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ARMs
2001: Too Much Cost, Too Much Risk

It
used to be that adjustable rate mortgages -- ARMs
-- were a good financial option for many
borrowers. Combine low start rates with more
liberal qualification standards than fixed-rate
financing and ARMs could often be the most
attractive mortgage option for many borrowers.
But ARMs have
always been a compromise form of financing.
Borrowers get some benefits, and so do lenders.
For lenders the motivation is less risk: If the
cost of money rises over time because of
inflation, with ARMs interest rates also rise.
ARM start rates --
which typically 
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last
for six months or a year -- are
traditionally lower than the interest cost
for fixed-rate financing, but consumers
give something up for that advantage: The
possibility that in the future rates might


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How
Will The Stock Market Plunge Impact Real Estate 
The
great ride on Wall Street is over, at least for the time
being and perhaps for much longer. In the past year, says
The New York Times, shareholder equity has fallen by an
estimated $2.7 trillion, a big number by any standard and
one which will undoubtedly influence the sale and
financing of real estate in 2001.
Stocks, bonds, and real
estate are sometimes seen as competing investment mediums,
but the reality is that they are all tied together. If you
like real estate as an investment option, you want folks
on Wall Street -- and millions of investors and pension
holders nationwide -- to do well because rising values
benefit everyone.
Conversely, when stock
values fall, investors and equity holders in other areas
need to consider how they will be impacted.
As stock prices rose during
the past decade investors gained two advantages: They
could sell for cash or hold. In the first case bank
accounts swelled, big downpayments became easy, more
people competed for a limited stock of properties, and the
result was higher prices generally and vastly higher
prices

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How
Is Your Credit Rating Calculated?

YYou
hear about credit scores all the time, but why do lenders
need them and how do they work?
Credit scores give your
lender a benchmark that helps him or her determine the
likelihood of your ability to repay your loan. But your
score isn't determined by your lender; rather, a credit
information provider calculates your score.
Your credit score will
range typically between 600 to 800, with higher numbers
indicating a stronger standing. Your score is based on
only your credit report. Demographic information --
including your age, city of residency, employment, marital
status, race, gender and national origin -- are
irrelevant.
When it comes to your
credit standing, the "kisses of death" include
(surprise, surprise) mortgage foreclosure and bankruptcy,
as well as vehicle repossessions. Being late on your
electric bill last June is nothing to lose sleep about,
provided you paid within 30 days. If being late on your
bill payments is a consistent problem for you, however,
you may find your reputation (in other words, your
"credit history") standing in your way when you
attempt to land a home loan. (For credit reporting
purposes only bills 30 days overdue are regarded as late.
However, it's wise not to wait until the last moment just
in case a check really does get lost in the mail.)
The first time you see your
credit report, you'll find listed all of your 

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Avoid
Surprises: Know Your Homeowner's Coverage

Most
of us sign up for a homeowner's insurance policy when we purchase
a home not only because of the protection it offers us, but also
because of the "required reading" aspect of it to our
mortgage lender. Those institutions lending us the money to make
homeownership possible cover their bases by making sure their own
financial investments are protected in case of fire or natural
disasters.
But how much does the average
homeowner know about what the typical homeowner's policy covers?
According to information available
through the Insurance Information Institute and endorsed by the
U.S. Office of Consumer Affairs, the Homeowners-3 (HO3) is the
most common homeowner policy in the U.S. Some policies are more
restrictive than others, so be sure to check up on just what your
policy includes. For the purposes of generality, however, the HO3
will be used as an example here.
The typical homeowner's policy
includes coverage for perils and losses due to fire, lighting,
tornadoes, windstorms, hail, explosions, smoke, vandalism and
theft. Those owning homes in coastal areas may want to pay 




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