C21AGVoices

The national housing market got three pieces of good news in 3 days last week: Monday: Existing Home Sales up Tuesday: Home values appear higher nationally Wednesday: New Home Sales up And although national real estate statistics are irrelevant to the local markets in which real estate transactions happen, to a country of would-be and […]

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In the widest definition possible, amortization (pronounced: am-ohr-tih-ZAY-shun) is the scheduled process by which a loan’s principal balance pays down to $0. The opposite of an amortizing loan is an interest only loan for which there is no scheduled principal repayment schedule. With respect to mortgages, amortization is what determines how much of a monthly payment goes […]

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As household budgets get pinched and credit markets tighten, a growing number of Americans are making “hardship withdrawals” from their 401(k) plans. One major fund group cites a 15 percent increase in activity from this time last year for various reasons including staving off foreclosure and medical emergency. However, 401(k) loans should only be made with careful […]

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Private Mortgage Insurance (PMI) is an insurance policy paid to a lender in the event that a homeowner defaults on his home loan. With the growing number of mortgage defaults nationwide, mortgage insurers are finding their balance sheets under attack and their revenues in the red. So far this year, mortgage insurers have paid out […]

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The phrase “Consumer Price Index” can be intimidating and unclear to Americans. It’s an economic term, after all, and not a part of everyday American language. It even has its own abbreviation to add to the confusion — CPI. So, when a layperson hears that “CPI is rising”, it’s not always clear what it means. […]

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A Home Equity Line of Credit is bank product that grants homeowners access to the equity in their home at anytime, usually using checks. Often called a HELOC, these equity-based credit lines function very much like credit cards: The rate is adjustable, tied to Prime Rate There is a minimum monthly payment There is a pre-set […]

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