The American bank robber, Willie Sutton, was asked why he robbed banks and his answer was "because that is where the money is."  During his 40-year career, he stole about $2 million but Internet scammers are stealing many times that amount in phishing schemes preying on unsuspecting home buyers.


These crooks know where the money is because buyers have the down payment and closing costs and are expecting to transfer it to the close the sale of their home.  The FBI, in their 2018 Internet Crime Report, stated victims lost over $149 million and the CFPB estimates the losses at over $1 billion as a result of fraud in real estate transactions.    The scammers want to take advantage of the situation while it is still in the buyer's account.


Commonly, during the closing process, scammers will send spoofed emails to homebuyers from someone they expect to hear from regarding the transaction like the real estate agent or the settlement agent.&nbs ...

While you're isolating at home, there are things you can do to help buy a home now or in the near future.  Instead of spending time surfing the Internet looking at homes, do the groundwork necessary to be able to purchase the home that you find.





There is a lot of documentation necessary to qualify for a mortgage and to be approved.  This part of the homebuying process can be done in advance, long before you even start looking at homes much less finding the one that you want.




Assemble all documents to make a pre-approval






Photo ID






Two months current pay stubs






Last two years' W2s






Complete copies of checking and savings statements for last three months






Copies of statements for IRAs, 401k, savings, CDs, money market funds, etc.






Employment history for last two years with addresses and contacts






Proof of commissioned or bonus income






Residency h ...

The advantages of a 15-year loan over a 30-year include the obvious shorter term, usually a slightly lower interest rate and that equity builds faster.  The disadvantages are higher payments that are required regardless of temporary personal economic conditions.
If a borrower is experiencing unexpected expenses that make it difficult to make the higher payments on the 15-year loan, there is no option to make a lower 30-year payments until the situation improves.
The borrower could have originated a 30-year loan but make payments like it were a 15-year loan.  The additional amount would be applied to the principal which would still save interest, build equity faster and shorten the term of the mortgage.  The big difference in this scenario is that the higher payment is optional.
If the situation arises, the borrower is only obligated to make the 30-year payment.  When the situation improves, the borrower can resume the higher payments to re ...

House-hacking refers to buying a multifamily property on an owner-occupied mortgage, living in one unit and renting the others.  If you're thinking about becoming a rental mogul, starting early is an advantage.  Not only will you have longer to accumulate a larger portfolio, you can increase the leverage on the first acquisitions if they are owner-occupied. 


Leverage is the use of other people's money to finance an investment.  The higher the loan-to-value, the greater the leverage which can increase the yield.


A $200,000 rental property with an 80% LTV at 4.5% for 30 years producing a 16.88% before-tax rate of return would increase to a 23% return on investment by increasing the mortgage to 90%.  A typical down payment on an investor property in today's market is 20-25% but, in some cases, a higher loan-to-value is possible.


Owner-occupied, multi-unit properties, two to four units, allow a borrower to occupy one of the units and rent the ...

Sometimes, there can be confusion on what goes with the house and what goes with the seller when they move.  Generally speaking, the house is the land and buildings and any fixed or attached property.
Permanently installed and built-in items are considered real property.  Some things are obvious such as built-in appliances, wall-to-wall carpeting, light fixtures including chandeliers, shrubbery and landscaping, and window shutters. 
One indication is that if the item was removed, there be evidence that it was missing.  For example, if there was a wall mounted TV in the home, the TV is personal property, but the TV wall mount is real property.
Factors that determine if something is permanently installed or built-in would be:

Was the installation intended to be permanent?
How is the item attached and will the surrounding property be damaged if it is removed?
Is the item made specifically for the property?

Personal property examples would ...