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| Introduction | |
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| Preliminary Considerations | |
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| Use Your Input & Logic in Creating a Plan | |
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| Wants Versus Needs: An Important Distinction | |
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| The Case for Renting | |
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| How Much Can You Afford? | |
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| PreQualification | |
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| PreApproval | |
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| Starting the Process | |
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| Your Credit Score | |
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| Improving Your Purchasing Power and Credit | |
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| Where & When | |
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| What is in a Location? | |
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| How to Figure Out the Best Place to Call Home | |
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| When to Buy | |
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| Type of House | |
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| Construction of a New Home | |
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| Buying an Existing Home | |
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| Manufactured Housing | |
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| Besides the Mortgage | |
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| The Purchase Agreement, Attorneys, Warranties, & Inspections | |
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| The Purchase Agreement | |
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| Should you Hire an Attorney? | |
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| How Do You Find a Good attorney? | |
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| New-Home Warranties | |
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| Existing-Home Warranties | |
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| Home Inspections | |
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| How Do you Find a Home Inspector? | |
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| What a Home buyer Should Not Expect From the Inspector | |
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| Escrow, PMI Points, & Property Tax | |
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| Escrow | |
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| Private Mortgage Insurance | |
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| Property Taxes | |
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| Points-What are They? | |
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| Should You Pay points? | |
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| Why Not Pay Points More Often? | |
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| The Down Payment | |
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| Size of the Down Payment | |
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| The Mortgage | |
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| What is a Mortgage? | |
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| Mortgage History | |
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| Commercial Mortgages | |
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| Walking Through the Mortgage Process | |
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| Paperwork | |
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| First Contact | |
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| Processing | |
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| PreApproval | |
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| Appraisal | |
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| Inspections | |
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| Title Search and Insurance | |
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| Final Approval | |
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| Closing | |
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| Where to Look: Banks, Mortgage Companies, the Internet, & the Government | |
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| Mortgage Brokers | |
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| Mortgage Companies | |
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| Banks | |
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| Credit Unions | |
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| Private Individuals | |
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| Government Loans | |
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| Finance Company Mortgages | |
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| The Internet | |
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| Mortgage Markets & Structuring | |
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| Federal National Mortgage Association | |
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| Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation | |
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| Government National Mortgage Association | |
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| Mortgage Programs 101 | |
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| Fixed-Rate Mortgages | |
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| Adjustable-Rate Mortgages | |
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| ARMs Versus Fixed-rate mortgages: Which is Best? | |
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| When Not to Go With an ARM | |
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| Interest-Only Loans | |
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| Just What Are These Loans? | |
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| Why Would You Want an Interest-Only Loan? | |
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| Why Go Interest-Only? | |
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| The Negatives of Interest-Only Loans | |
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| Mortgage Lenders: How to Choose | |
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| Your Financial Information | |
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| Credit Bureaus and the Scoring System | |
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| Errors on your Credit Report | |
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| Buying with Bad Credit | |
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| A Mortgage After Bankruptcy | |
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| Debt-Income Ratios | |
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| Income Verification Requirements | |
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| Information Required by Mortgage Lenders | |
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| Your Personal Mortgage Analysis | |
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| Organization of Information | |
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| Monthly Expense Worksheet | |
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| Cash/Asset Worksheet | |
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| Income Worksheet | |
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| Debt Payments Worksheet | |
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| Analyze & Choose Your Mortgage Options | |
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| 30-year Fixed: The Standard | |
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| 15-year Option | |
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| Hybrid Option | |
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| Second Loan | |
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| Your Personal Mortgage Journey | |
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| The Application Process | |
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| Negotiating the Perfect House | |
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| Fair Market Price | |
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| Market Value | |
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| Seller's Market versus Buyer's Market | |
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| How Much Do You Want This House? | |
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| Other Negotiable Factors | |
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| Closing Dates | |
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| Miscellaneous Extras | |
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| Repairs & Home Improvements | |
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| Closing the Mortgage Loan | |
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| From Commitment to Closing | |
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| The Loan Closing | |
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| Mistakes to Watch Out for | |
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| Common Mistakes to Avoid | |
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| Mistakes to watch out for when buying a house | |
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| Folding the Cost of Refinancing into the Mortgage | |
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| Mistakes Applicants Make From a Lender's Viewpoint | |
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| After the Purchase | |
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| Refinancing: the Basics | |
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| When is it Time to Refinance? | |
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| What are the Benefits of Refinancing? | |
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| Lower Your Monthly Loan Payments | |
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| Extra Cash at Closing | |
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| Build up Equity | |
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| Consolidate Debt | |
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| Switching From a Fixed-Rate Mortgage to an Adjustable-Rate one | |
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| Switching From an Adjustable-Rate Mortgage to a Fixed-Rate one | |
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| Refinancing at Renewal Time | |
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| Refinancing to Reduce Interest Rates | |
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| Refinancing for Cash | |
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| Refinancing for Credit | |
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| Prepaying Your Loan: Issues | |
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| Reverse Mortgages | |
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| Who Can Get a Reverse Mortgage? | |
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| How Much Money Can You Get? | |
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| What Does this Mean in Total Cash? | |
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| What if You Want to Pay the Loan Off? | |
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| How Much Does it Cost to Get a Reverse Mortgage? | |
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| Is it the Right Decision? | |
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| What if You Cannot Pay? | |
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| If You Have Reasonable Equity | |
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| Forbearance Agreement Option | |
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| You Can Sell Your House | |
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| If You Do Not Have Reasonable Equity | |
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| Second Mortgages, Helocs | |
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| Second Mortgages | |
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| Important Facts to Understand | |
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| Benefits of a Second Mortgage | |
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| How Refinancing is Different from Taking a Second Mortgage | |
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| Choosing Your Second Mortgage | |
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| Second Mortgage Versus Home Equity Loan | |
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| HELOC | |
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| HELOC Interest | |
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| The Advantages | |
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| The Risks | |
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| Finding a HELOC | |
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| Mortgage Servicing | |
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| Servicing | |
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| The Problem | |
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| Resources | |
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| Government Web sites | |
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| Credit Counseling Services | |
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| Books | |
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| Further Suggested Reading | |
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| Professional Mortgage Associations | |
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| Online Calculators | |
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| Bibliography | |
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| Glossary | |
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| Author Dedication | |
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| Author Biography | |
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| Index | |