Finance

Select an article from the list below.

Five Ways to Finance "Bargin" Properties

Budgeting Key to Investment Success .  Learn why you need a budget for your investment properties and how to create one. 

Buying Investment Property .  Check this overview for the ways you can get into an investment property and what it will cost you. 

C.A.R. Addresses Housing Affordability With Legislative Package.   The poison and the antidote are made in the same kitchen.  Read about the California Association of Realtor’s 2001 package of proposed legislation to cure the results of earlier legislation, including a hilarious proposal to have a government funded security deposit system.

Computer-Savvy Criminals Increasingly Turn To Mortgage Fraud.     How high-tech crooks are using increasingly automated mortgage processing to rip off lenders big time.  Some of this may even impact you directly.

Does HUD Owe You Money?   You may be entitled to a refund of part of your FHA insurance premium, or a distributive share of “excess earnings” from the Mutual Mortgage Insurance fund if you meet certain criteria. 

Do You Need an Annual Real Estate Check-Up?   There is a new breed of professional out there: the Real Estate Consultant.  Although he may be a licensed broker, his emphasis is not to sell but to provide his clients with unbiased information they can use to make important decisions about their property.  This article discusses how they operate and gives examples of when their services may be useful.

How to Create a Real Estate Cash Cow .  One way to use financing to generate cash flow.  

How To Cut Closing Costs . Some suggestions on how to reduce closing costs on purchases or refinances.

Is a Quickie Loan Approval a Mortgage Commitment?   Do not mistake an instant on line “approval” for a commitment.  This article will explain the difference. 

Points:  What Are They And How To Deduct Them.    Even if you already know what points are, read this article anyway to find out what the rules are for deducting them on your income tax return.

Profit and Loss Statement, The:  What Does It Mean?   How to read and understand the components of the P&L, and prepare one for your own business.

Setting Up a Record Keeping System.   Describes the two major types of accounting systems and how to set them up.

Should You Offer Seller Financing?   David Reed discusses the advantages and risks of being your own mortgage company. 

Should You Use an On Line Lender?   This article gives the pros and cons of securing your next mortgage on line. 

Starker Exchanges:  Deals Without Dollars .   Starker exchanges, also known as 1031 exchanges, can permit the investor to transfer his property while deferring capital gains taxes by taking like-kind property in return.  Read this item for an insight into some of the intricacies of the rules and to decide if this is something you need to look into. 

What Do Loans Really Cost?    With the proliferation of mortgage companies on the Internet it is possible to contact and get quotes from literally dozens of companies, not just the few that may be in town.  How do you know you are not comparing apples to oranges when they quote you a rate?

What Is “Fair Market Value?”   This is a practical explanation of the meaning of that often used term and why it is important to you.

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