Buy Home

Find Homes For Sale, New Houses, Foreclosures and Real Estate Agents on Yahoo! Real Estate Find Homes For Sale, New Houses, Foreclosures and Real Estate Agents Choose Location Home Homes for Sale Apartments for Rent Home Loans Moving & Insurance Tools My Real Estate Features Classifieds • Sell Your Home • Rent Your Apartment Neighborhood Research • What's My Home Worth? • School Profiles • Neighborhood Profiles Home Loans • Mortgage Rates • Online Rate Quotes • Refinance Loans & Rates • Home Equity Loans & Rates • Free Credit Reports REALTORS • Find & Compare REALTORS Resources • Moving Services • Foreclosure Center Home Improvement & Services • Home Services • Home Improvement Library • House Facts Search Homes For Sale City & State, or Zip: Price Range: $0 $30,000 $50,000 $80,000 $100,000 $125,000 $150,000 $175,000 $200,000 $225,000 $250,000 $275,000 $300,000 $350,000 $400,000 $450,000 $500,000 $550,000 $650,000 $750,000 $850,000 $1 million $1.25 million $1.5 million $1.75 million $2 million $2.25 million $2.75 million $3 million $3.5 million $4 million $4.5 million $5 million $6 million $8 million $10 million to No limit $30,000 $50,000 $80,000 $100,000 $125,000 $150,000 $175,000 $200,000 $225,000 $250,000 $275,000 $300,000 $350,000 $400,000 $450,000 $500,000 $550,000 $650,000 $750,000 $850,000 $1 million $1.25 million $1.5 million $1.75 million $2 million $2.25 million $2.75 million $3 million $3.5 million $4 million $4.5 million $5 million $6 million $8 million $10 million Beds: Any 1+ 2+ 3+ 4+ 5+ Baths: Any 1+ 1 1/2+ 2+ 3+ 4+ 5+ Search For: Existing Homes Yahoo! Classifieds New Homes Foreclosures Advanced Search Search Commercial Real Estate Sell Your Home with the Help of Yahoo! Classifieds. Generate leads quickly with placement in front of millions of Yahoo! users. Your ad runs for 21 days URL link to another Web site Post up to six photos Full property description Sell Your Home Today! Foreclosure Center Search Foreclosures Find properties at 20-50% off market value. Learning Center Get educated about foreclosure opportunities. Sponsored Links Buying a Home? Save Thousands Build One Save thousands building your own home with structural insulated panels (Sips). Buying a home? Use our do-it-yourself panelized home kits instead. Dealership opportunities available. www.ameripanel.com Home Buying at Homestore.com Find information, articles and quotes for home loans in your area. We have the loan that's right for you. Complete our easy form and get free, competitive quotes. homestore.com New Homes and Home Builders - iNest iNest's guide to new homes and home builders in 19 states: AZ, CO, FL, GA, IL, IN, MD, MI, MN, NC, NM, NV, OH, SC, TN, TX, VA, UT and WI. Save 1% on your new home with a cash back coupon. www.inest.com Buying a Home with Bad Credit Get free quotes on first home loans and professional home buying advice. Compare rates, programs. Down payment assistance. Instant match to first time buyer loans for any credit situation. www.homemortgagematch.com (Become a Sponsor) Partner Spotlight Featured Sponsor Find a Local REALTOR by HomeGain • Find & Compare REALTORS • Get Home Prices Home Services by ServiceMaster Clean, Fix and Improve your Home Get an Estimate or call 1-866-843-2834 Real Estate News A term every home buyer, real estate agent, homeowner should know Dec 28, 2005, Inman News Rolling Boom Lifts Real Estate Beyond Coastal Cities, States Dec 28, 2005, Realty Times Housing Affordability Hits 14-Year Low Dec 22, 2005, RealEstateJournal.com New home sales tumble but consumers bright Dec 23, 2005, Yahoo! Finance REIT Funds See More Growth In 2006 (Investor's Business Daily) Dec 27, 2005, Yahoo! News New Home Sales for 2006 Look Good Dec 23, 2005, Quicken Loans more real estate news Homes For Sale - Apartments For Rent - Current Mortgage Rates - Real Estate Agents - Local - Yellow Pages

Investment Property

Investment Property Databank IPD Home About IPD Portfolio Analysis Services Events Indices and Market Information Indices for Derivatives Online Services -- Download Index Download 2004 full series (pdf) IPD South Africa Information Valuation Guide 2004 Publication Samples Multi Country Index Spreadsheet IPD South Africa Index IPD is now in its tenth year of reporting on the South African market. The project was co-ordinated by SAPIX (The South African Property Information Exchange), which was created in 1997 to develop with IPD an authoritative databank on property investment performance in South Africa. IPD South Africa, a wholly independent subsidiary of IPD, was established at the beginning of 2003 to provide property data to the local market. Total returns - % per year All Property Retail Office Industrial 2000 11.1 10.3 12.7 7.0 2001 10.5 13.2 7.8 7.5 2002 9.6 11.0 5.0 8.8 2003 15.3 17.3 8.9 17.7 2004 23.4 26.1 16.7 24.4 annualised over: 3 yrs 15.9 18.0 10.1 16.8 5 yrs 13.8 15.4 10.1 12.9 10 yrs 13.4 16.0 9.9 12.2 South African commercial property delivered the highest return seen in the last ten years. Total returns for South African commercial property accelerated to 23.4% in 2004, up from 15.3% in 2003, breaking the previous record of 17.4% set in 1997. In the process property as an asset class outperformed most others with the exception of equities, which did slightly better, year on year. The return on bonds came a distant third at 14.1% in 2004, compared to property’s 23.4% and 25% for equities. Commenting on the results, Simon Fairchild, IPD UK Director, says that this was another fantastic year for commercial property in South Africa and on a risk adjusted basis direct property is certainly holding its own against the other asset classes. Fairchild further believes that the continued upswing in the South African economy is also being felt in the property sector, which is now starting to deliver results. Over the ten year period property performance has ranked between that of bonds and equities, although the position of these asset classes has been reversed. Bond returns annualised at 18.3% per year, are comfortably ahead of those on property and equities, at 13.4% and 10.6% per year respectively. This performance hierarchy has also been maintained over five years, although property and bonds are tied for first over the three year period ending 2004. Putting it into context, the South African results are the seventh set of results of sixteen to be published by IPD in 2005. Comparatively the South African results are extremely positive both in nominal and real terms. The UK achieved a total return of 18.3% and Canada a total return of 12.9%. At the other end of the scale, Finland achieved a total return of 5.6%. Similarly, in 2003, South African direct commercial property outperformed all other countries measured by IPD. For more information please contact: IPD: Richard Wetherell - tel +44 (0)20 7643 9266 IPD South Africa: Stan Garrun - tel +27 (0)11 883 4977 Total return 2004 - % End 2004 net income yield - % 1 St. John's Lane London EC1M 4BL Tel: +44 (0)20 7336 9200 Fax: +44 (0)20 7336 9399 Privacy Policy | © 2005 IPD Ltd. All Rights Reserved. Home | About IPD | Portfolio Analysis Service | Events | Indices and Market Information | Indices for Derivatives | OPD Designed by Webrepro

Real Estate Investing Courses

Real Estate Investing Books and Courses Find Out Which Real Estate Investing Courses Will Really Make You Money! Read (and Write!) Amazon-style Reviews Of The Most Popular Real Estate Investing Courses & Real Estate Investing Seminars & Speakers. Home Page Real Estate Courses Latest Reviews Site Map Contact Us For A Limited Time... Subscribe To Our Newletter and Get Our... 7 Day E-Course "The Top 5 Mistakes All Investors Make And How You Can Avoid Them" Retail Value of $29.99 - yours absolutely FREE! Name : Email : Best Sellers November 2005 Apartment House Riches By David Lindahl Real Estate Investor Business Plan By Steve Cook Quick Cash Quick Turning Houses By Chuck Smith Texas Houses For Pennies II By Darius Barazandeh Borrowing Millions From Private Lenders By Alex Gurevich What's New Motivated Seller Magnet By Ben Innes-Ker What's New How To Create A Bullet Proof Corporation By Bill Bronchick What's New Alternative Real Estate Financing By Bill Bronchick What's New Apartment House Riches By David Lindahl Best Seller Subject To Is What I Do By John "Cash" Locke Best Seller Deals On Wheels By Lonnie Scruggs Best Seller Ugly House Workshop DVD By Steve Cook Best Seller Quick Turning Houses For Amazing Profits By Chuck Smith Swap links with us! Click here if you own a real estate web site and you'd like to join our reciprocal link program and get more traffic. We are currently only linking to real estate related websites. If your website is not real estate related please don't link to us. Real Estate Investing Site Map Real Estate Investing Courses | Latest Reviews A.D. Kessler A.D. Kessler is the publisher of "Creative Real Estate Magazine" and other real estate investing products and programs. Al Aiello Albert "Al" Aiello is a CPA and has written several tax courses for real estate investors. Alex Gurevich Alex Gurevich sells real estate investment information products on how to raise and use private money, and how to "Super Charge" your cash flow. Alan Cowgill Allen Cowgill is the author of a course on how to raise private money to fund your real estate investment deals. Barney Zick Bernard "Barney" Zick has written 19 home study courses about creative real estate investing. He is also the author of a negotiation book called "The Negotiating Paradox." Barry Grimes Barry Grimes has written a creative real estate investment eBook called "Real Estate Jobbing 101." Ben Innes-Ker Ben Innes-Ker has written a creative real estate investment eBook called "Motivated Seller Magnet." Bill Bronchick William "Bill" Bronchick is a real estate attorney who has authored several books and courses on real estate financing, asset protection and more. Bill Gatten Bill Gatten has authored several books on real estate investing and is the inventor of the "Equity Holding Land Trust(tm) System" -- the PACTrust (tm) and NEHTrust(tm). Brad Martineau Bradley "Brad" Martineau is the author of "The Complete System" a book of "No Money Down" strategies. Bruce Norris Bruce Norris is the author of the "Making Power Profits" real estate investment series. Bryan Wittenmyer Bryan Wittenmyer has authored several books on the subject of creative real estate investing and how to develop and manage cash flow streams. Carleton Sheets Carlton Sheets is probably responsible for teaching more people about real estate investing than any other person. He is the king of late-night infomercial gurus. Charlie & Randy France Charlie and Randy France are the "Get The Deed" people. Their creative real estate investing courses deal with buying and selling property "Subject To" or "Sub 2" the existing financing. Chuck Smith Chuck Smith is a retired cop who has written a real estate course on quick-turning houses. Claude Diamond Claude Diamond is a creative real estate investor who uses lease options. He also has a mentoring program for beginning real estate investors. Darius Barazandeh Darius Barazandeh is a real estate attorney. His creative real estate courses offer information on real estate investing in tax liens, asset protection and more. David Alexander David Alexander is an expert bandit sign advertiser and he teaches courses on beginning and advanced subject to investing. David Butler David Butler is the author of "Tin Can Alley." He specializes in mobile home investing and mobile home parks. David Lindahl David Lindahl wrote a real estate investing course called "Apartment House Riches." Dean Graziosi Dean Graziosi is the author of a real estate investing course called "Think A Little Different" which he sells through an infomercial. Diane Kennedy Diane Kennedy is a "Rich Dad" Advisor for Robert Kiyosaki. She is a tax accounting expert and has written a book called "Legal Tax Loopholes." Dolf De Roos Dolf De Roos is one of Robert Kiyosaki's "Rich Dad Advisors ."TM He also puts on real estate investment seminars. Dwan Bent Twyford & Sharon Restrepo Dwan & Sharon have written real estate investing books and courses on short sales, wholesaling, and foreclosures. Dyches Boddiford Dyches Boddiford has written several books on various creative real estate investing topics including mobile home investing and asset protection. Ed Garcia Ed Garcia instructs a real estate seminar with Terry Vaughan on how to get bank lines of credit to finance your real estate investments. Ernest Tew Ernest Tew has one of the brightest minds in creative real estate investing. His primaryspecialties are mobile home parks and asset protection. Gary DiGrazia Gary DiGrazia is the author of a real estate investing course on buying probate properties called "Diamond Farming." Gerhard Cronje Gerhard Cronje is the author of "Marketing To Attorneys". H. Roger Neal H. Roger Neal writes real estate investing books and courses on fast-flip and rehabbing junkers. Hal Roark Hal Roark has written a real estate investing course called "Landlording Secrets" which shows you how to properly use section 8. Heather Seitz Heather Seitz has written a real estate course on rehabbing. Hugh Bromma Hugh Bromma teaches real estate investors how to invest their self directed IRA's in real estate. Jack Miller Jack Miller is one of the countries leading experts in mobile home investing. Jay Decima Jay Decima offers real estate books and courses on buying and rehabbing "ugly houses." Jeff Beaubien Jeff Beaubien sells real estate investing courses on Lease Option and Lease Purchase strategies. Jeff Kaller Jeff Kaller is "Mr. Preforeclosure." He's has real estate investing courses and seminars on preforeclosure investing and short sales. Jeffrey Taylor Jeffrey Taylor is "Mr. Landlord" and teaches real estate investors how to become better and more efficient landlords . Jerry Hoganson Jerry Hoganson is known as Mr. Mobile Home. Jerry specializes in Mobile Home Parks and Mobile Home note investments. Jim Banks Jim Banks teaches creative real estate investing techniques on the subject of probate investing. Jimmy Napier Jimmy Napier has written several real estate investing books on the subjects of discounted mortgages, buying notes and creating "paper." Joe Brillante & Lou Castillo Joe Brillante & Lou Castillo a real estate investing book called "The A to Z startup kit. Joe Crump Joe Crump is the author of "Zero Down Real Estate Investing" and the publisher of "Real Estate Money Maker" newsletter. Joe Kaiser Joe Kaiser has done a variety of products on creative real estate investing. He has some very interesting & unique approaches to finding foreclosure deals. John (Cash) Locke John "Cash" Locke is a popular writer & of buying real estate "Subject To" and "Bird Dogging." John Beck John Beck can be seen on T.V. infomercials selling his tax lien investing course. John Behle John Behle is the author of "The Paper Game" which teaches real estate investors how tobuy, sell, and create notes. John Burley John Burley has developed a plethora of creative real estate investing courses geared toward building wealth. John Hyre John Hyre is a tax attorney, accountant and real estate investor. He has developed a bookkeeping course for real estate investors and a course on entities. John Schaub Johan Schaub sells real estate courses and seminars on "Making It Big On Little Deals". Schaub has been teaching creative real estate investing for many, many years. John T. Reed John T. Reed is the watch-dog of the real estate investing gurus. He also sells his own real estate investing courses. John Ulmer John Ulmer has written several creative real estate investing books and courses including a private lending course. Jon Richards Jon Richards is the publisher of "Noteworthy Newsletter" a creative real estate investing newsletter about buying discounted cash flows. Kathy Kennebrook Kathy Kennebrook is a Ron LeGrand student who created a marketing system to find motivated sellers. Kevin Myers Kevin Myers is the author of "Buy It, Fix It, Sell It, Profit." Myers has rehabbed numerous single family houses over his 25 year career. Kris Kirschner Kris Kirschner is the author of "The Auto Pilot System For Selling Houses." Lisa Moren Lisa Moren is the author of "Soup To Nuts Real Estate" which is a beginners guide to real estate investing. Lonnie Scruggs Lonnie Scruggs is the best selling author of the mobile home investing book "Deals On Wheels." Lou Vukas Lou Vukas is the author of a real estate investing eBook called"Real Estate Uncovered." Lou Brown Lou Brown is the self-proclaimed "King of Cash Flow." Brown offers real estate investing courses on both acquiring property as well as landlording. Marco Kozlowski Marco Kozlowski sells a real estate course called "Big Fat Checks" which teaches investors how to buy and sell high end luxury homes. Mark Sumpter Mark Sumpter is a real estate investor specializing in the area of short sales. Michael Carbonare Michael Carbonare sells a real estate investing course which specializes in Lease Purchase information. Mike King Mike King has written a real estate investing course and teaches boot camps on forbearances. Pete Youngs Pete Youngs created a real estate investing course called "Rehab 101." Peter Conti & David Finkle Sell courses on lease options, buying apartment buildings, negotiating and more. Very active on the seminar circuit. Ray Alcorn Ray Alcorn is the author of "The Deal Makers Guide To Mobile Home Parks." Ray Como Ray Como sells real estate investing courses on transaction engineering, advanced house-buying and marketing for motivated sellers. Richard Roop Richard Roop sells creative real estate investing courses on marketing and finding motivated sellers. Robert Allen Robert Allen has written several best selling real estate investing books including Nothing Down and The One Minute Millionaire. Robert Kiyosaki Robert Kiyosaki is the author of the "Rich Dad/Poor Dad" book series. Robert Kiyosaki also sells a course on creative real estate investing. Robert Shemin Robert Shemin is another real estate attorney and real estate investor who has created courses on both creative real estate investing & landlording. Robyn Thompson Robyn Thompson is most noted for her real estate investing course on buying and selling distressed properties or "ugly houses." She is also a Ron LeGrand student. Roger Dawson Roger Dawson is a negotiating expert. He is the author of "Secrets Of Power Negotiating." Ron Legrand Ron LeGrand is one of the best-known real estate investing gurus. He had authored several creative real estate books and courses on wholesaling, lease options, and buying pretty houses. Russ Whitney Russ Whitney is another name you might recognize from late-night infomercials. Russ Whitney sells real estate investing books and courses as well as seminars. Scott Britton Scott Britton is the publisher of "The University Of Real Estate Letter" as well as a couple of creative real estate investing courses. Scott Rister Scott Rister has authored several real estate investing products on wholesaling, marketing for motivated sellers and more. Scott Scheel Scott Scheel is a real estate investor who invests in commercial properties. He also conducts a commercial real estate investing bootcamp. Stacy Holder Stacy Holder sells a course on rehabbing and speaks for Robert Allen. Steve Cook Steve Cook is an active real estate investor who has written courses on how to Wholesale & Rehab houses. Ted Thomas Ted Thomas teaches real estate investors how to invest in tax liens. Terry Vaughan Terry Vaughan is the author of the creative real estate investing book "Paper Into Gold." Tim Randle Tim Randle is a creative real estate investor who sells a course on how to buy real estate "Subject To", or "Sub 2" as it's also called. Vena Jones-Cox Vena Jones-Cox is the author of home study courses on basic real estate investing, wholesaling, deal-finding, selling on lease/options, and creative finance. Wade Cook Wade Cook is a best selling author of several real estate investing books as well as books on trading stocks. Wendy Patton Wendy Patton is the author of a real estate investing course on lease options. William Tingle William Tingle has written a real estate investing course on buying properties "Subect To" or "Sub 2" the existing financing. William Tingle is an active real estate investor. Wright Thurston Wright Thurston has written several creative real estate investing courses including "Diamonds In The Rough" which teaches investors how to invest in multi-family rentals property. Real Estate Investing | Real Estate Investing Products | Real Estate Investing Links | Real Estate Investing Site Map | Contact Us © 2003-2005 RealEstateCourseReviews.com™ • All Rights Reserved. No part of this web site may be reproduced electronically or otherwise without express written permission Loading Page...

real estate agent here.

Arizona Real Estate Agent : Phoenix Real Estate Broker : Scottsdale Listing Home Sitemap Real Estate Agent Arizona Find your qualified Arizona real estate agent here. Whether you are trying to purchase a new house in Phoenix or trying to sell an existing home in Scottsdale, we can help. We have agents that specialize in commercial Arizona property as well. Many investors have a great interest in the Phoenix, AZ real estate market. Pros and Cons of Owning A Phoenix Single-Family Home Hottest Areas to Purchase Property in Arizona Arizona Real Estate In Phoenix With over 48,000 new home permits planned for 2004, Phoenix will become the largest housing market in the US. In fact, the population will double in the next 20 years. The highway system (ADOT)will complete over 233 additional miles of freeway by 2007 and the Phoenix airport is the fastest growing airport in the US. "The growth of the Arizona population will be the largest single contributor to this strong forecast performance." Interesting Phoenix facts: Population: 3,396,875 and Rising Median Age: 32.9 and Going Down Labor Force: 1,712,300 and Rising Unemployement: 4.9% and Going Down AZ Inflation Rate: 1.3% and Going Down Median Income: $45,776 and Rising Single-Family Permits: 46,000 and Rising Phoenix, AZ Housing Market Outlook The Phoenix housing market will be the beneficiary of favorable mortgage interest rates. There will continue to be plentifulsupply of mortgage money. The supply of land for development will remain plentiful. Overall, the next several years appear to be headed toward the best of the best times for the home building industry in the Arizona region. Specific Phoenix Real Estate Growth Areas: Laveen-Buckeye South of I-10 Loop 303 West of 99th Ave Bell Road / Sun Valley Pkwy North Sun Valley Pkwy South I-17 Happy Valley to Anthem Maricopa To Casa Grande Hunt Highway To Florence Florence, Coolidge, Eloy To Casa Grande Phoenix Arizona Real Estate Highlights The infrastructure in Phoenix is modern and extensive. The water supply is sufficient to meet the growth needs for over a hundred years. Due to the open land, Phoenixhas the largest amount of affordable real estate west of the Rockies. Phoenix is also 2nd in job growth for the 9th consecutive year. Phoenixwill become the #1 home building market in the United States. Arizona Economy Boosting Job Growth Arizona ranks 3rd among all states in the rate of new health care jobs. It also ranks #1 fastest growing in transportation, utilities,government, business services, construction, trade, and hospitality. Looking for an Arizona Real Estate Agent? Whether you're planning on buying or selling a home, choosing the right Real Estate Agent is one of the most important decisions you’ll make. Let Real Estate Agent Arizona help. Please enter your contact information below and a live Arizona real estateagent will contact you within 24 hours or sooner. Special Offer: FREE $300.00 Home Depot gift card upon close of escrow. Just fill out the contact form below to begin. Residential or Commercial. No Obligation, and it's FREE! *First Name: *Last Name: *Email Address: *Phone Number: Tell us what your needs are: First Time Home Buyer - Arizona Land For Sale - First Time Home Buyer - Southwest Architect - ARMLS Listing Service 2005 © Blue Gumbo LLC. All rights reserved.

Home equity for the

MSN Money - Home equity for the holidays MSN Home Hotmail My MSN Sign In Money S earch MSN Money: Help Home News Banking Investing Planning Taxes My Money Portfolio Loans Insurance Banking Home My Accounts Bill Pay Mortgages/Loans Services Credit Reports Financial Tools Track your bills Resources Decision Centers Home Buying Guide Home Financing Your Credit Rating Financial Privacy Better Banking Credit Card Smarts Bankruptcy Guide Commentary Index Related Links Manage Debt More on Budgeting Print-friendly version Send this to a friend See where rates stand Calculate your debt burden here Find a home-equity loan Find books on home buying Find It! Article Index Finance Q&A Tools Index Site Map Recent articles by Bankrate.com: • Mortgage rates hit 18-month high , 11/2/2005 • Best deal? Go to the source , 10/27/2005 • When it pays to stay single , 10/24/2005 More... The Basics Home equity for the holidays advertisement Borrowing from a home-equity loan for holiday spending is tempting because of the lower rates and tax-deductible payments. But theres a huge risk involved. By Bankrate.com This season, many consumers will charge against the home for the holidays. They will use home-equity debt to pay for gifts and travel. Some will do it directly, paying for presents and airline tickets with charge cards tied to home-equity lines of credit. More will do it indirectly, by using equity to pay off credit-card balances that end up as bloated as a turkey-sated family. Home-equity debt traditionally has been spent on investments that bring some kind of return -- renovating houses, paying for college, starting small businesses. More recently, as consumers have become more clever about using debt, equity loans are seen as a cheaper, smarter way to consolidate debt and pay for such items as cars and furniture. But gifts and airline tickets to visit family? Believe it or not, bankers and consumer advocates agree that there are times when it's appropriate to pay for something so fleeting by charging it against the roof over your head. It's not exactly wise to go into debt to pay for presents, but if you're going to do it, you might as well do so as inexpensively as possible. Find a loan that's right for you at the Loan Center Debt for gifts "Don't let these things be excuses to be in debt. That's the issue," says Anthony Hsieh, president of Home Loan Center, an online lender based in Orange County, Calif. If you listen long enough to AM radio, you are likely to hear a holiday-themed sales pitch for these loans, which allow you to borrow money and use the accumulated equity in your home as collateral. Generally, it takes two to four weeks to get access to the money after you apply. Home-equity loans, also known as second mortgages, come in a lump sum. You repay them with equal monthly payments at a fixed rate for a specified period. Related news and commentary on MSN Money • Gift cards are not gifts • 15 worst holiday gift ideas • The fine art of holiday tipping: why, who and how much • The 13 worst holiday spending blunders • 12 rules for regifting without fear • 10 low-cost gifts from the heart Home equity lines of credit, or HELOCs, on the other hand, work like credit cards. Instead of getting a lump sum, you start out with a credit line and can draw up to the credit line's limit. During the first years of the account, the minimum monthly payment covers only the interest on the balance. The rate is variable and usually is tied to the prime rate. The tax deduction On both kinds of equity debt, the interest you pay is deductible from your federal income taxes in most cases. That's the key, Hsieh says. If you decide to take some time to pay off your holiday debt, why not do it with tax-deductible interest? "Is it irresponsible to dig into equity (to pay for gifts?)" Hsieh asks. "Yes. But if you're going to get into debt and you're disciplined enough to pay it off in a predetermined time, there is an advantage to using a HELOC because the interest is deductible." Rudy Cavazos of Money Management International , a national, nonprofit credit-counseling agency based in Houston, agrees that buying things with low-rate home equity debt "beats using that credit card" with higher rates and no tax-deduction. But he's not sure every consumer understands all the differences between regular credit cards and cards tied to HELOCs, including the biggie: "You're placing your home on the line as security, as collateral, for these funds." No walking away from equity debt Sure, the HELOC has a lower rate and the interest is tax-deductible. But the regular credit card is unsecured, meaning that the balance is not backed by collateral -- so the debt can be wiped clean in some bankruptcies. Not so with a card tied to a HELOC. If you buy your godson a Christmas gift with your HELOC, you are pledging your house as collateral. You can't walk away from the debt, even in bankruptcy. This important point might not be stressed at the time of the loan application. That's why Cavazos recommends that consumers get some kind of loan counseling before they take out home-equity loans or get HELOCs. Consumer credit counseling agencies, such as MMI, often hold workshops or do one-on-one education for people who get home loans of all kinds. Cavazos hears radio advertisements all the time that urge listeners to use home equity as a way to consolidate debt "or improve their lifestyle in some way. That's all good, but you have to remember to educate yourself before you enter into these types of financial tools." When it comes to gifts and holiday travel, the best financial tool is to stay away from debt in the first place. Instead, use the financial tool that can't be beat: a savings account. Editors' choice Don't get scammed by your mover Safeguard your Social Security number 5 ways to tap into the onshore drilling boom Your checkbook just became obsolete Turn $1 a day into $67,815 Readers' choice Ratings Top 5 Articles 9.30 Zombie debt collectors dig up your old mistakes 9.24 Keep thieves out of your bank account 9.22 Credit reports now free for entire U.S. 9.19 10 ways to avoid outrageous hospital overcharges 9.17 Tax breaks for Katrina victims -- and all of us View all top rated articles More Resources · E-mail us your comments on this article · Post on the Your Money message board · Get a daily dose of market news S earch MSN Money tips advertisement MSN Money's editorial goal is to provide a forum for personal finance and investment ideas. Our articles, columns, message board posts and other features should not be construed as investment advice, nor does their appearance imply an endorsement by Microsoft of any specific security or trading strategy. 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