Real Estate Agent Moorestown

Burlington County Real Estate Agent, Camden County Homes for Sale, Moorestown NJ Realtor Burlington County Homes for Sale - Camden County Real Estate Agent Moorestown Realtor - New Jersey Roxanne Ardary " Real Estate Rox " 202 W. Main St. Moorestown, NJ Office: 856-235-1950 Direct: 609-346-8209 About Roxanne Meet Roxanne Contact Roxanne Credentials Realtor ® Licensed New Jersey Real Estate Agent Featured Homes 1 Rosewood Ln Moorestown, NJ $1,395,000 410 Windrow Clusters Moorestown, NJ $695,000 Search for Homes Showcased Homes Burlington County Real Estate Camden County Real Estate Home Selling Home Buying Burlington County Market Conditions Camden County Market Conditions Burlington County Over 55 Communities (55+) Camden County Over 55 Communities (55+) Local Area Info City Demographics Relocation Directory Real Estate Resources Useful Sites Site Map The Sign of a Smart Move. Roxanne Ardary, Weichert Realtors Your New Jersey Realtor® Please read our disclaimer and our privacy statement. All information provided is deemed reliable but is not guaranteed and should be independently verified. Burlington County Service Areas Beverly Bordentown Twp Browns Mills Burlington City Burlington Twp Chesterfield Cinnaminson Delanco Delran Eastampton Edgewater Park Evesham Florence Hainesport Lumberton Maple Shade Marlton Medford Medford Lakes Moorestown Mount Holly Mount Laurel Palmyra Pemberton Boro Pemberton Twp Riverside Riverton Shamong Southampton Springfield Tabernacle Westampton Willingboro Camden County Service Areas Audobon Barrington Bellmawr Berlin Brooklawn Camden Cherry Hill Clementon Collingswood Gibbsboro Gloucester City Gloucester Twp Haddon Heights Haddon Twp Haddonfield Hi Nella Laurel Springs Lawnside Lindenwold Magnolia Merchantville Mt. Ephraim Oaklyn Pennsauken Pine Hill Runnemede Somerdale Stratford Voorhees Waterford Winslow Woodlynne Disclaimer: Any reference to specific products, companies or services does not necessarily constitute or imply recommendation or endorsement by the owner of this site or her broker Weichert, Realtors Idaho Realtors California Relocation Real-Estate-Agents.com Real Estate Roster Roxanne Ardary Weichert, Realtors 202 W. Main St Moorestown, NJ 08057 Direct:(609)346-8209 Office: (856)235-1950 x 104 Fax: (856)235-1194 Email: info@roxanneardary.com Return to Burlington County Real Estate, Camden County Homes for Sale, Moorestown NJ Realtor Home Page Disclaimer • Contact Roxanne • Site Map • NJ Agency Relationships Equal Housing Opportunity Burlington County Real Estate • Camden County Real Estate • Home Buying • Home Selling Moorestown Real Estate • Mount Laurel Real Estate • Cherry Hill Real Estate Relocation Agent Directory Web Site Design and Hosting Provided By: Advanced Access © 1998-2005

Home Equity Home Equity

Home Equity Calculators - Quicken Loans America's Home Loan Experts SM GO My Quicken Loans Login Great Rates. Expert Advice. Fast Process. Call 800-251-9080 To Get Your Rate   Refinance Refinance Center Learn About Refinancing Refinance Calculators Refinance Loan Options Contact a Refinance Expert Home Purchase Home Purchase Center Learn About Buying a Home Home Purchase Calculators Home Purchase Loan Options Contact a Purchase Expert Home Equity Home Equity Center Learn About Home Equity Home Equity Calculators Home Equity Loan Options Calculators Calculators Refinance Calculators Home Purchase Calculators Home Equity Calculators Contact a Loan Expert Loan Options Loan Options Refinance Loan Options Purchase Loan Options Home Equity Loan Options Contact a Loan Expert Bad Credit Rates   Refinance Calculators Home Purchase Calculators Home Equity Loan Calculators Contact a Loan Expert   Mortgage Calculators Home Equity Calculators Home Value How Much Can You Borrow Consolidate Debt Tax Savings Choose a Home Equity Calculator Below: Consolidate Debt Calculate the advantages of using a home equity loan to consolidate debt. How Much Can You Borrow? Answer two questions to calculate the most you can borrow against the equity in your home. Home Value Calculator Use this calculator to get an instant estimate of your home's current market value. Simply enter the property's location, purchase date, price and the cost of any structural improvements. Tax Savings Calculator* Find out the tax advantages of a home equity loan. *Please consult your tax advisor for more information. Refinancing | Home Loans | Home Equity Loans | My Quicken Loans Login Mortgage News | Mortgage Rates | Mortgage Calculators | Apply Online About Us | Careers | Contact Us | Feedback | Site Map | Help | Search Security and Privacy | Disclosures and Licenses | Terms of Use © 2000 - 2005 Quicken Loans Inc., All rights reserved. Lending services provided by Quicken Loans Inc., a subsidiary of Rock Holdings Inc. “Quicken Loans” is a registered service mark of Intuit Inc., used under license. Build 2741 2005-10-25 09:50:43

Home Mortgage

Freddie Mac's Weekly Primary Mortgage Market Survey Search In order to browse this site effectively, please enable Javascript in your browser. PMMS SM Resources Sign-up to participate in our weekly PMMS online survey! Syndicate PMMS data on your website. PMMS RSS Feed Historical PMMS Data Historical monthly PMMS data tables are available for each type of product in both HTML and Excel formats: 30-Year Fixed-Rate Historic Tables [ HTML ] [ Excel ] 15-Year Fixed-Rate Historic Tables [ HTML ] [ Excel ] 5-Year Adjustable-Rate Historic Tables [ HTML ] [ Excel ] 1-Year Adjustable-Rate Historic Tables [ HTML ] [ Excel ] Weekly Primary Mortgage Market Survey 2005 Weekly Mortgage Rates Data (Excel 5.0/Win95 workbook) Compilation of Weekly Survey Releases for 2005 December 29, 2005 30-yr 15-yr 5/1-yr ARM 1-yr ARM Average Rates: 6.22% 5.76% 5.79% 5.15% Fees & Points: 0.5 0.6 0.6 0.7 December 22, 2005 30-yr 15-yr 5/1-yr ARM 1-yr ARM Average Rates: 6.26% 5.79% 5.82% 5.22% Fees & Points: 0.6 0.6 0.7 0.7 December 15, 2005 30-yr 15-yr 5/1-yr ARM 1-yr ARM Average Rates: 6.30% 5.85% 5.77% 5.15% Fees & Points: 0.5 0.5 0.5 0.6 December 8, 2005 30-yr 15-yr 5/1-yr ARM 1-yr ARM Average Rates: 6.32% 5.87% 5.78% 5.16% Fees & Points: 0.6 0.6 0.7 0.8 December 1, 2005 30-yr 15-yr 5/1-yr ARM 1-yr ARM Average Rates: 6.26% 5.81% 5.76% 5.16% Fees & Points: 0.5 0.5 0.6 0.8 November 23, 2005 30-yr 15-yr 5/1-yr ARM 1-yr ARM Average Rates: 6.28% 5.81% 5.75% 5.14% Fees & Points: 0.6 0.6 0.8 0.7 November 17, 2005 30-yr 15-yr 5/1-yr ARM 1-yr ARM Average Rates: 6.37% 5.90% 5.86% 5.20% Fees & Points: 0.6 0.6 0.6 0.6 November 10, 2005 30-yr 15-yr 5/1-yr ARM 1-yr ARM Average Rates: 6.36% 5.89% 5.81% 5.12% Fees & Points: 0.5 0.6 0.6 0.6 November 3, 2005 30-yr 15-yr 5/1-yr ARM 1-yr ARM Average Rates: 6.31% 5.85% 5.76% 5.09% Fees & Points: 0.5 0.5 0.5 0.5 October 27, 2005 30-yr 15-yr 5/1-yr ARM 1-yr ARM Average Rates: 6.15% 5.69% 5.63% 4.91% Fees & Points: 0.5 0.5 0.6 0.7 October 20, 2005 30-yr 15-yr 5/1-yr ARM 1-yr ARM Average Rates: 6.10% 5.65% 5.59% 4.89% Fees & Points: 0.5 0.6 0.7 0.7 October 13, 2005 30-yr 15-yr 5/1-yr ARM 1-yr ARM Average Rates: 6.03% 5.62% 5.57% 4.85% Fees & Points: 0.6 0.6 0.7 0.6 October 6, 2005 30-yr 15-yr 5/1-yr ARM 1-yr ARM Average Rates: 5.98% 5.54% 5.48% 4.77% Fees & Points: 0.5 0.5 0.6 0.6 September 29, 2005 30-yr 15-yr 5/1-yr ARM 1-yr ARM Average Rates: 5.91% 5.48% 5.44% 4.68% Fees & Points: 0.5 0.5 0.5 0.6 September 22, 2005 30-yr 15-yr 5/1-yr ARM 1-yr ARM Average Rates: 5.80% 5.37% 5.31% 4.48% Fees & Points: 0.6 0.7 0.8 0.7 September 15, 2005 30-yr 15-yr 5/1-yr ARM 1-yr ARM Average Rates: 5.74% 5.32% 5.26% 4.46% Fees & Points: 0.6 0.6 0.6 0.6 September 8, 2005 30-yr 15-yr 5/1-yr ARM 1-yr ARM Average Rates: 5.71% 5.30% 5.24% 4.45% Fees & Points: 0.6 0.6 0.6 0.7 September 1, 2005 30-yr 15-yr 5/1-yr ARM 1-yr ARM Average Rates: 5.71% 5.32% 5.3% 4.48% Fees & Points: 0.6 0.5 0.6 0.7 August 25, 2005 30-yr 15-yr 5/1-yr ARM 1-yr ARM Average Rates: 5.77% 5.35% 5.30% 4.56% Fees & Points: 0.5 0.6 0.6 0.7 August 18, 2005 30-yr 15-yr 5/1-yr ARM 1-yr ARM Average Rates: 5.80% 5.40% 5.34% 4.58% Fees & Points: 0.5 0.5 0.6 0.7 August 11, 2005 30-yr 15-yr 5/1-yr ARM 1-yr ARM Average Rates: 5.89% 5.47% 5.40% 4.57% Fees & Points: 0.5 0.6 0.6 0.7 August 4, 2005 30-yr 15-yr 5/1-yr ARM 1-yr ARM Average Rates: 5.82% 5.38% 5.30% 4.47% Fees & Points: 0.6 0.6 0.7 0.7 July 28, 2005 30-yr 15-yr 5/1-yr ARM 1-yr ARM Average Rates: 5.77% 5.34% 5.27% 4.46% Fees & Points: 0.5 0.5 0.6 0.7 July 21, 2005 30-yr 15-yr 5/1-yr ARM 1-yr ARM Average Rates: 5.73% 5.32% 5.26% 4.42% Fees & Points: 0.4 0.4 0.5 0.6 July 14, 2005 30-yr 15-yr 5/1-yr ARM 1-yr ARM Average Rates: 5.66% 5.25% 5.15% 4.39% Fees & Points: 0.6 0.6 0.7 0.7 July 7, 2005 30-yr 15-yr 5/1-yr ARM 1-yr ARM Average Rates: 5.62% 5.20% 5.19% 4.33% Fees & Points: 0.6 0.7 0.7 0.7 June 30, 2005 30-yr 15-yr 5/1-yr ARM 1-yr ARM Average Rates: 5.53% 5.12% 5.06% 4.24% Fees & Points: 0.6 0.6 0.6 0.7 June 23, 2005 30-yr 15-yr 5/1-yr ARM 1-yr ARM Average Rates: 5.57% 5.16% 5.05% 4.23% Fees & Points: 0.6 0.6 0.6 0.7 June 16, 2005 30-yr 15-yr 5/1-yr ARM 1-yr ARM Average Rates: 5.63% 5.22% 5.10% 4.25% Fees & Points: 0.5 0.5 0.5 0.6 June 9, 2005 30-yr 15-yr 5/1-yr ARM 1-yr ARM Average Rates: 5.56% 5.14% 5.01% 4.21% Fees & Points: 0.6 0.5 0.5 0.6 June 2, 2005 30-yr 15-yr 5/1-yr ARM 1-yr ARM Average Rates: 5.62% 5.20% 5.10% 4.26% Fees & Points: 0.6 0.6 0.5 0.6 May 26, 2005 30-yr 15-yr 5/1-yr ARM 1-yr ARM Average Rates: 5.65% 5.21% 5.07% 4.21% Fees & Points: 0.6 0.6 0.7 0.7 May 19, 2005 30-yr 15-yr 5/1-yr ARM 1-yr ARM Average Rates: 5.71% 5.27% 5.07% 4.26% Fees & Points: 0.7 0.7 0.7 0.7 May 12, 2005 30-yr 15-yr 5/1-yr ARM 1-yr ARM Average Rates: 5.77% 5.33% 5.21% 4.23% Fees & Points: 0.5 0.6 0.6 0.6 May 5, 2005 30-yr 15-yr 5/1-yr ARM 1-yr ARM Average Rates: 5.75% 5.31% 5.16% 4.22% Fees & Points: 0.6 0.6 0.6 0.7 April 28, 2005 30-yr 15-yr 5/1-yr ARM 1-yr ARM Average Rates: 5.78% 5.33% 5.20% 4.21% Fees & Points: 0.6 0.6 0.5 0.6 April 21, 2005 30-yr 15-yr 5/1-yr ARM 1-yr ARM Average Rates: 5.80% 5.36% 5.22% 4.26% Fees & Points: 0.5 0.5 0.6 0.6 April 14, 2005 30-yr 15-yr 5/1-yr ARM 1-yr ARM Average Rates: 5.91% 5.46% 5.31% 4.30% Fees & Points: 0.7 0.7 0.7 0.6 April 7, 2005 30-yr 15-yr 5/1-yr ARM 1-yr ARM Average Rates: 5.93% 5.48% 5.33% 4.23% Fees & Points: 0.7 0.7 0.7 0.7 March 31, 2005 30-yr 15-yr 5/1-yr ARM 1-yr ARM Average Rates: 6.04% 5.58% 5.43% 4.33% Fees & Points: 0.7 0.7 0.7 0.8 March 24, 2005 30-yr 15-yr 5/1-yr ARM 1-yr ARM Average Rates: 6.01% 5.56% 5.35% 4.24% Fees & Points: 0.7 0.7 0.7 0.8 March 17, 2005 30-yr 15-yr 5/1-yr ARM 1-yr ARM Average Rates: 5.95% 5.47% 5.31% 4.20% Fees & Points: 0.7 0.7 0.7 0.8 March 10, 2005 30-yr 15-yr 5/1-yr ARM 1-yr ARM Average Rates: 5.85% 5.38% 5.22% 4.24% Fees & Points: 0.6 0.6 0.6 0.7 March 3, 2005 30-yr 15-yr 5/1-yr ARM 1-yr ARM Average Rates: 5.79% 5.33% 5.17% 4.14% Fees & Points: 0.7 0.6 0.7 0.8 February 24, 2005 30-yr 15-yr 5/1-yr ARM 1-yr ARM Average Rates: 5.69% 5.22% 5.05% 4.16% Fees & Points: 0.7 0.7 0.8 0.8 February 17, 2005 30-yr 15-yr 5/1-yr ARM 1-yr ARM Average Rates: 5.62% 5.14% 5.05% 4.15% Fees & Points: 0.7 0.7 0.7 0.8 February 10, 2005 30-yr 15-yr 5/1-yr ARM 1-yr ARM Average Rates: 5.57% 5.10% 4.99% 4.11% Fees & Points: 0.8 0.7 0.7 0.8 February 3, 2005 30-yr 15-yr 5/1-yr ARM 1-yr ARM Average Rates: 5.63% 5.14% 5.00% 4.23% Fees & Points: 0.7 0.7 0.6 0.7 January 27, 2005 30-yr 15-yr 5/1-yr ARM 1-yr ARM Average Rates: 5.66% 5.14% 5.02% 4.18% Fees & Points: 0.6 0.6 0.6 0.6 January 20, 2005 30-yr 15-yr 5/1-yr ARM 1-yr ARM Average Rates: 5.67% 5.15% 5.05% 4.11% Fees & Points: 0.7 0.7 0.6 0.7 January 13, 2005 30-yr 15-yr 5/1-yr ARM 1-yr ARM Average Rates: 5.74% 5.19% 5.05% 4.10% Fees & Points: 0.6 0.6 0.5 0.6 January 6, 2005 30-yr 15-yr 5/1-yr ARM 1-yr ARM Average Rates: 5.77% 5.21% 5.03% 4.10% Fees & Points: 0.7 0.6 0.5 0.7 © 2005 Freddie Mac Doing Business With Freddie Mac Single-Family Multifamily Debt Securities Mortgage Securities Vendors and Suppliers About Freddie Mac About Us Public Policy News and Information Investor Relations Careers Buying and Owning a Home Preparing for Homeownership All About Mortgages Purchasing a Home Owning and Keeping a Home Calculators and Tools Properties for Sale

Colorado Real Estate Quick

Selling Breckenridge, Keystone, and all Summit CountyColorado Real Estate Summit County Real Estate Home Summit County MLS Summit County Real Estate Sales Summit County Real Estate Showcase New Construction Selling Buying 1031 Exchange Office Locations Breckenridge Resort Help Wanted Summit County Colorado Real Estate Quick Real Estate Search Area: Breckenridge Keystone Copper Mountain Dillon / Summit Cove Frisco Silverthorne / Wildernest Park County Leadville Other Type: Residential Price: 000 to 000 Min Beds Ignore 1 2 3 4 5 Min Baths: Ignore 1 2 3 4 5 Min Square Feet: Contact | Advanced Search | Home Selling Summit County Colorado Real Estate If you own real estate in Summit County Colorado that you are thinking of selling, consider the following. Nobody comes even close to selling as much real estate in Summit County as Re/Max. In fact, Re/Max has been #1 in Summit County real estate sales for 15 years in a row! Real Estate Services for Summit County Sellers Free Competitive Market Analysis (CMA): Determine what your Summit County real estate is currently worth. So what did it really sell for? : If one of your neighbors recently sold real estate and you want to know the actual sales price, complete and submit this form; you can also use this form to determine recent sales within an entire subdivision or condo complex. Not only does Re/Max dominate the county as a whole, but we also lead in the various towns throughout the Summit County, as the following graphs will show: Breckenridge Keystone Silverthorne Dillon Frisco Feature Your Summit County Real Estate Listing On This Web Site The March 2005 Nielsen NetRatings Search Engine Ratings are as follows: This web site is in the top 5 for all of the most relevant search terms for people looking for Summit County real estate on all of the top 3 search engines!!! There is no other Realtor or Real Estate company site for which this is true! The following table shows the search engine rankings of this site as of November 07, 2005: Google 7-Nov Breckenridge Real Estate 1 Breckenridge Colorado Real Estate 2 Summit County Real Estate 2 Summit County Colorado Real Estate 1 Keystone Real Estate 1 Keystone Colorado Real Estate 2 Yahoo Breckenridge Real Estate 2 Breckenridge Colorado Real Estate 4 Summit County Real Estate 5 Summit County Colorado Real Estate 2 Keystone Real Estate 1 Keystone Colorado Real Estate 3 MSN Breckenridge Real Estate 3 Breckenridge Colorado Real Estate 5 Summit County Real Estate 2 Summit County Colorado Real Estate 2 Keystone Real Estate 5 Keystone Colorado Real Estate 2 Overture.com was used to determine that these are the most relevant search phrases. The following table shows how often these phrases were searched for during the past month as of November 07, 2005. Keyphrase Breckenridge Real Estate 1,849 Summit County Real Estate 1,113 Keystone Real Estate 1,540 Breckenridge Colorado Real Estate 1,046 Keystone Colorado Real Estate 1,131 Summit County Colorado Real Estate 882 All other seemingly relevant key phrases have fewer than 500 searches so I do not bother tracking them. Also, when people do search for real estate in other towns of the same name as those in Summit County, it is clear that they are often in fact looking for information on real estate in other states like Frisco Texas and Dillon Montana. Real estate currently on the market receives the following services: Web Marketing | Other Marketing | Sellers' Service Pledge All real estate will be featured on the following web sites: Featured Properties : Complete photos and information hosted on this site. Listings on most other sites link to this one. Other RE/MAX web sites: Both www.cloradomountainproperties.com and www.breckenridgebrokers.com contain all Re/Max listings. Also, this company has over 75 agents, most of which have their own personal web sites that feature Re/Max real estate listings. I also permit other non Re/Max agents throughout Summit County to include my real estate listings on their personal web sites through a real estate search service similar to the one accessible by clicking on the banner at the top of this page. If there are any other worthwhile real estate listing sites which you can suggest, let me know and I will look into putting your property information on them for you. Please note: many other sites you might think of (yahoo, excite, infospace, infoseek, etc.) already draw their information from one or more of the sites listed above. Other means I use to market real estate include (with your permission) but are not limited to: Including your property in the Summit County Multiple Listing Service (MLS), through which Realtors with other companies can show your property to their prospective buyers. Installing the internationally recognized RE/MAX for sale sign on your property. Direct mailing to potential buyers. Telemarketing to potential buyers. Circulating flyers describing your property to other local real estate offices. Holding open houses. Also , as a broker with RE/MAX Properties of the Summit, I will fulfill the following Sellers' Service Pledge by performing the following services: Provide a marketing plan for your property to include, as appropriate, recommended promotional and other activities, along with a "schedule of events" outlining those marketing steps mutually agreed upon. Furnish a written Competitive Market Analysis to help you determine the most effective listing price for your property. This analysis may be updated to reflect changing market conditions. Review various financing alternatives and assist you in determining those which best enhance the saleability of your property. Review local marketing customs, conditions and procedures, and make recommendations designed to enhance the marketability of your property. Install the internationally recognized RE/MAX sign on your property, with your permission. Expose your property to appropriate incoming transferees referred to this office through the RE/MAX VIP Referral System. Provide regular progress reports throughout the marketing period and discuss with you comments received about your property. Show your property to qualified buyers. Provide a VIP Referral Form, if appropriate, offering the services of a RE/MAX office at your new destination to assist with your search for a new property. Submit to you all written offers as presented; assist with negotiations; and provide an estimate of your net sales proceeds prior to acceptance. Upon acceptance of an offer by you, monitor pre-settlement (escrow) activities throughout the closing process as permitted by law or local practice. " If there is anything else you would like from your Realtor, let me know and you will not be disappointed with my service!" Click here to contact Ted. Ted Amenta is an Associate Broker with RE/MAX Properties of the Summit Site Map 1 2 3 4

Home Loan

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