First time home buyer tax credit and IRS  My husband and I took the first time home buyer credit and now the IRS says we did not qualify for it.

1. We rented a home for three years before ...

Due Diligence  I always hear make sure you do your due diligence on any property you are considering. What exactly is this and how can I make sure I do it correctly. Thank ...

Tax Benefits for Rental Homes  I am buying my first home to use as a rental home. Are there any tax benefits for rental properties or any other programs for investment buyers that I ...

$8,000 First Time Home Buyer Tax Credit for 2010  Before my husband and I met, I bought a house with an old boyfriend and wound up filing bankruptcy on it after a year or so later. When I married my husband ...

Property Tax Confusion  We are first time buyers. We went for settlement a week ago and now own our first house. After settlement we realized that the property tax was calculated ...

Seller's Counter Offer  Can the seller's Realtor stipulate in my counter offer to have me go with a specific mortgage and lender to pay closing cost even though I have been pre-...

Closing Costs  I am buying a home from an individual, a rent to buy situation. We only owe $4,150. What would the closing costs approximately be when we close on this ...

Losing Job Before Closing  My wife and I are buying a house. We went through all the mortgage processes successfully and the date for closing and settlement is 12 days away. Unfortunately ...

Received First Time Home Buyer Tax Credit, Now I Want to Sell  I received the $8000 first time home buyer tax credit, now I want to sell before the 3 year period is up. My husband and I bought our house in July 2009....

Buying Old House or Construct One?  I finally got in shape in terms of financial matters. Now, I want to have my own house but wonder whether it is better to buy the house or to buy land ...

Why do escrow payments change so much?  We purchased our first home about half a year ago. My husband and I obtained financing, and our payments were estimated to be a certain amount, including ...

How much should I estimate for closing costs?  Sorry, I already submitted my first question and just thought of another one. When buying a house, I know that the closing cost can vary. I'm concerned ...

Can The Owner Pay The Closing?  Hello Jeff, I am thinking about buying that first house. Although I am very nervous, I find your site helpful and informative. I have a question, "Can ...

Can we qualify for a home loan on OWCP benefits?  I have a couple questions. The first one is can we qualify for a home loan on OWCP benefits? If so, who would we need to contact to start the pre-qualification ...

What are the economic advantages or disadvantages in the future if I were to buy a home right now?  My questions are what are the economic advantages or disadvantages in the future if I were to buy a home right now? Or would it be a good idea for me to ...

What is an appraisal?  I am looking into buying a home and using the first time home credit. What is an appraisal and why do I actually need to have one in order to buy a home?...

For either short-sales or "underwater" mortages, How does a buyer get the seller and the seller's mortgage lender to accept a lower offer?  For either short-sales or "underwater" mortgages,
where the current market price or just appraisal amount is much less than either the amount(s) the seller ...

What can I do this late?  When we applied for our mortgage we jumped through the hoops all home buyers do. We went through a mortgage broker and met with 3 different people in the ...

OWCP income and the First time homebuyers Credit  I was a USDA Food Inspector for 25 years and was on the job at the time a drunk lady hit me head on. It ended my career. Because I was no longer able to ...

Finding a Trustworthy Home Inspector  I'd like to know the best way to find a trustworthy home inspector. For example, in a past purchase the inspector was provided to me by the real estate ...

School District Impact on Home Value  My husband and I have 3 children, all in elementary school, and are looking to buy our first home. We are especially interested in 2 homes, that are in ...

Contingencies  My husband and I are in the process of buying a house for the first time and I’m not really sure how contingencies work. From what I understand, they act ...

How can you be sure the house isn't falling apart?  Hello, I’m a first time home buyer and have some major concerns. I want to buy a home but since I have never owned one before, I’m afraid of buying a ...

Explain title insurance and title opinions  My wife and I are planning to buy a house in the near future and I have been doing some research to find out the costs involved besides buying the property ...

Tax Rebate Program Question  We have recently been looking for a home to take advantage of the current low interest rates. We have heard that the government sponsored tax rebate is ...

Mortgage Loan Nightmares  I am a 29 year old California native and am interested in buying a home.

Here's my situation; The only job I have had in the last five years is working ...

FHA Title One Loans In Oakland CA  We just recently bought our first home using an FHA home loan , but the house needs some repairs. It is a Duplex and one unit is rented to a Sec 8 Tenant....

Which mortgage lender should I go with?  Thanks for responding Jeff, So here are my questions:

I have 741 credit scores and would like to apply for a mortgage, looking for a loan ( of $150,...

first time home buyer  Hi

I have a question, I'm divorced and now I want to buy a house. My question is if I'm still a first time home buyer if my husband bought a house ...

What is needed to quailfy for Title One home improvement loan  My son is in the process of buying his first home here in Nevada. There are some upgrades that needs to be made. He wants to take a loan out of $15,000 ...

Credit and Application Help!  My fiancee and I have been house searching for almost two years now.

It has taken so long because we can't find a house we both like, but questions ...

How do I get his name off my mortgage?  My boyfriend and I bought a home together and we later had children. So we are both on the mortgage.

We had problems and split up and he moved out....

My credit scores  Hello I am wondering what to do because I'm 9 points away from having a 620 credit report.

But I would really like to get started on my first home ...

Looking to buy our first home  Hi there Jeff,

My name is Jessie. My husband and I live in Osage, Wyoming and have been offered to buy a nice little space in the community we live ...

Veteran's responsibility fees on VA Loans 

I am a veteran and a first time home buyer applying for a VA Loan to purchase a house, what are the fees that they can charge me on processing a ...

USDA loan with first time home buyers tax credit  I bought my house a year ago with a loan through the USDA. I also got my offer approved during the first time home buyers tax credit.

I am wanting ...

Federal Rebate program for first time home buyers 


My daughter and son-in-law purchased their first home, owner occupied one year ago. They have met ALL the requirements for the rebate and still ...

Wife Got Sick Before Closing  I am buying a house out of state, closing is coming up soon. My wife just got back surgery and still needs months of treatments here. When we move we lose ...

Is There a Limit to How Old a House Can Be?  We are interested in purchasing a home that was built in 1860. Is there an age limit as to how old a house can be to still qualify for an FHA loan?

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First Time Home Buyer Tips  Hi,

My husband and I want to buy a house. Could you please help us understand how the whole home buying process works?

We were in market and searched ...

Reverse Mortgage on a House in Foreclosure  I will be 62 in January 2012. We have a mortgage with my sister for 75K. The house was for sale, but we just found out it has a cesspool and will not ...

Ask for lower price after offer has been accepted?  As a first time buyer made an home purchase price offer what the seller has listed with inclusion of appliances. The offer has been accepted by seller ...

Home Buying  I don't know anything when it comes to buying a house, so I want step by step instructions to follow.

I really don't think I have the best credit, so ...

Buying a House  Do I have to pay for the title company when I am paying cash for a home?

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Hello Rosa,

Thank you for coming by my website. I hope ...

Title Insurance - What Does It Cover?  If the title company searches and misses an existing mortgage, is the title insurance obligated to cover it?

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Hello Edmond,

Well ...

First Time Home Buyer Tax Credit  I received the $8000 tax credit and I signed a deed of trust March 1, 2010. I still have not gotten a home loan as of March 1, 2011. How long do I have ...

Asking for Seller Concessions   If I buy a new home and pay the seller the total amount agreed on, will I be able to get seller concessions and avoid paying the closing cost, seeing I ...

Does the Buyer Pay for Repairs?  We are looking at buying a home. The home inspector said the chimney cap and the front brick staircase needs to be repaired. We were told that the buyer ...

Legality of GFE  Sadly, my 23 year old son received a GFE on a coop purchase and based on that he plopped down $21,000 as a down payment. The bank he was dealing with ...

Domestic Water Source  I was told by Bank of America that water may NOT come from a lake, it must be from a municipal source or a well!! Everyone in and around Florence Oregon ...

Repayment of First Time Home Buyers Tax Credit  We purchased our home in March of 2010. If I lose my job and must proceed with foreclosure, must I repay the 8K first time home buyers tax credit?

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Community Property and Liens  An FHA loan was granted for the purchase of a home in 2009 when 1st time buyers were given the $8000 tax credit. The primary income earner (husband) had ...