Home Buyer Beware – Know the Signs of Real Estate Market TroubleWritten by Charles Essmeier
Lots of articles have appeared recently about booming real estate market in United States. Home prices, especially on East and West coasts, are not only at record levels, but are increasing at record rates. In some areas around Washington, D.C. and San Francisco, home prices have tripled in last five years. While many homeowners have been enjoying huge increases in their equity, realized when they either sell their home or borrow against it, market has become increasingly difficult for those trying to buy homes. It may get worse, as there are now some strong signs that market may be near its peak:
The prices of homes in many markets are so high that few buyers can purchase them using traditional mortgages. In Washington, D.C., for instance, 48% of new mortgages are of interest-only variety, where buyer pays only interest on loan for first few years. This keeps payments low enough that buyer can qualify for loan. The problem is that buyer is only paying interest and not actually contributing to purchase price of home. The fact that so many buyers are obtaining interest-only loans suggests that prices in those markets may be too high to be sustained.
Many home appraisers have complained that lenders are constantly pressuring them to “make numbers” when appraising homes. Appraisers in some modestly-appreciating markets, such as Buffalo, NY, say that they are often given a value when assigned an appraisal, with unspoken understanding that their appraisal is expected to come in at or above that figure. The lending industry is competitive, and lenders want to issue as many loans as possible. It would appear that quite a few of them are even willing to lend money when home doesn’t appraise for asking price. Appraisers point out that if they don’t provide “requested” figures, then lenders will simply hire other appraisers.
| | Business InsuranceWritten by Pank shru
The success and progress of a business, whether, it is a large scale business or small scale business or home based business is dependent on hard work. It doesn’t matter how good you are earning, one disaster like fire or theft can wipe out all your profits. It can even destroy your business. For saving your effort and money, which you have invested in your business, you need to protect it with appropriate insurance.There are a number of different types of business insurance, which you may or may not need for your company pr business. There can be different policies for different businesses. Insurance companies have coverage that can meet needs of any business owner. The most known type of business insurances are business property insurance, covering your company’s building, software, supplies, and other property in event of a disaster. However, there are many other types of insurance including employer's Insurance, public liability Insurance, lorry or van Insurance, office insurance, product Liability etc. For getting insurance coverage for your business, you will need to find responsible, trustworthy and reliable insurance agent or broker. Ask friends and acquaintances in same kind of business about agent they use. You should ask agent or company that provides your personal insurance for advice on kind of insurance you need for your business. Contact your business trade associations to see if they sponsor an insurance program for your business. Make sure insurance agent you pick has adequate knowledge about your business's insurance needs. Your agent can tell you what to do to reduce likelihood of theft, disasters, injuries to visitors, employees and workers, and other business-related losses. Before choosing an insurance broker or agent one should keep following things in mind: 1)Choose an agent with higher deductible
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