Monthly Archives: January 2012

Should I Rent a Home or Take out a Mortgage?

Posted by JD Esajian // January 31, 2012

Buying a house used to be easy. You found a home you liked, applied for a mortgage and then paid it off over 30 years. That’s not the case in today’s market. Mortgages today are harder to obtain, and favorable terms are more difficult to come by. That’s why many Americans are choosing to just rent a home and wait until the housing crisis improves. In some cases, they’re actually saving more money than they would with a mortgage.


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Buying a Home in San Diego: Carmel Valley

Posted by JD Esajian // January 30, 2012

Carmel Valley, the upper-class coastal community with the delicious-sounding name – isn’t just a sweet place to live. It’s also one of the most well-educated and beautiful neighborhoods around, the high-water mark for anyone buying a house in San Diego. If you’ve got the cash to burn, it could be the site of your next dream home.


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Wholesaling Real Estate Is Back With a Vengeance

Posted by JD Esajian // January 29, 2012

If you thought wholesaling real estate was dead, think again. Though many investors gave up on the business after the crunch of 2008, a new effort by the Federal Housing Authority to unload millions of foreclosures to private investors has given the market a much-needed kick. Urban properties that were left to crumble have value again. Young families are clamoring for a spot in master-developed communities. Cash is flowing.


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Flipping Houses: How to Handle Luxury Properties

Posted by JD Esajian // January 27, 2012

Someone must have forgotten to tell America’s wealthy that we’re in the middle of a housing crisis, because in this bear market, luxury properties are selling well. To the upper class, buying a house is like picking up a new set of golf clubs, and that’s good news for house flippers. Although we typically recommend sticking to affordable properties when flipping houses, it might be time to upgrade the merchandise if you’re struggling to pay the bills. But before you go and spend your life savings on that abandoned mansion, there are a few things about flipping luxury properties you need to know.


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More Americans Are Walking Away From Their Mortgages

Posted by JD Esajian // January 26, 2012

Are you selling a house that isn’t worth as much as the balance remaining on your mortgage? Then it may be time to walk away. With the real estate market not expected to recover until 2023 and foreclosure rates abysmally high, more and more Americans are choosing to let their lender repossess their home even though they’re ahead on the mortgage. It’s a strategy that the lending industry calls “strategic default,” and if you’re struggling to build equity in your home, it might be worth a closer look.


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Buying a Home in Connecticut: Madison

Posted by JD Esajian // January 25, 2012

A coastal gem located in southern Connecticut, Madison has just about everything you could want if you’re on the lookout for a piece of prime Connecticut real estate. Here in Madison, the beaches are scenic, the boutiques are cozy and the chowder is divine. It’s a real seaside treasure.


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The Housing Plans of the GOP Candidates

Posted by JD Esajian // January 24, 2012

Do you know how your candidate plans to fix America’s housing problem? If you don’t, then you better start doing your homework. The race to win the Republican Party’s nomination for the 2012 presidential election has kicked into high gear, and it’s time for the nominees to explain how they intend to fix the country’s most pressing financial problem. If you’re voting in the Republican primaries and want to learn about your favorite candidate’s housing plan, here’s a brief overview.


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Buying a Home in San Diego: Tierrasanta

Posted by JD Esajian // January 23, 2012

Raising a family in San Diego can be hard, especially if your work requires you to live within the city limits. Luckily, there are a few friendly neighborhoods that make family life easy on anyone buying a house in San Diego. Among the best of these is Tierrasanta, a residential community in the northern hills of the city that provides a safe environment for children but which is still within walking distance of downtown.


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What a Good Faith Estimate Means to Your Mortgage

Posted by JD Esajian // January 22, 2012

If you’re buying a house, you’re entitled to a “good faith estimate” when applying for a mortgage. However, sometimes these itemized rundowns of the estimated costs of a home loan aren’t made in good faith at all. They can be misleading, and they can bait a homeowner into paying thousands more than they had anticipated. In order to protect yourself from predatory lending, here a few things you need to know about good faith estimates:


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The Top Real Estate Markets in 2012

Posted by JD Esajian // January 20, 2012

Successfully flipping houses depends in no small part on the location of the property. Although the housing industry is still in a slump, a few markets around the country have turned into hotspots for real estate investors, retirees and young families. If you want to make some real money selling a house this year, you should definitely look into one of these laudable locales.


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