By Derek Both

The time has come for you to buy a house, but for a first time buyer, the housing market can be frightening and confusing. Unethical lenders may try to ensnare you with high interest rates and a loan that will have you paying for years. Many houses are priced out of the range affordable by first time buyers. The market for mortgage loans fluctuates every year, the interest rates rising and falling without apparent rhyme or reason. All these things make finding a good deal on a house difficult. Read more »

By Glen Franklin

When we move, we generally focus on the residence, the neighborhood, taxes, schools, and the like. There are occasions, though, when we want something specific in a location. Recently, one of our visitors asked for help finding a locale with very specific and unique attributes. Read more »

By John Hilaire

Budgeting and saving should be easier for you if you are single than if you are married (or a couple) because you are the only one that should be making your financial decisions and controlling your financial destiny. Single people realize that an extra paycheck doesn'’t necessarily mean extra money. An extra paycheck usually equates to an extra person (your spouse) having a say as to how, where and when your money is spent. And many times this can create conflicts. Read more »

By James Klobasa

Shows depicting real estate investing strategies are extremely popular and make turning a profit look simple and guaranteed. What they do not show you, though, is that the world of real estate investing is fraught with danger and that losing money is very much a reality. Yes, there are investors who make a great deal of money because of their investments, but profit does not come easily to even the most experienced investors. They work hard and make sacrifices daily to make their dreams a reality. To find out if you have what it takes to be a serious investor, you should consider several things. Read more »

By James Klobasa

In the world of real estate investing, the things that can go wrong are innumerable. While no investor can predict the future and save himself from all loss, asking questions and doing research can offer a great deal of protection. Asking the right questions is particularly important during the pre-purchase phase of any real estate investment. It is during this phase that investors need to ask the right questions in order to avoid purchasing a property that will bring them nothing but sorrow. Read more »

By James Klobasa

It is the details in real estate investing that can make you or break you. As you can imagine, unplanned repairs can put a serious dent in any profit that you were planning to make from a deal. The failure to notice a crack it the foundation can leave you financially devastated when major repairs need to be done before you can sell your investment. And if you have a knack for noticing details that others do not, you could find profitable properties that other investors pass over. Read more »

By James Klobasa

Creating a business plan with the future in mind can be a daunting task. I mean who knows what tomorrow is going to bring, and if you can not see the future, how can you plan for it? One thing that you know for certain is that there will be problems; there always is with real estate investing. So what can you do to ease the burden of those problems when they occur? Read more »

By James Klobasa

Have you ever watched those popular real estate flipping shows that seem to dominate the home and do it yourself networks? They make it seem so easy to make a profit flipping real estate. First, they begin by telling you how much a property was purchased for. After tallying up the construction costs and subtracting them from the amount that the property sold for, they produce a number that is supposed to be the amount of profit that the investor put in his pocket. Sometimes these numbers are astronomical and too good to be true. Read more »

By James Klobasa

One of the most frustrating aspects of getting an investment property ready for resale is dealing with the contractor. The right contractor can bring you in ahead of schedule and under budget, but these contractors are in high demand and tough to secure. In most cases, contractors need a little bit of prodding and nudging to get the project finished on time. Do it right and you get your project finished ahead of time; do it wrong and you get a ticked off contractor who can make your life miserable. Read more »

By Craig Thornburrow

Once you have finally decided to take that big step and invest in your first life insurance policy you are left with one more major decision: to choose to accept a whole life or a term life. Although both policies will give you and your family the benefit of owning life insurance, they are both totally different ways of obtaining coverage for your demise. Each and every year hundreds of unfortunate consumers are left in the dark when looking for their own policies, and we are looking to bring an end to that confusion. Read more »