Seniors Get HUD Counseling to Ward off the Wolves

By Spumeti Vanrock

For a homeowner, the equity in the home, from a monetary angle, is the fruit of originally purchasing the home and then making all of those nasty payments.

The reverse mortgage was originally invented to help seniors with financial issues. Without any other type of savings the homeowner can access the equity to solve money issues.

The reverse mortgage is not without its shortcomings and is not the proper tool for all situations.

A reverse mortgage is marketed by individuals who make a profit only when they can get a senior the loan. This could mean a conflict of interest as these people do not profit by telling a senior to go another route.

I am a lender, and I have a high opinion of most in my field. Nearly all loan officers will give a just evaluation, and handle opinions in a measured honest manner.

That being said a certain minority resides in this business (as with any business), made up of unethical individuals willing to ignore anything associated with the golden rule to get what they want.

I formerly worked in the copier business, and my company (which shall remain nameless) had a saying for the sales people: Whatever it takes. They really meant it too. Do whatever you have to do to make a sale.

A few people in the business of reverse mortgages feel selfishly too, but have faith. You may not see the bad guys coming, but you will have a backup consultant to spot them for you.

The law requires borrowers to counsel with a neutral, third-party, HUD approved reverse mortgage counselor prior to moving forward with the process of a reverse mortgage.

For those being pressured into a reverse mortgage, who could otherwise solve money problems in a less costly way, this is a great little built-in insurance policy. The counselor should be able to weed out poor advice and give the senior educated guidance.

I constantly hear about seniors getting cheated or ripped-off. HUD counseling, in the reverse mortgage business, is very useful in stopping this from happening.

About the Author:

Get comprehensive guide to the California reverse mortgage make it over to this website. For all the skinny, go the California reverse mortgage fact sheet.

The Flexibility of Private Money Lenders

By Tomasheus Privetsky

Although there are lots of people out there who have the potential to become successful real estate investors, very few attempt to. Most shrug off this avenue to riches because they don't have the money to invest in a property and they feel that it would be too difficult to secure financing in the form of a bank loan or loan from some other hard money lender. Little do they know that there is an easier and better way for a real estate investor to finance his properties - through private money lenders.

Private Money Lenders Explained

What is a private money lender? It's a loan that is financed through an individual instead of an institution. That individual has extra money he or she wants to lend and make a profit with. This is an incredibly flexible financing strategy, because you can borrow from someone who is a regular individual just like yourself, instead of having to jump through the hoops set forth by banks and other lending institutions, which have to follow strict rules and regulations when they decide whether or not to lend someone money. In other words, private money lenders don not have to follow these rules.

Why Are Private Money Loans a Better Way to Finance Properties?

As previously mentioned, unlike banks and other traditional lending institutions, private money lenders are not bound by strict rules and regulations imposed by a board of directors or harsh credit standards imposed by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. Instead, private money lenders have the option to choose who they want to invest in, regardless of an investors financial statements or credit ratings.

What are the Benefits of Using a Private Money Lender?

As a real estate investor, you can approach a private money lender and make your case with them individually. You can explain to the private money lender why you are someone they should invest in, and after you've done so, they can make their own decisions. However, there's more to it than that and the benefits go even further. If the private money lender is interested in what you have to offer, you both can sit down and work out financing and repayment arrangements that are of benefit to both of you. You can both state what you want out of the arrangement and agree on a payment schedule and interest rate that satisfies both of you.

In addition, a private money loan is a short-term loan. This means that the private money lender might very well be willing to wait until after the property has been "flipped" to receive any repayment. This gives you chance to fix and sell the property without worrying about whether or not you can make payments on a property that hasn't actually made you any money.

The Downside of Traditional Hard Money Loans

While private money loans benefit both borrower and lender, bank loans usually give the benefit to the bank. They get to set the standards on their side, and if you are lucky enough to get a loan through them, they also get to set the interest rate and determine what other fees might be. In general, you're not going to be allowed to make payment arrangements or other special arrangements, but will have to stick to the schedule the bank sets. This means that even if your credit history is perfect, and even if you can receive financing from a traditional lender, using a private money lender may still offer you more advantages.

Private Money Loan Benefits Recap

Private Lender can lend freely and does not have to abide by tough rules and restrictions. Allows real estate investors with problematic personal credit histories to secure financing for their properties.

Opens the lines of communication between lender and borrower. Borrower can negotiate an interest rate or flat fee that is almost guaranteed to save money over a traditional loan.

As the borrower, you can negotiate with the private money lender to customize payment arrangements that will be beneficial to you both. If the lender is amenable, you may be able to suspend payments altogether until you've "flipped" your property.

No financial application is required. Borrower can appeal directly to the private money lender and convince him to take a chance on the property in question.

Private Lender will see borrower as a real person with a real goal, instead of just a paper application that must pass ridged guidelines.

For all of these reasons and more, private money loans can be the most beneficial and flexible funding option for you as a real estate investor. Using a private money lender lets you have a variety of options and may give a chance to real estate investors who would likely otherwise be turned away by a traditional lender.

About the Author:

Stop worrying about qualifying for loans and take the first step to becoming a successful real estate investor. Learn more about getting funding from Private Money Lenders.

CREDIT REPAIR ESSENTIALS

By Rob Kosberg

If you know that you are what is called a "credit risk," you probably are feeling that as a derogatory connotation. That can be the motivating factor for you to explore the return to good credit.

It is actually possible for you to travel the "repair road" with yourself as the driver. However, when setting out on this trip, you will need a triptik to break down the milestones on the way.

First you need to find out what your actual "credit score" is because it is this 3 digit number that you will want to raise. A score over 700 is considered "good", but under 700 may be problematic. This knowledge is fundamental to the process.

You can gather this information by securing your credit reports. Don't be afraid to look at them. They will provide essential information. Arrange to get these reports from the Credit Bureaus. There are 3 credit bureaus: Experian, Equifax, and TransUnion. You are entitled to a free report from each once a year. There is a charge for the credit score. See www.annualcreditreport.com for details.

A business does not always report to the same credit bureau. Therefore, you want to see all 3 reports for comparison. It is possible that they may differ.

After the comparison, examine each report for errors. Determine the nature of the error or errors and DISPUTE THE ERRORS. This will take some time but you are the one who has to fix it.

Document all errors, and the reasons why you know they are errors and send this in writing (with a copy of the credit report) to any or all, if needed, credit bureaus. Definitely retain COPIES OF EVERYTHING for your records.

Please approach this part of the process carefully as you would any DIY project. Deal with problems along the way, stay calm and this part of the project will get finished.

About the Author:

With never before seen challenges in the credit markets it's more important than ever to have excellent credit. For more information check out Rob Kosbergs' Detailed FREE Guide on Maintaining and Repairing your Credit Score by going to Bad Credit Repair for your FREE information.

Basics of Credit Repair

By Rob Kosberg

People who know they have "bad" credit and are a big "credit risk" are usually aware that something has to change with the way they manage their money and debts.

You will need the "do it yourself" directions to assist you with this time consuming and sometimes discouraging project. However, you will be proud of the finished project.

First you need to find out what your actual "credit score" is because it is this 3 digit number that you will want to raise. A score over 700 is considered "good", but under 700 may be problematic. This knowledge is fundamental to the process.

You can gather this information by securing your credit reports. Don't be afraid to look at them. They will provide essential information. Arrange to get these reports from the Credit Bureaus. There are 3 credit bureaus: Experian, Equifax, and TransUnion. You are entitled to a free report from each once a year. There is a charge for the credit score. See www.annualcreditreport.com for details.

A business does not always report to the same credit bureau. Therefore, you want to see all 3 reports for comparison. It is possible that they may differ.

Review each report for errors after you finish comparing them. Then, you will need to DISPUTE THE ERRORS with each of the three bureaus. This will require patience and persistence.

Document all errors, and the reasons why you know they are errors and send this in writing (with a copy of the credit report) to any or all, if needed, credit bureaus. Definitely retain COPIES OF EVERYTHING for your records.

This is essential information for you to have because there may be some unexpected surprises on those reports. Stay with the process, confront the issues.

About the Author:

With never before seen challenges in the credit markets it's more important than ever to have excellent credit. For more information check out Rob Kosbergs' Detailed FREE Guide on Maintaining and Repairing your Credit Score by going to Bad Credit Repair for your FREE information.

Bad Credit Student Loans

By Dave Davidson

For individuals who would like to get a college education, the cost of tuition can often make or break their decision. Without financial assistance, an education of this type could be way out of reach for quite a few people. If you have bad credit, the process of finding aid can be tricky, but getting a college education is still within reach.

Lots of people ask me if they will need to improve their credit score before they apply for student loans. I almost always tell them that this won't be necessary. The government provides several different types of loans that help people that have bad credit.

There are loans available based on need and there are also loans issued even if there is not a financial need. Most of these loans are backed or issued by the government. If you can prove a financial need, you may be able to qualify for a Federal Stafford loan or Perkins loan. The Stafford loan issued based on financial need is a subsidized loan. With this loan, the government pays the interest on the loan while you are in school and for the first six months after you graduate from college.

Another loan type that's offered by the federal government is Perkins loans. This loan is extremely cheap over time and is intended to be used only by individuals that have extreme need. In order to qualify, a person must show that they have need, but credit history isn't part of the approval process.

With Pell grants, you aren't asked to repay any of the money that you receive. Eligibility for these grants is based solely on the need of the individual. Usually people try to get Pell grants first, and then take out loans as it's necessary.

If you aren't able to qualify for the federal subsidized loan programs, there are still some options out there for you. Take a look at unsubsidized Stafford loans, because they are probably still available to you, even if you have bad credit.

With this type of loan, the government doesn't pay the interest for you, so you will have to start making payments right after you take out the loan. However, interest rates are quite low on these loans so most people can handle the payments without too much trouble.

About the Author:

Dave educates students on finding student loans with bad credit and bad credit student loans.

Don't File Before Finding Your Tax Deduction Limits

By Angela Coates

There are many reasons why people should know the tax deduction limits when they claim IRS deductions. Most people would say that the main reason is obviously so that they will have to pay the least amount of taxes to the IRS. Usually, the more tax deductions they are able to claim, the less taxes they will have to pay and most people want to pay as little taxes as possible.

While some people are already aware that it is important to know tax deduction limits, some people are still unsure of what tax deductions are. There are many websites that explain what IRS deductions are. Basically, tax deductions are sometimes referred to as tax deductible expenses because they are qualified expenses that the IRS allows taxpayers to subtract from income taxes. That means, the more tax deductions a taxpayer can claim, the less taxes he or she will have to pay.

Knowing the tax deduction limits will allow taxpayers to plan what they are going to owe the IRS. The more you know, the more creative you can be to claim the tax deductions to the limit. Some of the tax deduction limits are confusing and obscure so you may have to read relevant IRS publications to understand how to claim these tax deductions and how much to claim.

Some people think that IRS deductions are the same as tax credits and the tax deduction limits are also the same as tax credit limits. They are not. A tax deduction simply lowers taxable income for a taxpayer whereas a tax credit gives the taxpayer money directly. If there is a choice, taxpayers often prefer tax credits than tax deductions because tax credits save them more money than tax deductions do.

Different IRS deductions have their own tax deduction limits. The standard deduction has the easiest limit because it is set by the IRS for anyone claiming the standard deduction. Most people who do not have outrageous expenses during the year will find it best to just claim the standard deduction which is usually more than their itemized deductions anyway. To claim the standard deduction, just tick the box that says standard deduction on your tax form.

If you are not qualified to take the standard IRS deductions, you can claim the itemized deductions. If you claim itemized deductions, it is very important that you know the tax deduction limits. Each itemized deductible expense will have its own limit that you cannot exceed. It is also good to know what the tax deduction limits are so that you can figure out if to claim itemized deductions or take the standard deductions.

If you do not know your tax deduction limits, you will not know if it is best for you to take the standard deduction or itemized deductions when you qualify for both. Most taxpayers figure out what they would owe the IRS both ways and then take the tax deduction route that gives them the lowest taxable income.

About the Author:

Looking for additional information about your tax deduction limits? Swing by the IRS deductions Organization for answers to all of your various tax questions including resources with free information that you can use at tax time.

What Can a Free Tax Course Teach You?

By Randolf Peters

There are many advantages of taking a free tax course. Sadly, most people think that anything to do with taxes are complicated to understand and they would not want to be put in a situation where they have to learn about taxes. Learning about taxes can be boring but the knowledge is good to have.

Some people take a free tax course solely because they want to be able to prepare their tax return. They can save money that they would have to spend on a tax preparer if they knew what to do with their own tax return. After all, if they make a mistake, the IRS might have a problem with their return and they do not want that.

There are many tax courses online but a free tax course is more rare. Sometimes, you can enroll for a tax course for free but after the course, you will have to do something in return for taking the course for free. Many tax preparation services offer free tax classes in order to recruit more tax preparers.

There is also a free online tax course that many people like. They prefer to be able to take a course in their homes, at any time they please. Some people prefer taking evening classes or weekend classes. You can often choose which classes you want to enroll. If you enroll in the class that you can no longer make later on, you can even change to a different class.

When taking a free tax course, you will still need books. Fortunately, most of the time, the books are free especially if you are taking a free tax course by companies that are trying to recruit you. However, other times, you will need to pay for the books which can get expensive. You can also find ex-students to borrow books from or buy from for cheap.

A free tax course can be short or long depending on what you want to learn. Some of the tax courses are very comprehensive while others are less comprehensive. A long course is usually more involves and you will learn a lot more about tax laws which you might not want to or need to. You can pick and choose what you want to learn.

Some people enroll for a free tax course in full and then decided that they do not have time to complete them or they change their minds. Usually, you can just drop out of the course with no consequences or you can keep the credit for later use in case you want to take up the classes later on. You can also change the times of your classes pretty easily.

Enrolling in a free tax course is the first step towards understanding what you can do on your tax return. You will be able to confidently claim your tax deductions and tax credits and not have to worry about what the IRS is going to think. There are also job opportunities that will open up after the free tax course that you take.

About the Author:

If you've been considering taking a free tax course at a local tax-preparation business or night school near you? Visit us at the Free Tax Course site to see what you'll be learning there and even get some great, free study help!

Foreclosures: Real Estate Investing The Smart Way

By Tomasheus Privetsky

If you were a real estate investor watching the real estate boom of early 2000s closely, you could have predicted the foreclosure investing opportunities that would become available today in virtually every real estate market in the country.

In the last two years mortgage lenders have been reporting dramatic increases in defaults and foreclosure rates nationwide causing many sub-prime lenders to go under. Many real estate investors turned their attention to buying foreclosures. But what you may have seen is just a tip of the iceberg.

Will You Be Able To Capitalize On This Foreclosure Boom? On the surface it seems easy enough. Get a list of properties in default. Contact homeowners. And get the deal done at a juicy discount, before the bank takes the house. Then you can fix it up and flip it, or keep it as a rental with an instant built-in equity profit. Right? Well, not quite.

You may be able to make a lot of money in foreclosure investing; enough to support yourself and your family, even pay for luxuries. However, foreclosure investments could also turn into a money pit which could take up all of your time and your money.

There are few people who consistently turn a profit on their foreclosure investments. Why is this? They are in a competitive, crowded market and are going about things the wrong way.

How Will You Differentiate Yourself in a Crowded Foreclosure Investing Field? To say it's crowded is a huge understatement. The field of foreclosures is probably the most competitive area of real estate investing. It routinely gets more attention from mass media. So more people flock to pursue it. Hundreds of investors in your metro area are mailing to homeowners facing foreclosure. They're even harassing homeowners on the phone and knocking on doors.

Homeowners who are in danger of foreclosure receive a lot of contact from other property investors, not to mention their lender and attorneys. The mailings you send out may get lost in the shuffle and end up in the trash unless you find a way to differentiate yourself from all of the other investors clamoring for attention. There is a very effective strategy you can use to set yourself apart and be even more profitable in your foreclosure investment activities.

The Only Ethical Way To Approach Foreclosure Investing. Truth be told, for most people who are behind on mortgage payments and in danger of losing their home - talking to a real estate investor about selling the home is the very last thing on their mind. They often perceive foreclosure investors as sharks taking advantage of their situation.

So, if you want your phone to ring with people in foreclosure, contact them with an offer to keep the home.

Advanced Foreclosure Investing - Keep Homeowners in Their Homes Instead of Purchasing Their Homes As Your Starting Point. Reason number one is giving homeowners facing tough times a chance to keep their home is simply the right thing to do.

Also by going about things this way, you can also make a profit. You should offer to help the homeowner negotiate a payment plan via their lenders loss mitigation department. Of course, you can charge a fee for this service as well. There are a lot of opportunities to offer this service currently, since so many homeowners are looking at foreclosure. You can get a list of contacts in the loss mitigation departments of mortgage lenders all over the country.

Last but not least, this is also a highly profitable route to foreclosure investing. In many cases, the loss mitigation process will not work out for the homeowners and you will end up buying their home anyway. And whom will the homeowner turn to when they find that their best option is to sell? You guessed it, the foreclosure investor who tried to help them keep their home. Thats how the cookie crumbles back to foreclosure investing.

About the Author:

To outsmart your competition in pre foreclosure chase use this foreclosure investing tactic and you'll be amazed at your results.

A Successful Credit Repair Business - How to Make it Happen

By William Blake

To succeed at a credit repair business requires having special knowledge about the legal ramifications of such form of business. In addition, you need to be good at accountancy as well as finance and you must be able to take good care of customers that are very prone to becoming emotional about their financial situation. However, the most important attribute you need in this line of business is honesty as well as reliability.

Credit Repair Big Business

You can, if you possess the above-mentioned attributes, hope to succeed with credit repair business and so take your share from a multi-billion dollar credit repair industry. To get started with a credit repair business requires that you are motivated and extremely knowledgeable about the credit industry. You should also be prepared to go through a learning period in which to learn about the rules and regulations, and in fact, having university level education too is very helpful.

The right equipment is also important. You will have a lot of facts and figures to compile, organize and keep track of. That will require a good computer and good software that can gather and sort information for you. You will be dealing with very important financial information for your customers so you need to have a good back up program to be sure that you never risk loosing any of the information you have gathered and are working with.

A business is only successful if people know about it. That makes your business advertising very important. You have to get your name out there in front of people who can use your services. Don't limit yourself to small ads in the local paper. Be creative and market your business in a variety of ways.

Credit repair means handling very delicate matters. You will have to correspond both by telephone and in writing with creditors and major credit bureaus and you must be careful that your statements are correct. There are regulations to be followed and you have to be knowledgeable about them.

It is not only a matter of knowing the rules and regulations involved in credit repair. There is also the matter of following those rules and regulations and working with them in a skillful way to get the desired results and have a prosperous business.

The Federal Trade Commission has set forth guidelines for credit repair. Knowledge of these guidelines is imperative to running an honest business.

About the Author:

Are you thinking of trying to lower your monthly payments by negotiating credit card debt yourself? Be sure to visit the Debtopedia website at http://www.debtopedia.com to get some helpful information & advice first.

Taking Over Payments- Simple Way To Buy First Investment Property

By Tomasheus Privetsky

You could take over payments as a method of acquiring an investment property for the first time and as you add to your investment portfolio. This is one of the latest trends in real estate that yields profitable results.

There are certain loans that you can easily take over payments on. According to the American Bankers Associations report one trillion dollars worth of fresh mortgages were built by refinancing old loans in one year. Moreover, these loans had extremely low fixed interest rates ranging between 6 to 8%.

What it means to real estate investors nationwide is there're trillions of dollars in highly desirable low interest financing locked up in houses people own right where you live. Wouldn't it make sense to learn how to take over payments on these existing mortgages that somebody else qualified for and obtained - to buy the very houses the loans are attached to?

You should be taking over payments instead of getting investor loans that are being given out mainly because investors are saddled with a high rate of interest on loans unlike home owners by mortgage lenders.

If you take over payments of an already existing real estate loan you are required to pay a lower interest rate than that by real estate investors. This obviously reduces your budget of loan payments considerably. You can resell the property later keeping the original loan as it is, the only difference being in such a case that you get a much more flexible choice of interest rate payment than what you had received while taking over from your buyer. This again enhances your monthly influx of cash.

Most of the money that you spend as loan payment expense will be for interest rate payment purpose. Only a fraction of this will be allotted to the principal reduction. Since the interest rate on the existing loan is lower, your interest payment will also be lower on the total real estate.

But that's just the beginning. If you're getting an investment property loan you'll be required to come up with a lot larger down payment amount than a home owner has to. You'll need to have at least 20% down while home owners often get away with as little as 3%-5% out of pocket.

Other than these terms, homeowners can get away with stating two months of payment in reserves whereas real estate investors have to show at least six months of the same. Therefore if you take over payments from a homeowner you no longer have to make one fifth of the down payment. You can purchase more real estate with the money that you save in this way.

There are many more pros of taking over payments. You shall be benefiting from the amount that has already been repaid by the previous owner! They might have paid the loan for two, three, or even five years- and that means you have to pay only a fraction of the loan. You could both pay off the remaining loan and build up equity in a few years time.

Lastly, you must remember that this taking over process spares you from the dreary process of qualifying for mortgage loan. The required paperwork has been duly done by the person you are buying the house from. Since he was qualified enough to obtain the loan, you could bask in this benefit!

This process is perhaps the easiest way to finance the purchases you make as a real estate investor.

About the Author:

If you don't want to or can qualify for bank financing for investment properties you can take over payments using the subject to method.

Don't Pay for a Credit Repair Sample Letter

By William Blake

When people are scared and desperate, they will willingly pay for stuff that they should be able to get for free. One of these things is a credit repair letter sample. There are many credit repair do-it-yourself kits for sale that include several credit repair letter samples. If all you need is to know how to write a simple credit report dispute letter or even a cease and desist letter to pesky bill collectors, then you can get those things for free on the Internet.

Keep it Brief and To the Point

A credit repair letter should not be a long, drawn out and emotional explanation of what happened to your credit, how it happened and why it happened. It is a form letter and it should read as such. It is a business letter so it should be very direct, brief and get right to the point.

The website of the Federal Trade Commission has a form letter for credit report disputes. The form letter provided by the government on this website is a good form letter to go by. However, these are the most common types of letters found on the internet so there are many forms to choose from. You can also call toll free the Federal Trade Commission if you need further assistance.

Hold Onto Your Originals

When sending documentation along with your credit repair letter you need to be sure you make copies and send the copy with your letter. Never send your original documents. Later you may need that original to present your case in court or for other reasons. Often the documentation required is personal documents such as your social security card or your certificate of birth. You never send these types of things in the mail and risk loosing them. Always send copies and copies only.

Where to Find a Variety of Sample Letters ??" About.com

About.com is a website created to provide accurate and dependable information on a variety of things. This website is a great source for sample credit repair and cease and desist letters. They are easy to find. Simply go to About.com and in the Business and Finance Section follow the link for Credit/Debit Management. If you want to skip those steps just go to your search engine and type "About.com cease and desist letter sample.

About the Author:

Do you need reliable information about how to cancel credit card account? Visit http://www.debtopedia.com for more tips about consolidating credit debt and other debt reduction ideas.