Real Estate Deeds Made Easy Since 1997 – Deeds.com
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It’s a common question. You’re going to be added onto someone’s deed. Will you have to declare your new homeownership to the IRS? An acquisition of real estate is not considered income. But being named on a deed could still…
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Hispanics Will Be the Majority of New Homeowners by 2040. Can the Market Meet Their Needs?
This year’s trend study from CoreLogic® shows a steady rise in mortgage lending in mainly Hispanic neighborhoods. Hispanic buyers tend to be younger and less affluent than other buyers across the board. Many are coming into real estate as first-time…
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Affordability Rx: U.S. Government Is Now Funding Office-to-Home Conversions
As our readers know, the pandemic changed the way we work and live. Remote and hybrid working are now common ways of earning a living. We’ve also noted how repurposing empty offices could ease the housing crisis. Commercial areas contain…
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Who Owns Your Home—You, or the Bank? Check for a “Defeasance Clause”
Defeasance? What’s that? Some home loans contain a defeasance clause. It means you’re giving up collateral. Do your home loan documents have defeasance language? If so, your lending institution holds your home’s title for as long as you owe the…
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How Philadelphia’s Funeral Homes Aid in Resolving Tangled Titles to Preserve a Billion Dollars in Real Estate Wealth
Once upon a time, Katherine Gilmore Richardson undertook the crucial task of reclaiming the title to her family home in Wynnefield, West Philly, where she grew up. She got the title back to her family home. She grew up in…
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Oregon HB 2029 and Its Impact on Real Estate Deeds
In a significant move to improve the legibility and accessibility of recorded documents, Oregon has passed House Bill 2029, which comes into effect on January 1, 2024. This bill amends Oregon Revised Statute 205.232, specifically raising the minimum font size…
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What Is “Subject-To” Home Buying? AKA: Taking Over the Mortgage Payments
Ever heard someone say they got a “subject-to” offer on their home? Or maybe you or someone you know is contacted with a subject-to offer. Maybe you saw a sign saying “We buy homes!” and wondered what’s going on. Subject-to…
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Update! Fed Signals 2024 “Pivot” on Interest Rates. What Should Home Sellers and Seekers Know?
As we’ve all noticed, deed transfers really got stuck in a rut in 2023. Too few owners are selling their homes. Supply is down. Prices are up. A core issue? The Federal Reserve. Over the past two years, the Fed…
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Fannie Mae Was Going to Save Mortgage Borrowers Thousands by Dropping Its Title Insurance Requirement. Never Mind.
The Biden administration was working with loan backers to delete title insurance charges from closing costs. The move would have saved quite a few home buyers hundreds or even thousands of dollars. Noting that the plan had been silently scuttled,…
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Texas Warranty Deed Forgery Plot Thickens
More Houston-area deed fraud victims are speaking out. The alleged perpetrator has already been charged with a first-degree felony of forgery, fraudulent document execution, and theft greater than $300,000, in connection with warranty deeds worth some $15 million. He would…
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Get in Early, Make a High Down Payment: The Case for Assertive Home Buying
Have you noticed the big home finance companies desperately touting their low-down-payment deals? You’d think no one wants to put 20% down anymore! But interest rates are high, so keeping your debt high is a pricey thing to do. Therefore,…
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Mr. Cooper Mortgage Payment System Breached. Are Digital Currencies the Solution?
October 31 was a spooky day for many. A cyberattack impacted millions of Mr. Cooper mortgage customers. Mr. Cooper is the biggest non-bank mortgage service provider in the United States. Its borrowers were unable to transfer last month’s mortgage payments…
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KeyBank Talks Fair Housing—Putting Its Money Where Its Mouth Is
KeyBank® is putting $400,000 into NeighborWorks Western Pennsylvania. Why? To make housing accessible to Black communities — as they have been disproportionately left out of homeownership. Sure, $400,000 is a modest sum these days. But it’s part of a bigger…
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Deed-Stealing Florida Broker Pleads GUILTY
Michael B., a real estate broker, has changed his mind. He’s now pleading guilty in a felony fraud case involving deed theft. In Florida, fraudulent real estate schemes are not unusual. But when a real estate broker in active status is…
