House Rent

Housing - Ownership and Renting Resource Renting header Navigation TOPIC AREAS About The House HomeWorks News Rent Smart Publicaciones en Español Download a copy of the free Adobe Acrobat Reader to view and print information provided as PDF files. RENT SMART Background Rental property managers are often faced with a dilemma. On the one hand, they want to keep their units full, they want to meet their fair housing obligations and, as good citizens, they want to provide housing to people who need it. On the other hand, in order to stay in business they need to rent to people who are likely to pay their rent and maintain the property. One way to address this dilemma is with a community program that provides high-risk tenants with practical training to help them succeed as tenants. Rent Smart is a teaching guide designed to be the core of a community tenant education program. It was developed by staff from the University of Wisconsin-Extension in consultation with the Wisconsin Apartment Association, the Wisconsin Trade and Consumer Protection Division, the Tenant Resource Center, the Apartment Association of Southeast Wisconsin and other housing and tenant support groups. It was field tested in several locations before publication. What's Included? Rent Smart stresses information that can help participants succeed as tenants and avoid confrontations and legal hassles. The publication is intended for trainers and includes reproducible fact sheets and worksheets for participants as well as masters for overhead transparencies. A model certificate, designed to be awarded to participants who successfully complete the training, is also included. A key feature of Rent Smart is that it stresses learner participation. Each of the lessons is organized around a series of activities so that participants are actively involved in the learning. Materials are provided to help the instructor use the activities successfully. Local Partnership Needed In addition to the curriculum, a successful tenant education program requires a local partnership. Involvement of local rental housing providers in design and delivery of the local program is essential. When this is the case they may be willing to take greater risks with applicants who have completed the program and may even provide financial incentives such as a reduced security deposit. Involvement of local housing authorities and other tenant service providers is also essential. They have contacts with households who would benefit from the program, may be able to help design the program so it meets specific client needs and may have incentives they can provide participants. In one county an agency obtained a grant to provide a partial rent payment to participants who completed the program. In many communities, extension staff members have been available to assist in developing this partnership, developing the initial tenant education program and offering some of the instruction. The Lessons 1. Where Does the Money Go? - Determining monthly income and tracking expenses 2. Developing an Spending Plan - Planning spending and reducing expenses 3. Making the Most of Your Credit Report - Understanding credit reports and ways to improve credit. 4. Finding a Place to Live - Determining apartment needs and understanding search strategies. 5. Checking Out the Landlord and the Place - interviewing and checking up on landlords 6. The Rental Application Process - Completing a rental application and knowing what landlords look for. 7. Understanding Rental Agreements - Reading and understanding rental agreements. 8. Home Care: Who Is Responsible for What? Understanding when tenants are responsible for maintenance. 9. Home Care: Keeping It Clean and Safe - Understanding why cleaning is important and ways to do it more efficiently 10. Communicating With Your Landlord and Neighbors - Saying what you mean and resolving conflicts. 11. Moving On: Giving Notice, Security Deposits and Evictions - Ending a tenancy properly and understanding why it is important to do so. Ordering Information This sample contains the Table of contents and the first Chapter. To order a CD containing the complete text plus files to make transparencies, please contact: Extension Publications 877-WIS-PUBS cecommerce.uwex.edu footer 2002-2004 Board of Regents of the University of Wisconsin System, doing business as the Division of Cooperative Extension of the University of Wisconsin-Extension. If you have any questions regarding this site's contents, trouble accessing any information on this site, require this information in an alternative format or would like to request a reasonable accommodation because of a disability email: flp@uwex.edu

property search is often

History Detectives . Investigative Techniques . Property Search | PBS -- Purpose To obtain historical data about a place and/or persons associated with it. Method A property search is often part of a larger investigation, perhaps for genealogical purposes, or to prepare for renovation of a home. The main resources are legal documents (collectively referred to as land records) including original grants, deeds, mortgages, leases and tax records. Because these documents were the legal proof of ownership and inheritance, all relevant facts were recorded, and archives were kept in standardized locations. Using these land records and related sources, a property search can produce several types of historical evidence, including: biographical details about the owners, from first to last; construction information such as the building date, architect and builder, and sometimes the original plans and cost of construction. Supporting data may be found in probate, tax and insurance records, building permits, old maps and atlases, census files, and other period materials. Although a property search can provide critical facts, some researchers are put off by the problems. For example, it can be hard to navigate the archive levels (e.g. city, state, national). Some material is indexed by number instead of name. Some transactions were recorded years after the event, or not at all. Above all, these are generally secondary-source documents, copied from originals retained by owners. If they were copied by hand, the records may have errors, and the writing can be difficult to decipher. Despite these issues, land records are still a prime place to search for missing pieces of a historical puzzle. Test how much you know about researching property. Take our Property Proficiency Quiz now. Where to next? Get More Leads . Back to Top PBS Privacy Policy | © 2003-2005 Public Broadcasting Service all rights reserved Home | About History Detectives | Case Files | Investigative Techniques | Do It Yourself Games & Quizzes | Submit Your Mystery | Classroom Resources | Glossary | Contact Us

Buy House

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

Home For Sale

Homes for Sale - HUD HUD News Newsroom Priorities About HUD Homes Buying Owning Selling Renting Homeless Home improvements HUD homes Fair housing FHA refunds Foreclosure Consumer info Communities About communities Volunteering Organizing Economic development Working with HUD Grants Programs Contracts Work online HUD jobs Complaints Resources Library Handbooks/ forms Common questions Tools Webcasts Mailing lists Contact us Help Homes for Sale Information by State Esta página en español Print version Email this to a friend Helpful Tools Maps/Directions Neighborhoods Additional Information How to Buy a HUD Home Housing Counseling Homebuyers Kit HUD-Approved Lenders HUD-Approved Condos Lead Hazard Control Fair Housing Information Settlement Costs and Helpful Information Officer Next Door Teacher Next Door Revitalization Areas $1 Homes to Local Governments About Multifamily Property Sales Consumer Alert Several federal agencies have properties to sell. In fact, HUD sells both single family homes and multifamily properties. Check them out - one might be just what you're looking for! Single Family Homes for Sale From HUD From the Department of Veterans Affairs From Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation From General Services Administration From Internal Revenue Service From Small Business Administration From US Army Corps of Engineers From Customs From the U.S. Marshals Service From the Department of Agriculture Rural Development Related Links From Fannie Mae From Freddie Mac From Realtor.com Multifamily Properties From HUD From Fannie Mae General Services Administration Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation Content updated March 17, 2005 Back to Top FOIA Privacy Web Policies and Important Links Home U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development 451 7th Street S.W., Washington, DC 20410 Telephone: (202) 708-1112 TTY: (202) 708-1455 Find the address of a HUD office near you