What is a Predatory Lender?

When it comes to obtaining a real estate loan, it's your responsibility to become a knowledgeable consumer, which means you'll need to keep asking questions of your lender. If you aren't able to get clear, easily understandable answers to your questions, it's possible that you may be dealing with a predatory lender.

Credit Help for Real Estate Financing: How Lenders Rate Your Credit Scores
Find out how your credit scores rate with real estate lenders and what does not count in your score.

Credit Help for Real Estate Financing: Five Categories of Your Credit Score  Find out how the different parts of your credit scores count and how to get financing for real estate

Credit Repair Companies and Credit Counseling
Let's be crystal clear, right up front. Paying someone to "fix" your credit is a waste of your time and money, since the negative issues that are temporarily removed from your file will only reappear again in a couple of months. Be careful with credit repair scams.

How to Help Your Teen Prepare for Credit  Why should you help your children set up banking and credit accounts? Credit expert Jeanette Fisher explains how to jump start your children's financial future.

   Going on a trip? Read this article, by lender John Mussi, first!
What Is Credit Card And Debit Card Blocking? 

Find Bucks in Yucks!  20-Year-Old Woman Turns Doghouses into Dollars!
How to Fix, Flip, and laugh all the way to the bank: read how a young, inexperienced woman transformed doghouses into dollars.

Financing Houses
Lenders control many programs -- some make use of over 200! Generally, lenders look for the following typical standards, with many exceptions: [Read full article]

Achieving Positive Cash Flow from Your Real Estate Investments
Even if you’re counting on rising property values to eventually make a profit on an investment property, it’s far more desirable to have a positive cash flow each month. If you’re losing money on a property every month, it may not take long until your future profits will have been lost. Owning investment property is much more enjoyable if you’re making money along the way.

How to Choose Your Real Estate Lender
Ask potential lenders about the following requirements and costs according to a price range you think matches your needs. This also helps determine what you need to look for in a property.

Investing in Real Estate Profitably:  Eliminating the Need for Mortgage Insurance
This article reviews a strategy for improving your cash flow when purchasing investment rental homes -- namely, using two loans to eliminate mortgage insurance.

Investing in Real Estate Profitably:  Financing Options for Purchase of Rental Houses, Part 1.
This is not an article about tricks for 100% (no money down) financing.  Even if you do take advantage of various no money down strategies from time to time, these strategies are not generally applicable when you begin investing systematically in multiple rental homes with the goal of making significant rental income. This article reviews some modern strategies for minimizing your loan payments when purchasing investment rental homes.

Investing in Residential Real Estate: Achieving Positive Cash Flow
When investing in real estate, it is highly desirable to achieve positive cash flow on a month-to-month basis. This is true even if you are counting on property value appreciation to supply the bulk of your desired return on investment. If you are losing money month-to-month, you may find all of your eventual profits eaten up by the monthly drain on your income. This will be particularly true if there is a downturn in property values for a few years.

New Credit Advice: Don't Pay off Those Credit Cards!
Credit needed for real estate mortgage financing differs from credit needed for consumer loans. If you need help getting a home mortgage, these credit tips will help you.

Sell Houses Fast & Top Dollar: Design Psychology
Here are a few tips for maximizing your sales price, while minimizing the out-of-pocket cost of selling your home:

Selling by Owner = Saving by Owner?
Although many FSBO home sellers have saved thousands of dollars in commissions, many others have lost money. However, if you’re thinking of trying to sell your home without the aid of a real estate agent, here are a few tips for getting the most from the experience:

Selling Your Home: The Power of a Great Sales Flyer
Even though its importance is often overlooked, a great sales flyer is one of the most effective tools for selling your house. Whether if your home is listed with an agent or not, make sure that you have a dazzling flyer.

Questions Investors Should Ask When Buying and Selling Investment Property
If you're a real estate investor, here are several questions to consider when looking at investment properties. Providing sound answers to these questions will greatly increase your profits:

Real Estate Investing: How to Choose a Lender
[Finance:Real-Estate] Instead of trying to fit into a lender’s program, interview your lenders by finding out how they can accommodate your needs. Here are a few questions to ask:

Selling by Owner Escrow or Closing Checklist
Home sellers should keep on top of their pending sale; especially when selling without the assistance of a real estate agent. Sometimes busy real estate agents forget to monitor all aspects of a pending sale. Here’s a checklist for home sellers:

Selling by Owner Tips
Selling a home isn't easy, even for a real estate professional, but you can sell your home yourself, if you’re willing do your homework and then earn your commission.

Selling Houses Fast: Basics of Design & Color Psychology
Make more money from your home sale by choosing design details that catch the attention of buyers in your price range.

Talk to a Lender Before You Sell Your Home
If you’re looking to sell your home quickly, and for top dollar, the best thing you can do is to be able to offer your buyers some sound financing options. That’s why developing a relationship with a lender can be the key to a quick sale, and to more money at closing.

Special Credit Information for Married Couples
Credit tip for real estate investors.

Your Home is Your Symphony
Design Psychology Professor Jeanette Fisher discusses home interior design for homemakers.

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