The April forms release is just around the corner and the following is a preliminary list of new and revised forms that will be released the week of April 30, 2012 Forms for Formal Revision/Release NEW! - Carbon Monoxide Detector (CMD) NEW! - Office Management Agreement (OMA) Addendum (ADM) Sel
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03/13/2012
What is Probate? When an estate owner dies with a simple will or no estate plan at all, the estate must go through the probate process. This provides the beneficiaries, creditors and anyone else with a vested interest in the estate with a supervised forum in which to distribute assets and disc
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03/12/2012
A hidden fee is set to rise - The Guarantee Fee The guarantee fee – a hidden fee inside the interest rate quoted on a home mortgage – has been mandated by Congress to increase this spring, and other increases are likely later to take place later this year and next. The guarantee fee has been
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03/12/2012
A New housing scam emerges in California. State officials have noticed an emerging scam: Callers say they will help homeowners apply for Keep Your Home California benefits for fees of up to $900. The calls are happening statewide. The progam is legitimate however, applying for the program is
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03/12/2012
It’s important to understand what legal responsibilities your real estate salesperson has to you and to other parties in the transaction. Ask what type of agency relationship your agent has with you: Seller's representative (also known as a listing agent or seller's agent) A seller's agent is h
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03/11/2012
7 Reasons to Own Your Home 1. Tax breaks. The U.S. Tax Code lets you deduct the interest you pay on your mortgage, your property taxes, as well as some of the costs involved in buying your home.2. Appreciation. Real estate has long-term, stable growth in value. While year-to-year fluctuations are
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03/10/2012
A fixed rate alternative With interest rates at historically low levels, many borrowers are finding value with a reliable fixed-rate mortgage. However, borrowers who think they could be relocating in the near future, or need to shore up savings, might want to consider what some regard as the nex
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02/24/2012
Probate is the legal process of administering the estate of a deceased person by resolving all claims and distributing the deceased person's property under the valid will. A probate court (surrogate court) decides the validity of a testator's will. A probate interprets the instructions of the
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02/23/2012
Senators Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska), Scott Brown (R-Massachusetts), and Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio) proposed a bill addressing the issue of short sales timelines on Feb. 17. The legislation, also known as the Prompt Notification of Short Sale Act, will require a written response from a lender no later
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02/23/2012
Borrowers seeking a review of their mortgage foreclosures under the Federal banking agencies' Independent Foreclosure Review now have until July 31, 2012, to submit their requests. The new deadline provides an additional three months for borrowers to request a review if they believe they suffered
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02/23/2012