Everyone has heard the real estate terms, short sale and foreclosure. Often people confuse the two types of transactions, even though they are very different. Whatever your understanding is of short sales and foreclosures, it is important to know the following basic concepts for both of them. Short sale A short sale is a transaction…
Some gay and lesbian seniors have been out for years; others only recently. And, sad to say, others are still in the closet. Many of us purposely keep our living space private in order to relax amid things of our lifestyle. These varying degrees of outness to friends, co-workers and relatives correspond to the varying…
When you think of the American dream, you usually think of owning your own home. You envision a beautiful house with a white picket fence and flowers in the front yard, or maybe a really nice new condo with great amenities and a view. Whatever your idea is of the perfect home, it is all…
“I’m not religious, I’m spiritual …” is a common phrase we’ve all heard. I like it myself. To me, when I think of being religious, I think of rules and regulations, do’s and don’ts, and being all stuffy and uppity. Who needs it? I also like the phrase, “Some people are so heavenly minded, they’re…
Anytime you buy a home or any kind of a property or refinance one, you will be required by the lender to have an appraisal. This is done by an independent appraiser whose expertise is to determine the current value of your property. As a property owner you should be aware of some aspects of…
Here in the United States, the Department of State recently implemented a relatively new regulation for changing one’s gender marker/one’s recognized sex for one’s passport. The new regulation for changing one’s gender marker/one’s recognized sex, as identified in 7 FAM 1300 – Appendix M: Gender Change, states the following: “b. Medical Certification Accepted for Gender…
There are many different types of home loans that are available to you as a buyer. In fact, banks and other lending institutions have dozens of different loan programs that you can choose from when you are purchasing a property or refinancing one. It is not possible to cover all of them in this article,…
In dealing with difficulties and trials in life, it helps to know you’re not alone. Difficulties come into everyone’s life. “My brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of any kind, consider it nothing but joy, because you know that the testing of your faith produces endurance; and let endurance have its full effect, so…
Being from the big city (Portland, Maine: 75,000), my one memorable experience of rural life was a Boy Scouts overnight trip to a farm. First, tents were put up in a pasture, carefully avoiding the cow pies and then off to the fields for “tasseling the corn.” Having no idea what that meant, I gamely…
At some point you will probably need a Realtor to either buy or sell a property. So how do you go about finding a good one that will meet your needs, particularly when there are a lot of Realtors to choose from? Well below are some recommendations that can help you select a Realtor that…
