The Costs Of The American Dream

From Home sweet rental by James Altucher:

When making the decision to buy vs. rent, people usually consider several factors -- the rent vs. mortgage payment being the primary question. But there are other financial factors to consider, including:

* Your insurance premium.

* Property taxes (which are usually higher than any tax deduction you get from your mortgage interest).

* Maintenance (pipes break, electricity problems, etc.).

* Utilities (utilities and maintenance for renters is often reflected in the rental price, but it's not reflected in a mortgage when you own).

* Yard work, pest control, remodeling, etc. (again, rents usually have this built into the price, but mortgages don't).

And let's not forget those initial costs that always seem to add up to more than you expect:

* A down payment of at least 15 percent, which is $90,000 on a $600,000 home.

* Closing costs, usually 5 percent of loan amount, or another $25,000.

* Initial remodeling costs.

Missing Papers

From Homeowners' rallying cry: Produce the note by Mitch Stacy:

Kathy Lovelace lost her job and was about to lose her house, too. But then she made a seemingly simple request of the bank: Show me the original mortgage paperwork.

And just like that, the foreclosure proceedings came to a standstill.

Lovelace and other homeowners around the country are managing to stave off foreclosure by employing a strategy that goes to the heart of the whole nationwide mess.

During the real estate frenzy of the past decade, mortgages were sold and resold, bundled into securities and peddled to investors. In many cases, the original note signed by the homeowner was lost, stored away in a distant warehouse or destroyed.

Persuading a judge to compel production of hard-to-find or nonexistent documents can, at the very least, delay foreclosure, buying the homeowner some time and turning up the pressure on the lender to renegotiate the mortgage.

Read the rest here.