Category: General

Seeking Inclusivity and Fairness Through AI Great news: Eighty percent of U.S. residents have never defaulted on their loans or credit lines. Not-so-great news: Prime credit is out of reach for most of them. What this means: Better credit assessments could help lenders approve many more borrowers than they do today — and with better…

Six Factors Are Keeping the Market Hot Home prices have surged in recent years. Now, with interest rates lower than the industry ever thought they go, demand keeps rising. And despite the headlines declaring the housing boom is over, credible reports and commentaries suggest the housing market is not cooling down any time soon. U.S.…

Yes, bidding wars are breaking out in the rental home market. With the rising demand for rental housing, you might be thinking of buying real estate, earning rental income to pay the mortgage, and building a new source of equity. With usually low interest rates available, is it time to strike while the iron is…

It might be overlooked with all of today’s medical, political and financial tensions. But marriage equality is progressing well. In the 2015 Obergefell v. Hodges decision, the U.S. Supreme Court held that “the reasons marriage is fundamental under the Constitution apply with equal force to same-sex couples.” In 2016, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development…

The Quest to Head off Evictions and Foreclosures in the Second Half of 2021 UPDATE: As we go to press in the first week of August 2021, the CDC has just announced a new Covid-19 eviction moratorium. The eviction ban is slated to last through Oct. 3. It covers most U.S. counties with significant numbers…

Here Come the Rules and Taxes  Resort towns across the United States are now very attractive to home buyers and vacationers alike. Investors and second homeowners have never had such great opportunities to sell their second homes — or obtain new income by using these homes as rental properties. In 2021, groups of friends and…

Soon after you receive your loan pre-approval, expect to see documents for a conditionally approved mortgage. One condition might be for you to obtain a gift letter. This happens when someone helps you make your purchase, typically by chipping into your down payment cost. If someone else is helping you, it’s best to ask for…

What Assets Does a Home Buyer Need? Getting ready to buy a home? If you’re a saver, you have a head start. When a lender sizes up your buying power, one big question is how much savings you will have in reserve. Beyond your down payment and your closing costs, you should set aside several months’…

What will make land developments competitive in the years ahead? Several new concepts are taking shape: a shift to electric vehicles, solar roofs, technology for home-based productivity, and personal amenities that support an integrated sense of well-being. Builders are now choosing internet-connected heating and cooling. Buyers are touring homes with sensors and voice control technologies…

July 2021 — Renters have a few weeks to regroup before monthly rent is due as usual after July 31. Congress has approved Covid-19 stimulus payments including $46 billion in rental support. But can the government distribute it fully before time runs out?

In 2021, FHA home loans are once again attainable for hundreds of thousands of young beneficiaries of Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA). Brought to the country as young children, DACA recipients are called Dreamers because they received temporary conditional residency, Social Security numbers, and work permission under the Development, Relief, and Education for Alien…

It’s a sign of the coming times. Hawaii’s Senate Bill 474 has amended the state’s flood hazard disclosure rules for residential real estate. Disclosures now must include sea level rise exposure, in alignment with hydraulic and hydrological data from the Hawaii Climate Change Mitigation and Adaptation Commission. Gov. David Ige signed the bill on July 2, 2021.…

Making a Strong Offer in 3 Strategic Stages You’re financially ready. You’re excited to be shopping for your new home. But you’re getting slammed by the competition! Now, how do you make offers with confidence and get your home purchase goal back on track? There are three key parts of this home-buying adventure. You can…

In the $1.8 trillion American Families Plan, Joe Biden is looking at tightening up the tax code to move more funding into families and education. What tax provisions could be changed? The 1031 exchange (like-kind exchange) tax-deferrals for business or rental properties. The stepped-up cost basis for heirs after the homeowner dies. The current estate tax…