home for sale at

Buy or Sell a Home - For Sale By Owner Canada (FSBO) - Private Sale Real Estate Listing Service Home Search -- Featured New -- Articles FAQ's News About Directory Testimonials Contact -- -- City: Select City Barrhead Barrie Brampton Caledon Cambridge Campbellford Courtice East York Georgian Bay Georgina Hamilton King Kitchener Lambton Shores London London Magog Markham Meldrum Bay Milton Minden Mississauga Newmarket North York Oakville Orillia Oshawa Pickering Port Dover Port Perry Richmond Hill Rockwood Rosseau Scarborough Severn Stouffville Thornhill Toronto Vaughan Wassaga Beach Waterloo Woodbridge Property Type: Select Type Commercial Building Business Farm Industrial Investment Office Plaza Power Centres Retail Store w/ Apt, Office Vacant Land Condominium Co-Op Apartment Co-ownership Apartment Condo Apartment Condo Townhouse Detached Condo Semi-Detached Condo Time Share Freehold/House Attached/Row Townhouse Commercial/Residential Cottage Detached Duplex Farm Link Mobile/Trailer Multiplex Rural Residential Semi-Detached Triplex I Want to: Please Select buy rent Price Range: Price Range under 1 000 1 000 - 5 000 5 000 - 10 000 10 000 - 25 000 25 000 - 50 000 50 000 - 100 000 100 000 - 250 000 250 000 - 500 000 more than 500 000 $ 0 $380,000 4 bedroom(s) Magog $1,950,000 4 bedroom(s) Lambton Shores Please Select Your Province Alberta British Columbia Manitoba New Brunswick Newfoundland Northwest Territories Nova Scotia Ontario Prince Edward Island Quebec Saskatchewan Yukon -- What is "For Sale By Owner" Real Estate? For Sale By Owner (FSBO) is a term that is used to refer to real estate , usually homes, which are being sold by the owner without the help of a real estate agent or broker. The For Sale By Owner method of selling a home enables the home seller to save thousands of dollars by not having to pay a large commission to a real estate agent upon the sale of their property. Sell Your Own Home , Save Thousands! Savings from an FSBO real estate sale can either be kept by the home seller as increased profit or passed on to the FSBO real estate buyer by offering the home for sale at a lower price. Typically, owners will list their home, land, condo or other property for sale using FSBO websites like PropertySold , local newspaper classified ads, word of mouth or other inexpensive advertising methods such as the placement of a For Sale By Owner Yard Sign in their front yard. Sell Property Buy Property Rent Property Sell Canadian Real Estate By Owner Sell a Home, Sell a Condo, Sell Land... Even Sell Commercial Real Estate! Do you have real estate for sale in Canada? Would you like to save thousands of dollars on the sale of your house or property? With real estate agent commissions averaging 5% of the total sale price of your property you owe it to yourself to try the " for sale by owner " method. According to the National Association of Realtors, over 70% of real estate buyers are turning to the internet to start their search for a property so it is essential to include an online listing of your property in any plans you may have to sell your home. A private Real Estate listing with PropertySold gives you, the real estate seller , the ability to expose your home, condo, land, commercial real estate or other property to qualified real estate buyers for as little as $14 . If you compare the cost of an mls listing with PropertySold with traditional MLS listing services or to the commissions you would have to pay to an agent upon the sale of your property it is easy to see why thousands of Canadians have already chosen the " For Sale By Owner " method to sell their own homes and save thousands in the process. PropertySold FSBO Listing Features Detailed online real estate listing of your property - comprehensive description + up to 12 images Affordable listing packages - sell your home for as little as $14! Flat fee listings - one time payment keeps your property listed on our website until it is sold - No commissions, ever! 24/7 online access to edit and manage your property listing Submission of your FSBO listing to internet search engines Open House scheduling and exposure Text Link or Text Link + Image "Featured" Listing on our Home Page Free Access to our extensive set of FSBO home seller tools Mortgage Calculator Mortgage Application FSBO Home Sellers Guide Ad Writing Tips Professionally designed "For Sale By Owner" Yard Sign (optional) Professional photography service (optional) Knowledgeable customer service available by telephone or email More Information Package Options Advantages of the "For Sale By Owner" Private Sale Method Inexpensive - With mls listings starting at $14 , PropertySold offers you a virtually "risk-free" way to test the real estate market Sell Your Property Faster - Since there is no commission to pay for the sale of your home you can list your property at a more competitive price allowing you to sell it faster than if you had to factor a real estate agent's commission into your home selling price Exposure - Propertysold is regularly spidered and indexed by the major search engines. PropertySold averages over 15, 000 qualified Canadian real estate buyers visiting our website a month from internet search engines so you can be assured your listing will receive massive exposure to people who are already looking to purchase real estate in Canada Total Control - Schedule appointments or open houses when it is convenient for you, manage your fsbo listing from the comfort of your own home 24/7. With a PropertySold FSBO listing you are in control! It's Easy - If you can sell your own car then you can sell your own home, it's that simple! We will give you all the tools, training and resources you need to sell your property quickly and easily. It's really not as hard as you think. Who knows your home better than you? The obvious answer is no one. So why pay a stranger thousands of dollars to sell your property when the most knowledgeable, motivated salesperson is you? PropertySold gives you all the tools you need to sell your home yourself at a very affordable price. More Information Package Options Buy Canadian Real Estate By Owner Typically, property for sale through a traditional real estate agent is priced to accomodate the commission the property seller would need to pay the real estate agent upon the sale of the home. Since these commission charges are often added onto the actual value of the home and are included in the asking price you, the real estate buyer, is forced to pay up to 7% more for the property than it is actually worth. Buying " For Sale By Owner " private sale homes and property can help you avoid these commission charges and get you the real estate you want at a better price. PropertySold features nationwide FSBO listings of Canadian single family homes, vacant lots, commercial property, recreational property, farms and ranches, mobile homes and condos. Most of these FSBO properties can not be found in any other MLS listing service. Advantages of Buying "For Sale By Owner" Real Estate No Agents, No Commissions - Save thousands of dollars by purchasing real estate directly from the owner without the need for a middle man. Since there is no agent commissions involved in the sale of the property the seller is able to pass these savings on to you, the FSBO real estate buyer Knowledgeable Salesperson - Who knows a property better than the owner? 24/7 Online Access to View Property Listings - Our website is available to the real estate shopper 24/7/365. Convenience - Browse through hundreds of Canadian property listings from the comfort of your own home. All FSBO listings on this website can be printed or emailed with ease. Contact information is included with the listings making scheduling appointments a breeze. Search For Canadian Real Estate "For Sale By Owner" Magazine Locator » -- Detached $229,900 5 bedroom(s) Hamilton Rural Residential $229,995 2 bedroom(s) Barrhead Detached $369,900 4 bedroom(s) Oakville Username Password -- Mortgage Calculator Mortgage Application Mortgage Guide Equifax Credit Report -- Ad writing tips Seller's Guide Buyer's Guide -- Real Estate Lawyers Mortgage Brokers Home Inspector Other Services -- 4 bedroom, Magog See more details 4 bedroom, Lambton Shores See more details View All Featured 5 bedroom(s), Hamilton See more details 2 bedroom(s), Barrhead See more details 4 bedroom(s), Oakville See more details View All New Listings -- -- Home | Buy Home | Sell Home | Terms & Conditions | Privacy Policy | Affiliates | Links | Contact Us | Site Map | Advertisers Home Buy Sell Terms & Conditions Privacy Policy Affiliates Links Contact Us Site Map Advertisers -- " Sell Your Own Home " - PropertySold.ca Inc. is the largest For Sale By Owner Private Sale MLS listing service in Canada. Buy a home by owner, sell a home by owner. Find real estate for sale in: Ontario - Quebec - British Columbia - Alberta - Manitoba - Saskatchewan - Newfoundland - New Brunswick - Nova Scotia - Prince Edward Island © 2004 PropertySOLD.ca Website Design - BDNwebdesign.com fsbo property listings -- 0.371662139893--

Purchase Property

Construction News Special Focus X-Communication and X-presso Books: Tony Dierckins Around The Region Role of women in region's economy grows: wages are rising but it remains a perilous place for single mothers On The Move NRRI Forest Products promotes lean manufacturing processes News Makers Newsmakers for November-December Construction Minimize risk when you purchase real estate Thursday December 29, 2005 Business News CNNfn CBSMarketwatch Bloomberg Reuters BusinessWeek PRNewswire Political News Salon Slate The Atlantic The Nation Mother Jones Sports ESPN Local Sports Comment on This Story / Send This Article to a Friend Construction News Minimize risk when you purchase real estate 10/14/2005 by Paul Kilgore and Melissa Maloney Purchasing real property involves a substantial financial investment. Whether buying real property to start or relocate a new business, or solely for investment purposes, you can take certain steps to protect your investment. Together, a title insurance policy and survey can protect you from many of the risks. Title Insurance A title insurance policy insures the status of the title to a parcel of real property. Simply put, title means the formal right of ownership of property. While most insurance policies insure against unforeseen future risks, title insurance insures against possible defects in title based on events that have already happened. A title insurance policy may be an owners policy, issued to the purchaser of real property, or a lenders policy, issued in favor of the lender that finances the purchase. An owners policy provides for reimbursement of damages suffered by an owner as a result of title being different than that stated in the title insurance policy. Reimbursement is available up to the stated amount of the title insurance policy. Title insurance also covers attorneys fees and other costs of any covered claim. A lender financing a real property purchase almost always will require the purchaser to obtain and pay for a lenders policy of title insurance. Among other things, a lenders policy insures the lender has a valid, enforceable lien on the purchased property, and that the lien has priority over any other lien. A lenders policy should not be relied upon to protect the purchaser in case of a title defect. Most standard real estate purchase agreements require the seller to pay for and provide the purchaser with a commitment from a title insurance company to provide title insurance. The preparation of that commitment involves a search of the public records to determine the status of title. This process can take a title company a few days or a few weeks, depending on the complexity of the propertys title history. A title insurance commitment is the insurers proposal regarding the terms of the policy. To some extent, these terms are negotiable. The commitment includes the legal description of the property, its fee owner, the proposed insured party, and any exclusions from coverage. A title insurance commitment typically excludes coverage for liens, easements, or mortgages already recorded in the public records, as well as any facts - such as encroachments and roadways - that would be revealed by a survey. The purchaser, rather than the seller, typically pays the one-time premium for an owners policy. This responsibility may be negotiated between the parties. The premium is based on the purchase price. An owners title insurance policy provides coverage throughout the insureds ownership of the property. If it later is conveyed by warranty deed, coverage continues (for the insured party, not to the new buyer) even after the property is conveyed. Survey A property survey is the process by which a parcel of land is measured, and its boundaries and contents ascertained and mapped. The finished product of a survey most often is a scaled drawing that illustrates locations of buildings, fences, streets and other improvements in relation to property lines. A survey assists the parties to a real estate transaction in understanding exactly the property included in the transaction. In Wisconsin, only a professional land surveyor licensed by the states Department of Regulation & Licensing may perform a survey. The cost depends on the characteristics of the area to be surveyed, including the parcel size and level of detail required by the transaction. From the buyers perspective, the purchase agreement should make the obligation to purchase contingent upon an A.L.T.A.(American Land Title Association) survey by a registered land surveyor, with the results acceptable to the purchaser. The purchase agreement also should state who will pay for the survey. It should be ordered early in the purchasing process to allow sufficient time for completion. Obtaining the survey early also will leave time to deal with title defects or other issues the survey may reveal. To remove the title insurance policy exclusion regarding facts ascertainable by a survey, a recent survey performed by a registered land surveyor must be presented to the title insurer, along with the surveyors certificate of no encroachments. An encroachment occurs when a building or other improvement to a parcel of real estate overlaps the boundary line and encroaches onto a neighboring land parcel, or when a neighboring improvement overlaps onto the insured property. Therefore, unless a survey is obtained and the survey exclusion is deleted, a title insurance policy alone does not protect a purchaser if an encroachment is later discovered. The title insurance commitment and survey should be examined by the purchasers attorney well in advance of closing to allow time to work out any title issues and to negotiate the terms of the title insurance policy. The bottom line: A comprehensive title insurance policy and survey protects the buyer from undiscovered title issues and minimizes risk in a real estate purchase. Paul Kilgore is a shareholder at Fryberger, Buchanan, Smith & Frederick, and practices in the areas of real estate acquisition, finance, litigation and mineral rights law. Hes a certified real property law specialist. Melissa Maloney is an associate attorney at the firm, practicing in the areas of commercial and residential real estate. They can be reached at the law firms Duluth office at 218-722-0861. Previous Construction Articles: Minimize risk when you purchase real estate -10/14/2005 Permit process begins for Range mine, steel mill -8/26/2005 UW-Barron County due for $6.5 million renovation -8/26/2005 Grand Marais landmark slated for vacation condos -5/27/2005 Resort condo developer markets phase 2 sales -5/19/2005 -- Site Map Home Page About Us Advertising Archives Around the Region BN Columnists BN Lists Business Law Business Mentor Calendar Coaches Corner Construction Daily Briefing Editorials Exclusives Investing Letters to the Editor News From KUWS News From KDAL Marketing Newsmakers Nonprofit Hotline On the Move Press Releases Search Send Us News Special Focus Stock Charts Subscribe Now! Technology Tell Us What You Think BusinessNorth 101 W. 2nd St. Suite 202 Duluth, MN 55802 Phone: 218-720-3060 Fax: 218-720-3112 Privacy Policy 2001 DCS Netlink www.dcsnetlink.com The Arrowhead and Iron Range region's authority for business news serving northern Minnesota and northern Wisconsin. Business North,Businessnorth,business news,small business news,minnesota news,mn news,northern minnesota news,wisconsin news,ashland news,superior news,northern wisconsin news,minnesota newspaper,minnesota newspaper online,duluth newspaper,duluth mn newspaper,duluth minnesota newspaper,wisconsin newspaper,superior wisconsin newspaper,business newspaper,technology news,construction news,taconite,investing,marketing,non profit,stock charts,steel industry,steel industry news,forest products,forest industry,iron ore,timber industry,Minnesota tourism,Wisconsin tourism,seaway,paper industry,pulp and paper industry,eco tourism

Selling Home

Smartmoney.com: Real Estate: Sell Your Home — Fast Thursday December 29, 2005 3:32 PM ET U.S. Markets close in: :28 Search (choose an option below) Quote Charting Earnings Ratings Competition Financials Profile Key Statistics Insiders Site Search News (Enter Symbol) advanced search SmartMoney Select My Portfolio Tools Maps Stocks Advanced Trading Funds ETFs Personal Finance Autos Career Journal College Planning Debt Management Health Care Insurance Life LTC Insurance Real Estate Retirement Tax Guide Economy & Bonds Small Business SmartMoney TV SmartMoney Magazine SmartMoney University Business Travel Technology SmartMoney Mobile Holiday Survival Guide Select Homepage Stock Screener Market Map 1000 Fund Screener Stock Compare Fund Map 1000 Fund Compare XStream Quotes More... Portfolio Tracker Watchlist Calendar Intraday Alerts News Alerts Sector Tracker ETF Center Map of the Market XStream Quotes Stock Screener Stock Compare Price Check Calculator More... Map of the Market Map Your Portfolio Market Map 1000 ETF Map Mutual Fund Map Sector Maps Fund Map 1000 More... Daily Briefing Common Sense Tradecraft Ahead of the Curve Trendspotting One-Day Wonder Sector Patrol Stock Screen Financial Planners 2005 Broker Survey Intraday Alerts News Alerts SmartMoney TV More... Options Options Education Foreign Exchange Futures Bonds Fund Map 1000 Fund Screener Fund Compare Fund Screen Fund Finder Fund Map Fund Snapshots Fund FAQs Top 25 Funds The Pro Shop More... ETF Tracker ETF Screener ETF Compare ETF Map Tradecraft Ahead of the Curve Sector Patrol Common Sense More... Autos Career Journal College Planning Debt Management Health Care Insurance Life LTC Insurance Real Estate Retirement Tax Guide More... Key Indicators Bond Market Update Short Term Investing Bond Investing Living Yield Curve More... Intro Interactive Center Franchise 500 Startup Journal Incorporation More... The Market Now ForexTV Futures Life Stages CEO Interview Sturm Screen Mossberg Report Subscribe Give a gift Customer Service Media Kit Editorial Calendar Custom Publishing Investing 101 Taking Action Strategic Investing Quizzes More... Please enable javascript to properly view the menu. Site Map DJIA 10789.06 -7.20 Nasdaq 2219.66 -9.28 S&P 500 1255.08 -3.09 Rus 2000 679.31 -0.77 10 Yr Bd 4.36 -0.01 DJTA 4248.75 24.82 Wil 5000 12585.54 -25.30 S&P 400 743.20 -0.93 Nas 100 1655.52 -11.58 Sign up now for FREE SmartMoney.com Newsletters Enter your email address below Personal Finance : Real Estate : Selling : Sell Your Home — Fast Real Estate Sell Your Home — Fast By Stacey L. Bradford Click here for more stories by Stacey L. Bradford . In This Section A Seller's Checklist Choosing a Broker Wisely Selling Without a Broker Taxes When You Sell Your Home More... Related Content Ask SmartMoney Who Gets the Home? To Rent or to Buy? Advertisement 4.25% APY with hsbcdirect.com Online Savings. Earn 8X the national savings average and make money into big money. No minimums. No monthly fees. Member FDIC. Email This Story Print This Story Save This Story Send Us Your Comments Add this column to your News Alerts (New!) IF YOU'RE LOOKING TO sell your home in a matter of days rather than months, you might want to take some tips from 32-year-old Mona Ross Berman. To get her Washington, D.C., townhouse ready for sale in early 2004, the interior designer went through every room, sweating the details. She rearranged furniture, added sophisticated coffee-table books and strategically placed vases and throw pillows to create a cozy environment. She then organized every closet to showcase her ample storage space. Finally, she removed all personal items, including her wedding photos, so potential buyers wouldn't associate the house with someone else. "I think that if you can get a home to show well, it can get you [better results] than it really should," Berman says. Her strategy worked. Within four days of placing her property on the market, she had five offers in hand. Long gone are the days when you can simply throw some cookie dough into the oven and get an offer for your house. Thanks to the Internet, home buyers are more sophisticated and demanding than ever before. At a bare minimum, would-be sellers need to dispose of clutter and make any necessary repairs. But to really make a property stand out from the crowd and sell quickly, sellers might need to do the following. 1. Hire an Interior Designer A well-decorated home will sell faster and for more money than one that looks frumpy. That's why more and more sellers are hiring interior designers to do everything from rearrange furniture and paint walls a neutral color to rent artwork. This service, known as "staging," can cost anywhere from a few hundred dollars for a small job to several thousand dollars for high-end properties, says Patricia Dugan, a realtor with The Corcoran Group. Experts across the country agree that the investment is worthwhile for most properties. According to 2002 data from Coldwell Banker, staged homes in the San Francisco Bay area spent just 25.3 days on the market and sold at the asking price, while "non-staged" homes languished on the market for 48.2 days and sold for 2% below the asking price. This information is based on more than 3,000 homes sold between Jan. 1, 2002 and Oct. 31, 2002. 2. Hire an Organizer A lovely décor will get you only so far. To really get the buyers chomping at the bit, you need to highlight your home's storage space as well. That means everything should be clean and organized — closets, bathroom vanities, the garage and basement. It might sound trivial, but your home's sale really could rest on whether your linen closets can comfortably store your towels. If you identify more with Oscar Madison of "The Odd Couple" than with Felix Ungar, it might make sense to hire a professional organizer for $75 to $100 an hour. This is especially helpful for those who've lived in their homes for many years and don't know how to dig themselves out of the mess. Some organizers will even help run a yard sale that could end up paying for their services. If you're not sure how to find this type of service, ask your realtor. Most have a list of pros at their fingertips. 3. Hire a Photographer Up to 74% of home buyers start their search online, according to the National Association of Realtors. Indeed, the Web has become such an important marketing tool that all the realtors we spoke with encourage their clients to hire a professional photographer, which can cost as little as $100, for their online snapshots. Think of it this way: If someone doesn't like how your home looks on the Web, he or she won't bother to make an appointment to see the property in person. Is that a risk you're willing to take? While putting photographs online isn't exactly new, there are some emerging trends. Six years ago it was OK to have one outside shot of the house, says Tara Rogers, director of marketing for Real Living, a Columbus, Ohio-based real-estate firm. Now, some potential buyers want to see up to a 10-picture slideshow detailing multiple rooms before they commit to a walk-through, she says. Dare to post small, grainy pictures, and risk little foot traffic in your home. 4. Try Marketing Gimmicks Despite impressive national home-sale figures, some local markets are starting to soften. For example, homes in the western suburbs of Boston are starting to languish on the market for up to 90 days after previously selling in just 15 to 30, says Nelson Zide, co-owner of ERA Key Realty Services, a Framingham, Mass.-based real-estate brokerage. Zide recently started implementing marketing gimmicks to increase the number of potential buyers to walk through his clients' homes. "I haven't done this in 12 or 13 years," he says. What strategies does he use? Rather than slash the asking price, he might encourage condo owners, for example, to pay the maintenance fees for a full year, or ask home owners to provide buyers with a cash rebate that's marketed as a decorating allowance. Nine times out of 10, such gimmicks cost less than it would to drop the asking price enough to attract a buyer with a smaller budget, says Zide. It's just one more way to get a potential buyer excited about your home. 5. Hold Open Houses The benefits of an open house are debatable. Industry experts agree that they tend to benefit realtors more than home owners. (After all, it's a great way for realtors to get new clients.) But that doesn't mean that they can't work. The key is to hold them at various times of the day and week so that folks with busy schedules can squeeze in a viewing. Real Living's Rogers says her company's agents make sure to schedule open houses on Saturdays, as well as in the evenings so people can stop by after work. Another technique more people are implementing is to hold open houses at the time of day when their house shows the best. If you have a beautiful garden, show it off during the morning before the flowers start to wilt. If you have a stunning view of the sunset, make sure people get to see the late-afternoon light. In other words, if there's one thing that you love most about your home, be sure to share it with potential buyers. For more on selling your home, read our recent article . To license this content, click here ADVERTISEMENTS Click here to get your FREE report -- The Motley Fools´ 2 Top Picks. Receive a $50 Hyatt Gift Card.Book online using your American Express Card Get 4.25% APY at hsbcdirect.com. Earn 8X the national savings average. Learn about every move Jim Cramer makes before he acts. Learn options trading at a free workshop in your area! Top 10 Breakthrough Stocks for 2006 ? Yours Free!. $7 stock trades. Open a Scottrade account with just $500. Apply online FREE Options Tip 1: AVOID an option´s last month.Get 4 more here-free! Learn how to stay connected to your customers. Free guide at: See how Sprint Business has helped the PGA move forward. Capital One High Yield Savings - 4.00% APY. Earn More Now! New! SmartMoney Mobile. Stock quotes, market news and more on your mobile phone. BusinessWeek Investor Education. Take control of your financial future. Get Mortgage Rates Now Customer Service | Magazine Customer Service | Subscribe to SmartMoney Magazine | Your Profile | Contact Us Corrections | Custom Publishing | License Our Content | Media Kit | Press Room | SmartMoney.com © 2005 SmartMoney. SmartMoney is a joint publishing venture of Dow Jones & Company, Inc. and Hearst SM Partnership. SmartMoney is a registered trademark. All Rights Reserved. By accessing and using this page, you agree to our terms and conditions and our PRIVACY STATEMENT . All quotes delayed by 20 minutes. Delayed quotes provided by ComStock . Historical prices and fundamental data provided by Hemscott, Inc. Mutual fund data provided by Lipper . Mutual Fund NAVs are as of previous day's close. Earnings estimates provided by Zacks Investment Research . Insider trading data provided by Thomson Financial . Upgrades and downgrades provided by Briefing.com .

Denver real estate companies

Denver, Colorado Real Estate Companies DENVER REAL ESTATE COMPANIES "A gazillion links to Denver real estate companies" ColoradoLinks.Net More R. E. Companies Comments Denver real estate companies selling homes, land, and commercial property Automated Homefinder www.AutomatedHomefinder.com Search from over 30,000 homes for sale and receive updates of homes meeting your specific needs! Free service, no obligation. Buyer's Advantage 303-587-3509 ** Email Being an ordained minister, and serving in many volunteer capacities has taught Judith about listening to and understanding people's needs. If you need somebody you can trust, Judith is your realtor. Colorado Home Finder Denver Colorado Real Estate Denver real estate, MLS listings and Denver homes for sale at Colorado HomeFinder. Relocation, loans, and school info. Local Denver realtors and Denver real estate agents in the Denver County area. Colorado Home Store Still looking for the dream home in the Rockies? Search Golden MLS - Jefferson County MLS - Denver MLS. We use Google to index all residential, Colorado land, & Jefferson County commercial properties listed in the MLS. You can search for properties by Google keyword, or by city, price, type, etc . Denver Real Estate Solutions Search all homes for sale in Denver and surrounding suburbs. Also available, zero down loans, and online preapproval for Denver real estate loans. Kelce Enterprises 7500 E. Arapahoe Rd. # 100 Englewood, Colorado 303-783-3788 DenversFirstRealEstate.com- Marni Kelce / Kelce Enterprises, Inc. desires to make your sale and/or purchase of real estate a wonderful experience. We strive to make clients for life. Mercy Housing Mercy Housing is a national not-for-profit organization dedicated to creating and strengthening healthy communities. By developing, operating, and financing quality, affordable, service enriched housing, Mercy Housing changes the lives of individuals and families and revitalizes distressed neighborhoods. PorchLight Real Estate Group Complete Denver Colorado Real Estate source, homes, condominiums and much more. Professional Real Estate Websites at Discount Prices Real Estate Information and Directory of Professional Services. RealtySites.info offers full-featured web sites for home inspectors, appraisers and real estate professionals for only $300. NACHI members save even more! RealEstateColorado.Net Access homes for sale in Denvers MLS & 19 Colorado Counties. Relocation Info, Over 300+ Community Links, Video Tour of Denver, Master Planned Communities, Cities and Subdivision Information and more. Aggus Realty All Right Realty Aspen Gold Assist 2 Sell Benchmark Realty The Berkshire Group Buyer's Resource CEC Realty Century 21 / Dinkel and Associates Century 21 / Professionals Century 21 / Target Realty Cherry Creek Realtors S.E. Cliffdwellers Coldwell Banker Colorado Income Cunningham Advisors DB Realty Stars Denver Realty.com Denver Lofts Online.com Distinctive Properties DMCAR / DPD FIRE Incorporated Friedman Realty Fuller and Company Fuller Western Real Estate Gerretson Realty Grubb & Ellis Hottest Homes Dot Com HQ Homes Inverness Properties James Real Estate Services Kentwood City Properties The Kentwood Company Kois Real Estate L.C. Fulenwider E. Lucero and Company Metro Brokers, Inc. / Torke's & Company The Michael Dagner Group Mountain Plains Properties National 1031 Exchange Service Nostalgic Homes Perry & Company Porchlight Real Estate Group The Prestige Real Estate Group Restaurant Realty RE/MAX 100 RE/MAX Alliance ReMAX Horizons Group, Inc. RE/MAX of Cherry Creek RE/MAX Northwest Rocky Mountain Real Estate Group Rossiter & Associates Trenka Associates top Related pages: Vacation & short term rentals , K-12 schools , Home Improvement Colorado Links. Net -^-^-

home equity lines of

What You Should Know About Home Equity Lines of Credit ESPAÑOL More and more lenders are offering home equity lines of credit. By using the equity in your home, you may qualify for a sizable amount of credit, available for use when and how you please, at an interest rate that is relatively low. Furthermore, under the tax lawdepending on your specific situationyou may be allowed to deduct the interest because the debt is secured by your home. If you are in the market for credit, a home equity plan may be right for you. Or perhaps another form of credit would be better. Before making a decision, you should weigh carefully the costs of a home equity line against the benefits. Shop for the credit terms that best meet your borrowing needs without posing undue financial risk. And remember, failure to repay the amounts youve borrowed, plus interest, could mean the loss of your home. What is a home equity line of credit? What should you look for when shopping for a plan? Costs of establishing and maintaining a home equity line How will you repay your home equity plan? Lines of credit vs. traditional second morgage loans What is a home equity line of credit? A home equity line of credit is a form of revolving credit in which your home serves as collateral. Because the home is likely to be a consumers largest asset, many homeowners use their credit lines only for major items such as education, home improvements, or medical bills and not for day-to-day expenses. With a home equity line, you will be approved for a specific amount of credityour credit limit , the maximum amount you may borrow at any one time under the plan. Many lenders set the credit limit on a home equity line by taking a percentage (say, 75 percent) of the homes appraised value and subtracting from that the balance owed on the existing mortgage. For example: Appraised value of home $100,000 Percentage x 75% Percentage of appraised value = $ 75,000 Less balance owed on mortgage - $ 40,000 Potential credit $ 35,000 In determining your actual credit limit, the lender will also consider your ability to repay, by looking at your income, debts, and other financial obligations as well as your credit history. Many home equity plans set a fixed period during which you can borrow money, such as 10 years. At the end of this draw period, you may be allowed to renew the credit line. If your plan does not allow renewals, you will not be able to borrow additional money once the period has ended. Some plans may call for payment in full of any outstanding balance at the end of the period. Others may allow repayment over a fixed period (the repayment period), for example, 10 years. Once approved for a home equity line of credit, you will most likely be able to borrow up to your credit limit whenever you want. Typically, you will use special checks to draw on your line. Under some plans, borrowers can use a credit card or other means to draw on the line. There may be limitations on how you use the line. Some plans may require you to borrow a minimum amount each time you draw on the line (for example, $300) and to keep a minimum amount outstanding. Some plans may also require that you take an initial advance when the line is set up. What should you look for when shopping for a plan? If you decide to apply for a home equity line of credit, look for the plan that best meets your particular needs. Read the credit agreement carefully, and examine the terms and conditions of various plans, including the annual percentage rate (APR) and the costs of establishing the plan. The APR for a home equity line is based on the interest rate alone and will not reflect the closing costs and other fees and charges, so youll need to compare these costs, as well as the APRs, among lenders. Interest rate charges and related plan features Home equity lines of credit typically involve variable rather than fixed interest rates. The variable rate must be based on a publicly available index (such as the prime rate published in some major daily newspapers or a U.S. Treasury bill rate); the interest rate for borrowing under the home equity line changes, mirroring fluctuations in the value of the index. Most lenders cite the interest rate you will pay as the value of the index at a particular time plus a margin, such as 2 percentage points. Because the cost of borrowing is tied directly to the value of the index, it is important to find out which index is used, how often the value of the index changes, and how high it has risen in the past as well as the amount of the margin. Lenders sometimes offer a temporarily discounted interest rate for home equity linesa rate that is unusually low and may last for only an introductory period, such as 6 months. Variable-rate plans secured by a dwelling must, by law, have a ceiling (or cap ) on how much your interest rate may increase over the life of the plan. Some variable-rate plans limit how much your payment may increase and how low your interest rate may fall if interest rates drop. Some lenders allow you to convert from a variable interest rate to a fixed rate during the life of the plan, or to convert all or a portion of your line to a fixed-term installment loan. Plans generally permit the lender to freeze or reduce your credit line under certain circumstances. For example, some variable-rate plans may not allow you to draw additional funds during a period in which the interest rate reaches the cap. Costs of establishing and maintaining a home equity line Many of the costs of setting up a home equity line of credit are similar to those you paywhen you buy a home. For example: A fee for a property appraisal to estimate the value of your home An application fee , which may not be refunded if you are turned down for credit Up-front charges, such as one or more points (one point equals 1 percent of the credit limit) Closing costs, including fees for attorneys, title search, and mortgage preparation and filing; property and title insurance; and taxes. In addition, you may be subject to certain fees during the plan period, such as annual membership or maintenance fees and a transaction fee every time you draw on the credit line. You could find yourself paying hundreds of dollars to establish the plan. If you were to draw only a small amount against your credit line, those initial charges would substantially increase the cost of the funds borrowed. On the other hand, because the lenders risk is lower than for other forms of credit, as your home serves as collateral, annual percentage rates for home equity lines are generally lower than rates for other types of credit. The interest you save could offset the costs of establishing and maintaining the line. Moreover, some lenders waive some or all of the closing costs. How will you repay your home equity plan? Before entering into a plan, consider how you will pay back the money you borrow. Some plans set minimum payments that cover a portion of the principal (the amount you borrow) plus accrued interest. But (unlike with the typical installment loan) the portion that goes toward principal may not be enough to repay the principal by the end of the term. Other plans may allow payment of interest alone during the life of the plan, which means that you pay nothing toward the principal. If you borrow $10,000, you will owe that amount when the plan ends. Regardless of the minimum required payment, you may choose to pay more, and many lenders offer a choice of payment options. Many consumers choose to pay down the principal regularly as they do with other loans. For example, if you use your line to buy a boat, you may want to pay it off as you would a typical boat loan. Whatever your payment arrangements during the life of the planwhether you pay some, a little, or none of the principal amount of the loanwhen the plan ends you may have to pay the entire balance owed, all at once. You must be prepared to make this balloon payment by refinancing it with the lender, by obtaining a loan from another lender, or by some other means. If you are unable to make the balloon payment, you could lose your home. If your plan has a variable interest rate, your monthly payments may change. Assume, for example, that you borrow $10,000 under a plan that calls for interest-only payments. At a 10 percent interest rate, your monthly payments would be $83. If the rate rises over time to 15 percent, your monthly payments will increase to $125. Similarly, if you are making payments that cover interest plus some portion of the principal, your monthly payments may increase, unless your agreement calls for keeping payments the same throughout the plan period. If you sell your home, you will probably be required to pay off your home equity line in full immediately. If you are likely to sell your home in the near future, consider whether it makes sense to pay the up-front costs of setting up a line of credit. Also keep in mind that renting your home may be prohibited under the terms of your agreement. Lines of credit vs. traditional second morgage loans If you are thinking about a home equity line of credit, you might also want to consider a traditional second mortgage loan. A second mortgage provides you with a fixed amount of money repayable over a fixed period. In most cases the payment schedule calls for equal payments that will pay off the entire loan within the loan period. You might consider a second mortgage instead of a home equity line if, for example, you need a set amount for a specific purpose, such as an addition to your home. In deciding which type of loan best suits your needs, consider the costs under the two alternatives. Look at both the APR and other charges. Do not, however, simply compare the APRs, because the APRs on the two types of loans are figured differently: The APR for a traditional second mortgage loan takes into account the interest rate charged plus points and other finance charges. The APR for a home equity line of credit is based on the periodic interest rate alone. It does not include points or other charges. Disclosures from lenders The federal Truth in Lending Act requires lenders to disclose the important terms and costs of their home equity plans, including the APR, miscellaneous charges, the payment terms, and information about any variable-rate feature. And in general, neither the lender nor anyone else may charge a fee until after you have received this information. You usually get these disclosures when you receive an application form, and you will get additional disclosures before the plan is opened. If any term (other than a variable-rate feature) changes before the plan is opened, the lender must return all fees if you decide not to enter into the plan because of the change. When you open a home equity line, the transaction puts your home at risk. If the home involved is your principal dwelling, the Truth in Lending Act gives you 3 days from the day the account was opened to cancel the credit line. This right allows you to change your mind for any reason. You simply inform the lender in writing within the 3-day period. The lender must then cancel its security interest in your home and return all feesincluding any application and appraisal feespaid to open the account. The information on this site is adapted from the brochure "What You Should Know about Home Equity Lines of Credit." Single or multiple copies of the brochure are available without charge. Order the brochure by telephone, mail, or fax . Order online . Glossary | Where to go for help | Checklist Home | Consumer information | Publications | Brochures Accessibility | Contact us Last update: March 1, 2004