The Economics of Housing Development

The genesis of all of this is Something’s Gotta Give, a report (.pdf format) from the Center For Housing Policy. Furthermore, there is an article in the Washington Times from UPI that connects the dots on the tactical level. The Center for Housing Policy report details some of the costs to society. Not surprisingly, when …

What Type of Real Estate Listing Agent to Choose

On a regular basis, I see advertisements for real estate offices that say “discount broker – full service”. This is nonsense. A discount broker has consciously chosen a business model whose economics do not permit them to give the same service provided by a full service provider. Here’s the rundown. A discount broker’s listing agreement …

Asset and Income Rentals – Borrowing Trouble at Usurious Rates

I found this article by Ken Harney in the paper. WASHINGTON – Call it funny money for the housing boom: Now you don’t need actual cash in the bank to buy a house. All you need is somebody who says you’ve got money in the bank. Need a hundred grand on deposit to convince a …

Shopping for Long Term Care Insurance – Who Should and Shouldn’t Buy, and Policy Characteristics

I’ve run two prior articles this week on the theme of Long Term Care, one on Long Term Care Issues, and one on Non-Tax-Qualified versus Tax-Qualified, and Partnership Insurance Policies. Now, I’m getting down to nuts and bolts of what you need to know while shopping for a policy. The two most important characteristics are …

Privacy Concerns in Real Estate Transactions

Every once in a while I get someone who is unhappy with required paperwork for privacy reasons. There are three forms that are the driving force behind this. The first is the standard form for a mortgage loan application, known in the business as the 1003. Admittedly, the form does ask for rather a lot …

Long Term Care Insurance: Non-Tax-Qualified versus Tax-Qualified, and Partnership

(Part 2 of a three part Series on Long Term Care) I wrote in the previous column a lot about long term care issues. This column deals with the insurance policies available for long term care. There are two major types, with one subtype available for people who are lucky enough to live in one …

Second Trust Deeds and Loan Subordination

When you have more than one loan on your property, there are some issues you should be aware of. Keep in mind the fact that some states still use the mortgage system, requiring court action to foreclose, as opposed to Deed of Trust, which does not. For practical purposes they are similar, yet I have …