From the category archives:

Real Estate

5 Things I Didn’t Know About Being a Landlord Until Now

I haven’t talked about my recent property investment too much, so I thought I’d share a brief background on the investment I made last year and then highlight a few things I wasn’t aware of going in that I wanted to pass on. Overall, it’s been a net neutral venture financially, but next year is […]

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Some Reasons Pre-Paying Your Mortgage Isn’t Worth It

There’s a perennial debate in the financial blogosphere about whether it’s worth paying down a mortgage early or using the funds elsewhere. Often times, financial calculations are trumped by “emotion” whereby people justify paying down a mortgage early for “peace of mind” or because it feels better not having any debt. I suppose if you […]

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Renters Subsidize Homeowners with Tax Deduction? Think Again

With all the class warfare rhetoric of late, a popular “subsidy” to knock of late is the mortgage interest tax deduction. One of the largest constituents arguing for removal of this tax deduction is of course – renters. See renters often cite the notion that they are in effect subsidizing homeowners by way to the […]

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Saying Bye-Bye to the Mortgage Interest Deduction?

How would you feel if the mortgage interest deduction on homes were eliminated tomorrow? If you’re a renter, you probably wouldn’t care. But if you’re a homeowner, especially one with a sizable mortgage payment, that might give you pause, right? I couldn’t help but notice in this recent WSJ.com article that the “Deficit Commission” is […]

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Lessons Learned from Selling Our House

Today we finalized the contract on the sale of our home. It was bittersweet, as my wife and I grappled with the fact that this was a purely voluntary move – we didn’t “need” to move for something like a relo, but we chose to move to get into something bigger, a larger yard, a […]

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Is the McMansion Dead?

Over the past few weeks, there have been several headlines declaring the death of the McMansion. Depending on how you define the “McMansion”, there may be some merit to the argument, but other aspects of the American desire to have things that are “big” are alive and well. I mean, didn’t we declare the death […]

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How Much Does it Really Cost to Move?

My wife and I have been mulling over a move for some time now. No, we’re not jumping on this low rate bandwagon thinking we’re going to turn a huge profit on a move, but we’re just thinking about what the best location is for the top district, what works for my commute, proximity to […]

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Mortgage Rates Dip Below Key 5% Level – How to Get Yours Even Lower

Mortgage rates dipped below the key 5% level for 30 year fixed rate mortgages again this week. While many had predicted that rates would rise by mid-2010, it’s looking as though they may stay low at least through the year. The government intervention and reluctance to raise rates given a near 10% unemployment rate has […]

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USDA Home Loan Program – The 0% Down Bonanza You’ve Never Heard About

The USDA loan program is offering, and has been for years, home loans at incredible terms even following the housing collapse, under the edict of rural lending (farm loans) given the challenges faced in finding a mortgage loan or deriving high income in sparsely populated areas. The surprise is – many of the zip codes […]

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