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Painting Key Features of Home Exterior Provides Affordable Remodeling Option
Painting the exterior of a home can be a time-consuming and expensive proposition. But if you are budget-minded—and who isn’t these days—don’t despair. “A little ingenuity can go a long way towards giving your home a beautiful facelift, without breaking the bank,” says Debbie Zimmer, paint and color expert with the Paint Quality Institute. According [...]
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Kitchens Remain among Most Popular Remodeling Projects
Kitchens have long been among the most popular remodeling projects. But with fewer clients requesting kitchen upgrades during this recession, one kitchen designer has turned the economic slowdown to her advantage. “If I couldn’t remodel as many client kitchens as usual, I decided to remodel my own showroom. That way, I’d be ready to show [...]
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Really, What Is a Credit Score?
If you ask your neighbor, your friends or your banker what a credit score is, you’re likely to get all kinds of answers. Which one is right? -Your credit score is technically a statistical method of assessing your ability and likelihood to pay back your debt (creditworthiness). -Credit scores are based on several different factors, [...]
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How Financial Reform Impacts Homeowners and Buyers
“Homeowners and buyers who are sitting on the sidelines should get moving today, unless they want to get blindsided by the impact of a new law,” said Gibran Nicholas, Chairman of the CMPS Institute, an organization that trains and certifies mortgage bankers and brokers. “The massive financial reform law that just passed Congress has two [...]
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Top Seven Reasons Banks are Denying Home Loan Requests
The lending landscape has changed quite drastically over the past several years. Practices, approvals and standards that were once widely accepted have either vanished or transformed beyond the point of recognition. Many banks, which were once extremely careless with their loan underwriting techniques and approvals, have dug themselves into a significant hole that will take many [...]
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5 Smart Reasons to Buy a Home Now
The economy is stabilizing and home prices are holding. It’s not just as good a time as ever to buy a house—it’s one of the best times ever. ForSaleByOwner.com presents five overlooked reasons why now is a great time to buy a house. 1. Low mortgage rates serve as an equity shock absorber. When buyers [...]
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Home Buyers Who Missed 8,000 Dollar Tax Credit Coming Out Ahead
Home shoppers who missed the April 30 deadline for a housing tax credit might have the last laugh. For a variety of reasons, they could end up saving more than the $8,000 they could have received from the tax refund. In some neighborhoods and price ranges, sellers are dropping their prices because buyers are harder [...]
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Top 7 Things You Should Know about Financial Regulation Overhaul
With final Senate passage of the broadest overhaul of financial regulation since the Great Depression, the hard work really starts. Regulators must fill in the blanks in the legislation, and a new agency to protect consumers must be erected from scratch. The landmark legislation will bring lots of changes. Here are some answers to common [...]
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7 Things All Borrowers Should Know About FHA Loans
FHA Pros, LLC, a national FHA condo approval service, has developed a list of facts speaking to the top misconceptions associated with FHA loans in order to help home buyers better navigate an already confusing market. FHA loans are mortgages issued by qualified lenders and insured by the Federal Housing Administration (FHA). “We have seen [...]
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Will a Short Sale Save Your Credit?
Stuck in a house you can’t afford or can’t sell for more than you owe on it? Beware the Web, where you’ll see plenty of claims that short sales will save your credit, simple as that. But there’s nothing simple about deciding whether to sell your house in a foreclosure or in a short sale, [...]
Doug Jumper