of Buying a House. -- Michael Bluejay Next: The Basics If you liked this site then you might like some of my other sites: Personalized Wedding Gifts Cheap Airfare How Slot Machines Work Discount Website Design Last update: July 2005

Real Estate Loan

REALTOR.com: Real Estate - Mortgage & Finance - Read about your loan options and go to our Mortgage Center where you can apply online. real estate 101 Financial Calculators from Quicken Mortgage: What Loans Do You Qualify For? What Loans Are Available? Should You Rent or Buy? How's Your Credit? How Much House Can You Afford? Lower Rate or Fewer Points? Should You Refinance Now? Visit our Mortgage Center In our Mortgage Center, you'll find a Homebuyer's Guide, great tips and information as well as links to apply for loans online. Click here to go to the Mortgage Center now. Use our Find a Lender tool Search our directory of brokers and lenders to find a professional near you. Click here to Find a Lender. Back to top E-mail this article Search in popular metros: Atlanta | Austin | Boston | Chicago | Dallas | Denver | Houston | Las Vegas | Long Island | Los Angeles | Memphis | Miami | New York City | Orange County | Palm Beach | Phoenix | Sacramento | San Diego | Seattle Site Map | Corporate News & Info | Contact Us | Advertise With Us | Join our staff Terms of Use and PrivacyPolicy . 1995- NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS and Homestore, Inc. All rights reserved. Equal Housing Opportunity REALTOR.com is the official site of the National Association of REALTORS and is operated by Homestore, Inc. REALTOR -- A Registered collective membership mark that identifies a real estate professional who is a member of the National Association of REALTORS and subscribes to its strict Code of Ethics. Inquiries regarding the Code of Ethics should be directed to the board in which a REALTOR holds membership.

Land Loan

E-Z No Qualify Private Money Construction Loans | Owner Builder | Construction Loan | Spec' Home Loan | Home Completion | Custom Home Loan | 1 to 3 Year Term | E-Z Loan package No Qualify "Private Money" Owner Builder, Construction & Custom Home Financing Loans Borrow $100,000.00 to $750,000.00 for 1-2-3 Years All over Northern California E-Z No Qualify "Construction loans" E-Z No Qualify "Owner Builder loans" E-Z No Qualify "Home Completion loans" E-Z No Qualify "Spec Home loans" E-Z No Qualify "Custom Home loans" E-Z No Qualify Loans "No FICO scores needed here" No Appraisal Fees (in Western Nevada County only) No Prepayment Penalties No Up Front Loan Processing Fees No Credit Report Fees No Income Documentation Tentatively Approve Yourself Now! (Northern California only ) Tired of the endless aggravation,frustration, verification and months waiting for a bank to fund your construction loanneeds? Apply online in one minute right now! or see answers to callers most frequently asked questions Brad Evans Real Estate Loans, Grass Valley, California 95945 Tele: 530-272-5916 in northern California only PLEASE! Why not pre approve yourself tentatively "online"right now for an E-Z Construction Loan of up to $750,000.00! Whether you want to buildyour dream home, build a four-plex, remodel your existing home, build 5 spec homes or just add on a den, It's EASY! Because privatemoney E-Z Construction Loans are approved primarily based on real estate equity thosein need of a loan can cut through all that usual red tape you used to haveto deal with in order to obtain construction financing! It's easy to tentatively approveyour loan needs online right now to build a new home, borrow to finish anunfinished home, land or other real estate paid for or not, completed ornot, or at any stage of construction! (some restrictions apply) E-Z(2 minute) online application! E-Z one page loan package References& Testimonials ReadYour Loan Approval Letter Now! Freehouse plans (some restrictions apply) E-ZLoan Rates (in Ca.) Faxyour E-Z application Whatthe heck is "Subordination"? Whatthe heck Is "Hard Money"? Answersto "Frequently Asked Questions" LoansOutside California, click here! 100%Construction Financing is possible? OwnerBuilder Center The3 steps to obtain your E-Z Loan! Mainmenu Sendus some © 2000 Brad Evans Award winning page by Motherlode Media CA Dept. of Real Estate, Real Estate Brokers license #00426805 DRE file #92-880 (CA Dept. of Real Estate, Tele: 916-227-0864)

Real Estate Loan

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