http://betterhometeam.com Your Western Washington Mortgage Consultants! Thu, 13 Nov 2008 18:20:04 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 en RISMEDIA, Nov. 12, 2008-U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Secretary Steve Preston announced the new Federal Housing Administration (FHA) mortgage loan limits for single-family homes as prescribed by the Housing and Economic Recovery Act of 2008. Beginning January 1, 2009, FHA will insure single-family home mortgages up to $271,050 in ... http://betterhometeam.com/hud-announces-new-permanent-fha-mortgage-loan-limits/ There are options to a foreclosure other than just walking away like Forbearance, Loan Modification, Short Sale, etc. Click on the following to read more...Avoiding Foreclosure http://betterhometeam.com/avoiding-foreclosure/ I'm sure you've heard about it by now, but do you really understand the new $7,500 first-time homebuyer income tax credit and how it works? I mean in-depth and practically? And do you also know how to make this new piece of legislation work for you? As long as your ... http://betterhometeam.com/tax-credit-unveiled-or-is-it-really-just-a-loan-to-the-consumer/ Did you know that during the last 10 years, collectors and factoring companies have been using 'blackmail tactics' and making millions in profits by collecting on debt that is not legally collectible? ("Zombie Debt").  The very premise of this violates consumer protection laws, most notably the Fair Debt Collection Practices ... http://betterhometeam.com/zombie-debt-invades-consumer-credit-files/ If you're a homeowner seeing property values plummet, look to the commercial real estate market for solace. It might tell you which areas will recover fastest--and which will likely remain weak. The Urban Land Institute recently asked 700 real estate professionals to name the best (and worst) places to invest ... http://betterhometeam.com/housing-real-estate-markets-most-likely-to-rebound-seattle-is-1/ RISMEDIA, Nov. 4, 2008-(MCT)-Last month, the Federal Reserve cut interests rates for the sixth time this year in its efforts to restrain the credit crisis. The move that reduced the rate to 1% was a shot in the arm for Wall Street, which was up 10.1% last week. But what ... http://betterhometeam.com/how-the-fed%e2%80%99s-lower-rate-affects-consumers/ Did you know that paying-off overdue accounts, particularly collection accounts that have not reported to the credit bureaus for over 13 months can temporarily lower a credit score?  There are three primary reasons to pay-off an aged collection account over 13 months old:       1) Because the mortgage lender requires it ... http://betterhometeam.com/paying-collection-accounts/ On an overdue account that has been referred to collections, if you have the option of paying the original creditor instead of the collector, you are better off paying the creditor directly because the collection entry has to be removed from your credit report once the original creditor account has ... http://betterhometeam.com/paying-collections/ Did you know that due to the way in which credit scoring is calculated, a person can have a higher credit score after a "seasoned" (4+ years) bankruptcy than someone that never filed?!  This is due to what's known "grouping." Essentially the FICO scoring model takes into account intrinsic (individualized) as ... http://betterhometeam.com/credit-scoring-occurs-in-groups/ REThink Real EstateBy Tara-Nicholle Nelson, Thursday, August 28, 2008. Inman NewsQ: I have always wanted to own my own home. I have been saving money for five years toward a down payment and I have worked hard to maintain excellent credit, with the idea that I would buy a home ... http://betterhometeam.com/get-rid-of-buyers-block/