Category: Real Estate
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What’s Going On With Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac?
Many people acquire deeds by applying for conventional loans. When we say conventional, we mean loans supported by our country’s federal housing agency through two powerhouses of the mortgage world: Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. That’s why we keep current with news on the policy changes happening in that agency. And there’s a lot to…
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The Water Log: A Deed Holder’s Intro to Storm Runoff
Storms aren’t exactly getting milder out there. And did you know that rainstorms can implicate a property owner’s rights? Severe or recurrent storms can create significant challenges for a deed holder. Flooding is the costliest risk for homes. Here, we cover just the basics of stormwater and deeds.
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The Land Equity Loan: When You Hold a Deed to Unbuilt Land
Land without any construction on it (with or without utility infrastructure) has value. That value, minus any secured debt on the land, is called land equity. It’s possible to borrow money from equity. It’s one way to get cash without having to transfer a deed. The cash from equity could fund construction of a home…
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Buying a Home With Student Loan Debt in 2025
Do you have, or plan to have, student loan debt? Here’s a PSA for you: Yes, you can qualify for a mortgage, if you’ve determined homeownership is for you. More than 40 million people of the United States have student loan debt. And some 17 million of them are in the age category that produces…
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Suddenly, Nearly One in 10 Mortgage Applicants Want Adjustable Rates. Home Buyers, Take Note
Mortgage rates jumped this month. Now, the share of adjustable-rate mortgage applications is back up to where it was two years ago — 9.6%. What is going on? We’re here with the breakdown.
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What’s “Undue Influence” in the Transfer of a Deed? Massachusetts Appeals Court Speaks
A homeowner transfers a deed. But someone else in the deed transferor’s circle isn’t too happy about who got it. Was the deed transfer fair? Yes, it was, if that’s how the owner wanted to pass property along. Of course, that assumes that the person signing the deed away knows the property’s value, and the…
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Q & A: Why Did I Get a Notice of Default on the Mortgage?
It’s that time of year again. Mortgage holders’ bank accounts face extra stress in many households. The 2024 tax bills are now due. So are estimated 2025 taxes for small business owners. When taxes are done, what if insufficient funds remain for the mortgage payment? Mortgage lenders send a notice of default (a.k.a. notice of…
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KB Home Introduces Southern California to Its First “Fire-Resilient” Development
“Nothing is ever fireproof. We’re always just seeking to try to narrow those paths of destruction.” — Roy Wright, CEO, Insurance Institute for Business & Home Safety KB Home, a large real estate developer, has just introduced the first U.S. “wildfire-resilient community.” It’s built to meet a set of standards developed by the Insurance Institute…
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Home Affordability News: Boston’s New Co-Buying Experiment
Usually, when we hear the word multifamily, we’re hearing a financial buzzword. Investors buy multiple-unit homes to profit from renters. But now in Boston, a multifamily housing concept lets hopeful first-time home buyers put their funds together, move on from rental situations, and get their own deeds.
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The Home Sale Is Pending. What Could Possibly Go Wrong?
If you’re shopping for a new home, you notice when this signage pops up: Sale pending. It’s a firm signal that a buyer has dibs on the home. “We’re almost there!” it shouts for the world to hear. Almost there, but some loose ends still must be tied. Home sellers might ask: What could scuttle…
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Proactively Maximize Your Deed’s Value—Don’t Just Wait.
Inflation, whether it runs high or moves at its historically normal rate, erodes your dollars. As a deed holder, at least you do have certain ways to offset inflation. A key method? Proactively boosting your deed’s value through home improvements.
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Tariffs and More: What Happens Now With the 2025 Housing Market?
There’s some extra tension in the real estate market. Anyone can sense it. Knowing what’s going on underneath it can help those who hope to acquire a deed this year. Home prices haven’t stopped rising in 2025. Prices could easily go up between 3 and 4 percent more, over the rest of the year. And…
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Real Estate Investors: Are the Best Days Behind Us, or Ahead?
With the price surges we’ve experienced in recent years, some real estate investors are selling their properties. Will new investors come to fill the vacuum? Maybe not so many — now that some of these properties have become prohibitively costly to buy, finance, and insure. That said, there are some pockets where small rental businesses…
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Live and Learn! What I Wish I Knew as a Real Estate Buyer
It’s always nice to learn from others’ mistakes and revelations, before we’re in the position to deal with similar situations ourselves. In this spirit, here are a few things first-time deed holders say they wish they knew before buying.
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FHA Layoffs? Here’s What Home Buyers Want to Know
A powerhouse of the U.S. housing market seems at the brink of a major staff cut. HUD is the Department of Housing and Urban Development. It oversees the country’s FHA-backed loans. And it’s in for some turbulence.
