Tag: income property investing
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Who Wins With the Qualified Mortgage Rule?
It’s been said that clouds have silver linings, and that sentiment seems to hold true in the current attempts to bring accountability and quality control to the mortgage industry. Although the provisions of the new Qualified Mortgage Rule has drawn the ire of both mortgage lenders and housing advocates, recent tweaks to the rule have…
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Low Rates and High Standards: Stalemate for Housing?
In the wake of the Federal Reserve’s new announcement that they’ll be keeping their massive securities buyup on track for now, things look rosier for global trading – and for consumer markets at home. But even as the Fed’s decision is being welcomed for its intended effects of boosting home sales, some fear that new…
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The Septaper That Wasn’t: The Stimulus Plan Rolls On
After months of debate, hints and outright announcements about the tapering down of its stimulus program, the Federal Reserve has blinked again, opting once more to leave its securities buying operation as is – for now. Just how long “for now” will be remains unclear, but the news has sparked a surge in global trading…
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5 Ways to Prevent Landlord-Tenant Conflicts
Just about everywhere in the country, landlord-tenant lawsuits are clogging – and backlogging – court dockets for issues small and large. The area of housing law boasts specialists in just these kinds of cases. The hot rental market is one of the key factors driving the housing recovery – but the often- adversarial relationship between…
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Tenant Recruiting Feeds a Hot Rental Market
Housing continues its upswing, and that’s driving growth in other economic sectors too. And a major contributor to the strength of the housing market is the bustling rental marketplace, which spells good news for income property investors as well as renters. Well, some renters anyway – as landlords fed up with problem tenants skirt fair…
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Tax Lien Investing and the Myth of Home Equity
It’s a core piece of the conventional wisdom about home ownership: your equity is your security. But a recent Washington Pot story about the often-unscrupulous practice of tax lien investing points out that home equity it took years to build can vanish in a virtual moment – a fate not shared by mortgaged property. According…
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Housing Lobbyists Flex Muscle in Mortgage Lending
The mortgage meltdown of a few years ago caused ripples through all areas of the economy and triggered a series of legislative and legal efforts to right the troubled, tricky boat of mortgage lending. One of those bills, the Dodd Frank Act, was an ambitions attempt to protect borrowers as well as hold lenders at…
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The Age of Information – Or Confusion?
TMI – too much information – not only makes for awkward social moments, but when you’re immersed in the round the clock flow of constantly available information, some experts say it can also derail goals and impair decision making. For investors and anyone who relies on the many internet sources available to get information and…
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3 Keys to Safe Transactions on Mobile Devices
Online banking and shopping is so yesterday. Thanks to new smartphone and tablet technology, you can deposit checks, make purchases, and even take credit card payments wherever you go. But the ease and convenience of mobile transactions also leave users vulnerable to identity theft and account hacking. Internet security experts recommend three steps to keep…