Texas Land Office Announces

EERE State Activities and Partnerships: Texas Land Office Announces "Wind Rush" Search Help More Search Options Search EERE Information Center Printable Version Back to News Texas Land Office Announces "Wind Rush" December 03, 2003 The Texas Land Office hopes to spur leases of the rights to develop wind energy resources on state lands and thus increase revenue to the state's educational fund. Credit: Texas Land Office Texas General Land Office Commissioner Jerry Patterson announced on October 23 the availability of leases for wind power generation on state lands. Calling it a modern-day "wind rush," Patterson said, "The 'open for wind business' sign is hanging on the door of the Land Office." He plans to open bidding for leases of state lands along the Gulf Coast and in western Texas, where there are excellent wind resources. The proceeds from the sales will go to the state's schools. Under the Texas Constitution, the Texas Land Office is responsible to maximize assets on state lands to fund the Permanent School Fund. As of October 2003, the office provides $700 million per year to the fund. Patterson believes Texas has advantages over other states for quickly developing wind power along its coast. The waters off the Texas coast are shallower than those of nearby states, and Texas owns the land out to 10.3 statute miles. There are many abandoned oil and gas platforms in the gulf that he believes developers could one day use for wind power generation. And by allowing wind developers to deal with one landowner (on state lands), terms for the leases will be standard and predictable. For details, see the land office's announcement . Printable Version Skip footer navigation to end of page. Webmaster | Security & Privacy | EERE State Activities & Partnerships Home | EERE Home U.S. Department of Energy Content Last Updated: May 24, 2005

Home Equity

Avoiding Home Equity Scams Avoiding Home Equity Scams Y ou could lose your home and your money if you borrow from unscrupulous lenders who offer you a high-cost loan based on the equity you have in your home. Certain lenders target homeowners who are elderly or who have low incomes or credit problems—and then try to take advantage of them by using deceptive practices. The Federal Trade Commission cautions all homeowners to be on the lookout for: Equity Stripping: The lender gives you a loan, based on the equity in your home, not on your ability to repay based on your income. If you can’t make the payments, you could end up losing your home. Loan Flipping: The lender encourages you to repeatedly refinance the loan and often, to borrow more money. Each time you refinance, you pay additional fees and interest points. That only serves to increase your debt. Credit Insurance Packing: The lender adds credit insurance to your loan, which you may not need. Bait and Switch: The lender offers one set of loan terms when you apply, then pressures you to accept higher charges when you sign to complete the transaction. Deceptive Loan Servicing: The lender doesn’t provide you with accurate or complete account statements and payoff figures. That makes it almost impossible for you to determine how much you have paid or how much you owe. You may pay more than you owe. Some of these practices violate federal credit laws dealing with disclosures about loan terms, discrimination based on age, gender, marital status, race, or national origin; and debt collection. You also may have additional rights under state law that would allow you to bring a law suit. The FTC suggests if you’re thinking about using your home as collateral for a loan, be careful. Unless you can make the loan payments out of current income, you could lose your home as well as the equity you’ve already built up. Some additional tips to remember: The lure of extra money or the chance to reduce monthly credit payments can be very costly in the long run. High interest rates and other credit costs could get you in over your head. Credit insurance may not be a good deal from a lender. If you want the added security of credit insurance, shop around. Don’t sign a loan agreement if the terms are not what you were given when you applied. Ask for an explanation of any dollar amount, term, or condition that you don’t understand. Federal law is very clear about what credit and loan term information must be provided in writing when you apply for a loan and before you sign any agreement. In addition, shop around for the best loan terms and interest rates. Contact lending institutions, such as banks and credit unions, and consult a legal or financial advisor, or someone you can trust before you make any loan decisions. Or contact your local Fair Housing Office, legal aid, or senior services organization for information and help. 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 Jan. 1998

buy property here. With

Bulgarian Properties Expert - Buying Property Abroad Home Buying Property Abroad Home Bulgaria Property Market Property News Investments Buying Property Abroad Top Ten Tips Why Overseas Property Purchase Process Possible difficulties Bulgarian Home Search About us News Feeds Forum Contacts Property Listings Property Hotspots Useful Links Warsaw Hotels, Hotel Accommodation in Warsaw Poland Hotel Apartments in Warsaw Poland, Warsaw apartments in Poland Offshore banking, bank accounts offshore Get an offshore banking and an offshore account, offshore company and offshore bank account Discount hotels in Brussels. Brussels Belgium accommodation Brussels Hotels and Apartments in Brussels. The largest choice of accommodation in Brussels A guide to accommodation in Budapest. Hotel accommodation in Budapest Budapest Hotels. Great last minute discounts Madrid lodging directory. Madrid hotels Madrid Hotels. Great last minute discounts Milan hotels by Europe-Cities.com. Hotel accommodation in Milan Hotels in Milan. Great last minute discounts Buying Property Abroad Buying property abroad? Buying property abroad has become increasingly popular with the British andNorthern Europeans for various reasons, mainly the warm climate, affordableprices and investment opportunities. With the poor returns on the stocks andshares market and uncertainty of pension fund's future, more and more ordinarypeople invest their hard earned cash into bricks and mortar by buying aproperty abroad. Retirement abroad Retirement abroad is no longer the prerogative of rich and famous. The dreamof owning a property overseas turns into reality for hundreds of thousands ofBritish people every year. Increasing number of pre-retirement age and themiddle aged are buying overseas property (villa or apartment) in the hope touse it as a permanent or semi-permanent home in their forthcoming retirement. What lures Britons to leave their homes in UK and look for the best place tolive is not just a warm climate. Lower cost of living is also taken intoconsideration by people looking for a better quality of life, to what their UK pension canprovide. Property in Bulgariais becoming increasingly popular choice for retirement abroad for the abovereasons. A place in the sun - Buy Holiday Homes Abroad More and more couples consider choosing to buy a second property abroad anduse it as a holiday home in summer and winter. Apartments in Spain havealways been Britons favourite place in the sun to take holidays or shortbreaks. With the costs of travel dramatically falling, it is becoming cheaperand certainly more exciting to go abroad. A lot of ordinary people realise that buying overseas property can not onlybecome an ideal holiday home, but also provide a steady rental income.Think where you go to take a short winter break or spend Christmas - the Banskoski resort (Bulgaria)!Now imagine owning an apartment in Bansko and be the lucky owner who also getsthe rental income! Property for sale in the emerging market of Bulgaria in the past few years hasbecome a big attraction for investors and holiday home owners as they providean affordable opportunity to own a place in the sun. Property abroad - Alternatives to Pensions Buying property abroad and home has proven to be an excellent investmentover the long term. Although it should never be overlooked that buying overseasproperty does not guarantee the increasing price in the short term, it iscertainly a winner in a long run. An underlying asset of the investment cannotbe wiped out as easily as the value of the stocks and shares, thus is lessrisky than other more traditional forms of investments. It is a known fact that borrowing against your existing property issignificantly cheaper, which makes it possible to create a portfolio ofproperties and benefit from the tax breaks that stocks and shares cannot offer. More and more ordinary people realise the benefits of buying overseasproperty rather than shares and include Bulgarian property into their portfolioof investments. More sophisticated and informed investors diversify their riskand maximise their returns by investing in emerging property market of Bulgaria. The proposal regarding the possibility of including overseas property inyour pension fund is a possibility in the future, so watch this space andreview your pension portfolio with a financial advisor in the next few years asbig changes are on the way! Spread you risks, create a balanced portfolio of real estate investments! Bulgarian property market Bulgarian property market (Black Seaside in particular) has been the firstcoastal resort areas, where British people discovered Bulgaria. This propertymarket was pioneers in attracting foreigners to buy property here. With growing demand for properties in the above area, lack of planningpermission regulations, some parts of these beautiful coasts have beenoverbuilt. But there is a big advantage of the Bulgarian Black Sea areas - theestablished infrastructure that makes this place ideal for retirement abroad orholiday homes. By trial and error the property markets in up and coming areas of Bulgariaare offering much more - good value for money, facilities, infrastructurethat was frequently overlooked at the infant stages of the Bulgarianproperty market development. Black Sea and mountainresorts are the future of Bulgarian property market. Large numbers of wealthy Northern Europeans are buying a property in Bulgaria, incoastal resorts in particular and this trend will only increase as the Europeanbaby boomers retire. This will ensure the growth in demand for many decades tocome, driving the prices upwards! UKagents and property consultants With the overwhelming supply of new developments coming in different partsof the world, growing number of the property exhibitions and UK propertyagents, as well as press and media coverage of different hot propertydestinations, it is easy to overlook your own objectives and jump on the bandwagon. And… Do it sooner than later as the prices are increasing! Bulgarian Properties Highlights Purchase of Bulgarian property become easier for foreigners Foreigners will be able to purchase real estate properties without special licenses from the government. Members of the Parliament Economic Commission voted down on second reading, the text of the Investments Encouragement Law, according to which the foreigners had to ask the cabinet for such a license. Irrelevant became also the requirement for special license from the Ministry of Defense and the Ministry of Internal Affairs for purchasing real estate properties in the interior areas of the country, close to the national security objects. The grounds for this vote are that such restrictions do not correspond to the law, whose purpose is to encourage the investments. The law is to be adopted by the parliament on second reading. In the beginning of March 2004, at the conference of the Bulgarian Industrial Business Association (BIBA), the American Trade Chamber and the Bulgarian-German Chamber was requested these restrictions to be dropped off. At the moment the Real Estate Agencies face difficulties in interpreting the Foreign Investments Law and the regulations for applying the Law of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, since there are many unclear points concerning the property or land acquisition in urbanized territories at the border area, in connection to the national security. Due to the same reason, the Notary Publics faced difficulties to perform the sale formalities of land along the Black Sea coast, which according to the real estate agents is an obstacle for the realties market. Companies in this trade sphere explain that the foreign investors used to buy properties and land via figureheads, but in the long run this practice is not serious and may lead to exodus from the most perspective construction regions in Bulgaria. The main problem for them is due to the ambiguity in the interpretation of the term “border area”. The lawyers regard the term as applied only for the land and river borders, since according to the Sea Area Law, the sea coast is not considered a state border. As by the Foreign Investments Law enacted, a juridical person on the territory of Bulgaria can acquire property and restricted law of estate over realties. © 2005 Sagabg.net. All rights reserved.

Denver Real Estate

AOL City Guide: Denver - Real Estate, Homes, Apartments, Realtors, Mortgage Main | Ticket Marketplace | Hot Tickets People | Local Personals | Local News & Headlines | Sports Main | Banks | Doctors | Florists | Lawyers | Health Clubs | Hotels Autos | Classifieds | Government Guide | Jobs | Lottery Numbers | MapQuest Maps | Real Estate | Weather | White Pages Dance Off 2006 nominees are in. Vote for the best dance club near you. Home Recipe Find floor plans and build your dream home. Get started. Choose property type. - Property Type - Apartments Senior Housing & Care Corporate Housing Enter city name. Select State Ala. Alaska Ariz. Ark. Calif. Colo Conn. Del. D.C. Fla. Ga. Hawaii Idaho Ill. Ind. Iowa Kan. Ky. La. Maine Md. Mass. Mich. Minn. Miss. Mo. Mont. Neb. Nev N.H. N.J. N.M. N.Y. N.C. N.D. Ohio Okla. Ore. Pa. R.I. S.C. S.D. Tenn. Texas Utah Vt. Va. Wash. W.Va. Wis. Wyo. · Find the Perfect Neighborhood · Best City Neighborhoods · Best Cities for Young People · Local Schools Information Home Values Find out how much your home and nearby properties are worth. Family-Friendly? Discover the best cities for safe schools and affordable housing. New to the Area? Meet area singles like you at CityGuide Local Personals. For Sale By Owner Find FSBO listings or list your own home for sale on RealtyTrac. Check out our featured listings to find great homes near you. Type: Rate: • See rates from area lenders Enter city Enter State State Ala. Alaska Ariz. Ark. Calif. Colo Conn. Del. D.C. Fla. Ga. Hawaii Idaho Ill. Ind. Iowa Kan. Ky. La. Maine Md. Mass. Mich. Minn. Miss. Mo. Mont. Neb. Nev N.H. N.J. N.M. N.Y. N.C. N.D. Ohio Okla. Ore. Pa. R.I. S.C. S.D. Tenn. Texas Utah Vt. Va. Wash. W.Va. Wis. Wyo. Enter State State Alabama Alaska Arizona Arkansas California Colorado Connecticut Delaware District of Columbia Florida Georgia Hawaii Idaho Illinois Indiana Iowa Kansas Kentucky Louisiana Maine Maryland Massachusetts Michigan Minnesota Mississippi Missouri Montana Nebraska Nevada New Hampshire New Jersey New Mexico New York North Carolina North Dakota Ohio Oklahoma Oregon Pennsylvania Rhode Island South Carolina South Dakota Tennesee Texas Utah Vermont Virginia Washington West Virginia Wisconsin Wyoming AOL Keyword: Local Real Estate Bars, Music & Nightlife | Restaurants & Dining Guide | Movies | Tickets People & Personals | Real Estate | Visitor's Guide | Shop & Find | Yellow Pages | Government Guide About Us | Advertise With Us | Help & Feedback | Updated Privacy Policy | Terms of Use | Trademarks | Site Map AOL Music | Moviefone | AOL Games | AOL TV | Black Voices | Shopping AOL CityGuide has a finger on the pulse of this city, and cities around the nation: from New York restaurants to Las Vegas entertainment, Chicago real estate, Washington hotels, Florida weather, San Francisco theaters, Boston markets and Los Angeles nightlife. You'll find the best local restaurants, hotels, entertainment, movies, concert tickets, events, weather, bars, nightlife, personals and so much more. We're the better way to search your city. © 2005 America Online, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

Denver Real Estate Site

Denver real estate; financial glossary Financial terms glossary Common Mistakes to Avoid Home buying mistakes can be avoided, you need to know what some of them are. Getting a Loan Follow these steps prior to applying for your home loan. The Mortgage Loan Application A few minutes of preparation can save you hours of hassle, here's the list of what you will need. Interest Rates Lock in your rate with confidence, after you have read these facts. Loan Approval What constitutes as loan approval in Denver? Earnest Money Why is it necessary to pay earnest money before I buy the house? Closing Costs Home buying costs vary by region, here are sample costs for Denver. Down payment for a mortgage Learn about the various allowable sources to obtain your down payment. What is PMI? PMI, do you really need it? FICO Scores FICO scoring is a standard, you need to understand the basics to protect your credit! The steps to getting a VA Loan The steps to getting a VA loan, do you need one? What does it take to get one? Reverse Mortgages Reverse Mortgages have many benefits for older home owners. search Denver Real Estate Site Glossary of Financial Terms Amortization - The gradual reduction of debt by means of periodic payments sufficient to pay principal and interest and thereby liquidate the debt. ARM - Adjustable Rate Mortgage. A loan where the interest rate can change according to the index, caps, and margin. Appraisal - An unbiased, professional estimate of a property's value based on style, appearance, quality of construction, improvements, usefulness, and the comparable value of nearby properties. Balloon Mortgage - A short term loan, usually 5 to 7 years, that features a fixed interest rate, and a final large balloon payment for balance of the mortgage. Borrower - A person who receives funds in the form of a loan with the obligation of repaying the loan in full with interest, if applicable. Broker - One who, for a commission or fee, brings parties together and assists in negotiating contracts between them. In real estate transactions, the broker usually brings together the buyer and the seller. Caps - The maximum or minimum amount by which the interest rate on an adjustable rate mortgage can change over each adjustment and over its life. For example a 2/6 cap means that the ARM cannot adjust more than 2% up or down each adjustment, or 6% from the start rate during its life. Chattel - Personal property. Closing - The final settlement of the transfer of property. Involves the buyer's signing the mortgage note and an exchange of title. Closing Agent - Assures that all documentation related to the sale of a house has been completed properly, including the title search and title insurance. The closing agent explains all closing documents to the buyer and the seller, obtains their signatures where necessary, and records the documents. Closing Costs - Fees and other charges paid by the buyer and seller at closing. Closing Statement - A financial disclosure giving an account of all funds received and expected at the closing, including the escrow deposits for taxes, hazard insurance, and mortgage insurance. Co-Borrower - The person who is sharing the mortgage responsibility with the borrower. Contingency - A clause within an Offer to Purchase or within the Contract For Sale that requires a certain condition be met before proceeding t closing. Contract - An agreement between two or more parties to do or not to do a particular thing. Contract for Sale - AKA: Conditional Sales Contract - A sales contract whereby the borrower has possession of the property, but seller retains ownership of the property until the buyer has fulfilled the obligations put forth in the contract. Conventional Mortgage - A Mortgage not insured by the government, such as FHA or VA. Counter Offer - The offer made by one party (buyer or seller) in response to an offer presented by the other. Credit Report - A report to a prospective lender on the credit standing of a prospective borrower, used to help determine credit worthiness. Debt-To-Income Ratio - Long-term debt expense as a percentage of monthly income. Deed - The instrument that transfers title from the seller to the buyer. Down Payment - The buyer's payment to the seller at closing for a percentage of the purchase price required by the buyer's mortgage loan. Earnest Money - Money paid by the buyer to the seller at the time the Offer to Purchase is presented. Generally, earnest money is applied to the purchase price. Equity - The home owner's interest in a property. It is different between fair market value and the current amount the owner owes on the property. Fair Market Value - The price at which a property is transferred between a willing buyer and a willing seller, each of whom has a reasonable knowledge of all pertinent facts and neither being under any compulsion to buy or sell. FHA - Federal Housing Administration - A division of the Department of Housing and Urban Development. Its main activity is the insuring of residential mortgage loans made by private lender. FHLMC - Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation - A private corporation created by Congress to support the secondary mortgage market. It sells participation certificates secured by pools of conventional mortgage loans, their principal and interest guaranteed by the federal government through FHLMC. Popularly known as Freddie Mac. First Mortgage - A mortgage that is a first lien on the property pledged as security. FNMA - Federal National Mortgage Association - A private corporation created by Congress to support the secondary mortgage market. FNMA sells mortgage - backed securities backed by pools of conventional loans. Payment of principal and interest on these securities is backed by the US Government. Popularly known as Fannie Mae. Gross Monthly Income - The amount of consistent and stable income that an individual receives each month. averaged over a period of time. This amount includes overtime pay, bonuses, commissions, and income from dividends and interest, provided that the individual can show a consistent history of receiving such income. Hazard Insurance - A contract whereby, for an agreed premium, one party undertakes to compensate the other for loss on a specific subject by specified hazards, such as acts of God or war. Homeowners Association - An organization of homeowners residing within a particular development whose major purpose is to maintain and provide community facilities and services for the common enjoyment of the residents. Housing Expense Ratio - A home owner's percentage of their monthly income. Index - A published financial benchmark used to help determine the interest rate for an adjustable rate mortgage on its adjustment. The margin is added to it. Interest - Money paid for the use of money - that is, money paid for a loan. Loan-To-Value Ratio - The relationship between the amount of a home loan and the total value of the property. For example if you receive a loan of $95,000 on ah home that costs $100,000, the loan-to-value ratio is 95%. Margin - The amount added to the index to help determine the new interest rate of an adjustable rate mortgage. Mortgage Insurance - A policy that allows mortgage lenders to recover part of their financial losses if a borrower fails to fully re-pay a loan. Mortgage insurance makes it possible to buy a home with as little as 5% down. Offer To Purchase - A legally-binding, written contract that declares how much a buyer will pay for a house, provided certain condition are met. Origination Fee - Similar to a point, it is a fee paid to lenders for originating the mortgage. PITI - Principle, Interest, Taxes, and Insurance - the four main parts of a monthly mortgage payment. Planned Unit Development -(PUD) - A subdivision having lots or areas owned in common and reserved for the use of some or all of the owners of the separately owned lots. Discount Points - One point equals one percent of the total mortgage amount. This is a fee paid to lenders to get lower rate on the mortgage. Pre-Approval - Having the loan processed, underwritten, and obtaining loan approval before an Offer to Purchase has been accepted by a seller. Pre-Qualify - Preliminary indications on how large a mortgage a buyer can quality for. Qualify - Ability to meet a lender's mortgage approval requirements. Servicer - After a mortgage loan closes, the loan servicer collects the payments, manages escrow accounts, pays taxes and insurance, and manages delinquent payments. Lenders may often sell or "release" servicing to another business, which means that a home buyer will not necessarily send house payments to the original lender. Title - The right of ownership and possession of a property. Title Insurance - A policy that protects a buyer against errors or omissions or defects in the title of the property. Veterans Administration - (VA)An independent agency of the federal government created in 1930. The VA home loan guaranty program is designed to encourage lenders to offer long-term, low down payment mortgages to eligible veterans by guaranteeing the lender against loss Home Buying Directory Buyer Broker Down Payment How to Qualify for a Mortgage Loan Application Locking in Interest Rate Earnest Money Loan Application Checklist Fico Scores Moving List Moving Pets What is PMI? Finance Glossary Financing Your Home Reverse Mortage Home Buying Process Closing Costs Kristal Kraft , ABR, CIPS, CRS Licensed real estate broker selling Colorado Since 1984 The Berkshire Group Realtors, Inc. 3801 E. Florida Ave, Suite 502, Denver, Colorado U.S.A. 80210 800-319-7738 toll free | 303-589-2022 direct | 720-554-7961 fax E-mail: Kristal Kraft, Realtor 1998-2005, © Reflective Motion Inc. | Privacy Policy | Site Credits | Disclaimer | Site Map ~2 ~3 ~4 Denver Relocation | Buy a Home In Denver | Sell a Home in Denver | Denver Map | Denver Neighborhood Profiles | Denver Sales Statistics | International Real Estate | A Bio | My Favorite Places | Real Estate Resources Denver Loft Homes | The Berkshire Group | Buy and Sell Denver | We Sell Denver | Denver Colorado Real Estate | Denver Blog