COVID-19 Safeguards for your Real Estate Purchase Agreement
Real estate agents, state realtor associations, and local governments have taken swift action to protect Buyers and Sellers during the COVID-19 crisis. They have drafted special Addenda (or “Riders”) that can be added to new or existing Purchase Contracts. The … Continue reading →
State-by-State COVID-19 Addendum
Most real estate associations have prepared COVID-19 addenda similar to those found in the California addendum, though the wording and scope may vary among them. Click your state below to find the pertinent information. Alabama Kansas New Mexico Utah Arizona … Continue reading →
How Will Real Estate Closings be Handled Since COVID-19?
Title and escrow companies are adapting to the new environment brought on by the COVID-19 virus and taking guidance from the CDC and WHO on how to conduct business to keep their customers and employees safe.
Continue reading →What are real estate agents doing to protect their clients when writing a Purchase Agreement?
The National Association of Realtors (NAR) is providing helpful information and guidance on their website www.nar.realtor. They point out that Purchase Agreements may already have existing safeguards that cover some types of delays, but that an additional addendum for coronavirus-related … Continue reading →
Expert Tips That Will Make Your Title Business Successful
Now that you’ve set up your company, it’s time to focus on how to make your enterprise a success. You may wonder why one title business succeeds where others fail. The answer lies in providing top notch customer service, understanding your market, and using sound business practices.
Continue reading →Title Agents, Is Your Technology Behind the Times?
There’s no doubt about it. Technology has rocked the real estate industry, fundamentally changing every step of the process from beginning to end.
Continue reading →Thinking about Starting a Title Company? 6 Simple Steps to Do it Right & Fast
It is an exciting time for the real estate title industry. Modern technology has made the once-dreaded phase of every real estate transaction — the closing — highly efficient and remarkably less stressful than ever before.
Continue reading →Outstanding Permit That I Knew Nothing About. What Can I Do?
Dear Sandy, I bought a house and had a home inspection done as part of my due diligence. Everything was fine and we closed escrow on time. It is now a year later and I received a letter from the … Continue reading →
Survey Finds More Than Half of Homebuyers Surprised by Closing Costs
More than 50 percent of homebuyers were surprised that they had to pay closing costs or that the fees were higher than expected, according to a survey released by ClosingCorp.
Continue reading →Rejected for a Mortgage? A Community Bank May Be a Viable Option
If you’ve been turned down for a mortgage by a mainstream bank — as many people have with the much-stricter rules now governing credit scores, income requirements and loan-to-debt ratios — a community bank may be a good option for you.
The new Qualified Mortgage (QM) guidelines, which the federal government imposed on lenders in January, tightened already stringent rules introduced by the Dodd-Frank law and Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.
Continue reading →Lower FHA Mortgage Insurance Premiums Benefit Borrowers
WASHINGTON (January 9, 2017) – As the nation’s housing market continues to improve, U.S. Housing and Urban Development Secretary Julián Castro today announced the Federal Housing Administration (FHA) will reduce the annual premiums most borrowers will pay by a … Continue reading →
What Are Split Closings and Are They A Good Idea?
What You Need to Know I recently read an article on “split closings” that made several generalizations that could potentially add to the confusion that many buyers (and sellers) often experience when they approach the settlement or closing phase of … Continue reading →
Condominium and Co-op Insurance – Is there a difference?
Reader Question: Could you please address the relevant differences for co-op owners seeking adequate home insurance coverage? Are they the same as for condominium owners? JH Reply: Although the ownership is different between a condo unit and co-op unit owners, the insurance … Continue reading →