U.S. mortgage applications last week fell 5.1 percent, an industry group said Wednesday.
The Mortgage Bankers Association said that for the week ending Jan. 27 its index of mortgage activity fell to 626.8 from 660.5 in the previous seven-day period.
On an unadjusted basis, the group’s index was down 12.1 percent compared with the same week one […]

Maximizing home equity is an option that more and more people are contemplating. With both home ownership and personal debt on the rise, a large amount of emphasis is being placed on home equity as a form of loan collateral. The reason for this is simple… equity allows lenders the security of a high-value item […]

Buying a house is one of the major investments in life. The amount used to purchase the house is available as the home equity. If a house is mortgaged, the installments we repay gradually build the home equity for us. Property prices are not static, they increase or decrease keeping pace with the economic indicators. […]

Americans overwhelmingly support retaining federal tax incentives to promote homeownership and oppose altering the current system to encourage investment in the stock market, according to results from a new nationwide survey of 800 likely voters.
“Voters are sending a loud and clear message to policymakers in Washington: don’t mess with the mortgage interest deduction and other […]

Not good…

Mortgage fraud, a crime usually associated with upscale neighborhoods, has swept Chicago’s poorest communities over the past five years, according to a published report.
The scam, in which people buy cheap buildings or con owners into applying for hefty mortgage loans, then disappear when they get the cash, is popular with gangs like the Black […]

Teen credit card basics will help you raise money smart kids. Knowing how to handle credit is important and not something they are likely to learn in school. If you teach your children smart ways to manage credit, it will help to ensure they get the right start and don’t wind up with bad habits.
Credit […]

Its been a while since our last best of post, but with some really, really big changes on the way what better time to celebrate some of the excellent content from across the network.
The Gadget Blog: Alternative Uses for an Apple Nano takes a different spin on the new offering from Apple, Korean Portable Video […]

After some reader feedback all Weblog Empire blogs are now supporting the effort by Save the Children to provide relief services to those suffering after following Cyclone Katrina.
Banners are being run exclusively across the network at least for the next week or so to encourage people to donate.
I’ve also put together a generic […]

Homebuyers may not realize that monthly payments on some types of specialty mortgages can increase by as much as 50 percent or more when the introductory period ends. That’s one of the messages that the National Association of Realtors(r) and the Center for Responsible Lending are trying to drive home in “Shopping for a Mortgage? […]

Through our website, GetPreConstructionDeals.com, the most common question that we receive is “How do I get rapidly started in preconstruction investing”. Realistically, you only need to take three steps on your path from being a “beginner” preconstruction investor to one that is extremely savvy.
MECHANICS OF PRECONSTRUCTION INVESTING
Before you even begin investing, you need a working […]