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Buyer's Agency, Due Diligence, and the Illusion of Comity
Somebody sent me this story via e-mail: Feeling Misled on Home Price, Buyers Sue Agent Marty Ummel feels she paid too much for her house. So do millions of other people who bought at the peak of the housing...
How to Sell Your Home Quickly and For The Best Possible Price
There's really nothing mysterious about this. There are some subsidiary tricks and issues, but the most important thing is obvious. The economic games theory is crystal clear, as is the research into what really happens. But most people don't like...
Real Estate Agents and Mortgage Loan Officers Don't Want to Compete
It's the same reason the phone company doesn't want to compete, General Motors doesn't want to compete, Wal-Mart doesn't want to compete, Disney doesn't want to compete, and Microsoft will do everything in its power to appear as if it...
Why the Current State of New Developer Housing
I've seen many new home developments with vaulted ceilings, mini-vineyards, huge houses on little tiny lots...Why can't some developer built some homes for us regular people? A normal sized home with plenty of closet space and a decent (not...
The Future of Real Estate Agency is Expert Consultants, Not Controlling Market Access
Expertise and attitude, not control of an informational chokepoint, is the way that things are going. Let's analyze this from both sides of the problem. The current owner looking to sell really needs a marketer. For better or worse, most...
Issues with Family Transfers of Real Estate
We live in (A California city). In a 2 bedroom 1 bath home on approximately a 20,000 Sq. ft. lot. It is easily worth 500K to 600K with a current mortgage of $116,000. The mortgage/Title is in the name...
Mortgage Loan Rate Locks
One of the most true sayings in the mortgage business is, "If you can't lock it right now, it's not real." But many mortgage providers will play a game of wait and hope. They tell you they have a certain...
Title Insurance, Unpaid Liens After The Sale, and Subrogation
I sold my house in (state) in august 2001 I hired a title attorney whose (local company X) acted as a agent for (national company Y). The facts are that there were errors and omissions which led to negligence...
Do You Really Want to Lower The Body Count, or Do You Just Want to Ban Guns?
Several people on the political left in the wake of Jacksonville (or any other shooting): Can't we please agree something needs to be done about firearms? Neither I nor any other gun rights activist I'm aware of has a problem...
Manufactured, Modular, and Site-Built Homes: How Lending Practices Drive the Sales Market
Many people are unaware how profoundly lending policies influence the market for residential property and the various kinds of housing and methods of construction. So I am going to go over the various gradations in available loans for various types...
Should I Buy A Home? Part 1: Preparation
I am considering buying a home, although I have not made up my mind on the subject. This is not due to indecision, but rather due to a lack of necessary information. There are many factors to be considered...
Mortgage Protection Insurance - The Worst Life Insurance Policy You Can Waste Your Money On
One of a long series of emails about this horrid product: (identifying details redacted) Learn How To Make More Money Per Client ($500-$1000) In This Workshop You Will Learn Why The Most Successful Mortgage & Real Estate Professionals Across The...
Lenders and Insurance Proceeds
The question that inspired this was can a mortgage company use the flood insurance claim money towards homeowners mortgage loans? This is equally applicable to every other form of insurance on your home - earthquake, regular homeowner's insurance, and any...
How to Avoid A Repeat of the Housing Market Mess
Scapegoating mortgage brokers or anyone else is not the answer, nor is prohibiting yield spread. We've been here before (in the early 1990s), congress did something remarkably similar except a little bit more sane. It didn't work then. Why would...
Eminent Domain Abuse: Putting a Stop to It
Every so often, another story of eminent domain abuse hits the headlines for a day or two. Someone whose property is desired by the government gets hit with an eminent domain suit and ends up forced to sell and getting...
Real Estate Loans Require Land
This just keeps popping up everywhere, so I obviously need to explain it blatantly. In order to be a real estate loan, there must be real property involved. In other words, land or an interest in land. It doesn't have...
Mortgage Transaction Case Study
Note: This article was originally published November 2007, when rates were higher than currently I had been corresponding irregularly with this gentleman during his hunt. It happens he lives outside of California, and I only work inside California, so...
Economics of Housing in High Density Areas
Here are the facts of the situation, whether you're talking about San Diego or Manhattan, the Bay Area, Los Angeles, or any of the other densely packed, high cost areas where all the employment and career opportunities are. Fact 1:...
How Soon After You Purchase A Home Can You Refinance?
Legally, immediately. This also applies to refinance loans. With that said, there are economic reasons why it may not be a good idea for you to refinance. If you have a prepayment penalty, you're going to have to save a...
The Price Of Power Reduced Price Sale
Today through Friday March 11, The Price Of Power will be on sale for 99 cents in e-book, in advance of the release of The End of Childhood, third book in the series. For everything there is a price. Grace...
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