By Marcie Geffner - LendingTree.com
Getting married and buying a home are major milestones in anyone's lifetime. But should you spend big for a diamond ring, wedding and honeymoon? Or should you put your cash toward a down payment to buy a house?
The answer depends on your means, lifestyle and personal goals. But there's no question that a house is more likely to be a better investment than a diamond ring, wedding or honeymoon.
Read on:
https://www.lendingtree.com/mortgage/down-payment-or-a-diamond-article
Buying a home with no credit isn't easy
By Marcie Geffner - Bankrate.com
Some financial gurus say consumers should live 100 percent debt-free. No credit cards. No car loans. No debt of any kind for any reason.
That might seem like smart advice until the question of buying a home comes up. Then, the debt-free life can become problematic.
In 2014, only 5 percent of first-time home buyers purchased a home without a mortgage, according to a survey by the National Association of Realtors.
Some first-timers receive their home as a gift, so those results suggest that even less than 5 percent managed to save up enough cash to buy a home outright. That's not nobody, but it's a small slice of the total population of first-time buyers.
Read on:
http://www.bankrate.com/finance/credit/buying-home-with-no-credit.aspx
Some financial gurus say consumers should live 100 percent debt-free. No credit cards. No car loans. No debt of any kind for any reason.
That might seem like smart advice until the question of buying a home comes up. Then, the debt-free life can become problematic.
In 2014, only 5 percent of first-time home buyers purchased a home without a mortgage, according to a survey by the National Association of Realtors.
Some first-timers receive their home as a gift, so those results suggest that even less than 5 percent managed to save up enough cash to buy a home outright. That's not nobody, but it's a small slice of the total population of first-time buyers.
Read on:
http://www.bankrate.com/finance/credit/buying-home-with-no-credit.aspx
What builders want from realty brokers
By Marcie Geffner - NewHomeSource.com
Good relationships between home builders and brokers create valuable business opportunities for both sides: builders benefit from access to potential buyers, while brokers benefit from access to more for-sale homes.
These relationships don’t happen by accident. Rather, builders and brokers make the effort to connect and talk about what they have to offer each other.
Read on:
http://www.newhomesourceprofessional.com/agentresources/articles/what-builders-want-from-brokers
Good relationships between home builders and brokers create valuable business opportunities for both sides: builders benefit from access to potential buyers, while brokers benefit from access to more for-sale homes.
These relationships don’t happen by accident. Rather, builders and brokers make the effort to connect and talk about what they have to offer each other.
Read on:
http://www.newhomesourceprofessional.com/agentresources/articles/what-builders-want-from-brokers
Homeowner associations consider pot-smoking rules
By Marcie Geffner - Bankrate.com
More than 20 U.S. states allow certain people to grow, sell, possess or use marijuana to varying degrees and for various purposes, although federal law still classifies weed as an illegal drug.
Given that contradiction, what rules apply to people who live in condominiums or communities governed by a homeowners association?
The answer isn't, shall we say, cut and dried.
Read on:
http://www.bankrate.com/finance/real-estate/legal-marijuana-and-hoa-rules.aspx
More than 20 U.S. states allow certain people to grow, sell, possess or use marijuana to varying degrees and for various purposes, although federal law still classifies weed as an illegal drug.
Given that contradiction, what rules apply to people who live in condominiums or communities governed by a homeowners association?
The answer isn't, shall we say, cut and dried.
Read on:
http://www.bankrate.com/finance/real-estate/legal-marijuana-and-hoa-rules.aspx
Alternatives to payday loans
By Marcie Geffner - LoanDepot.com
If you're facing an emergency or are simply short of money, a payday loan – also called a cash advance, check advance or deferred-deposit loan – may seem like the answer. But while these loans can seem helpful on the surface, they’re ugly on the inside.
Read on:
http://www.loandepot.com/knowledge-cafe/consumer/2015/avoid-payday-loans
If you're facing an emergency or are simply short of money, a payday loan – also called a cash advance, check advance or deferred-deposit loan – may seem like the answer. But while these loans can seem helpful on the surface, they’re ugly on the inside.
Read on:
http://www.loandepot.com/knowledge-cafe/consumer/2015/avoid-payday-loans
8 Places To Park Cash
By Marcie Geffner - Bankrate.com
It might sound impossible, but every now and then, a large sum of cash could suddenly drop into your life. Perhaps you sold your home, received a gift or inheritance, or were paid a bonus by your boss.
Whatever the source of your windfall, you'll have to figure out where to stash your cash while you decide how to make the best use of it.
But where?
Your choice should give you a high degree of safety and liquidity and minimize the investment expense, says Kent Grealish, a fee-only investment planner at Grealish Investment Counseling in San Bruno, California.
Read on:
http://www.bankrate.com/finance/savings/places-to-park-cash-1.aspx
It might sound impossible, but every now and then, a large sum of cash could suddenly drop into your life. Perhaps you sold your home, received a gift or inheritance, or were paid a bonus by your boss.
Whatever the source of your windfall, you'll have to figure out where to stash your cash while you decide how to make the best use of it.
But where?
Your choice should give you a high degree of safety and liquidity and minimize the investment expense, says Kent Grealish, a fee-only investment planner at Grealish Investment Counseling in San Bruno, California.
Read on:
http://www.bankrate.com/finance/savings/places-to-park-cash-1.aspx