Fed again hikes short-term interest rates

16 Jun

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WASHINGTON (AP) – June 15, 2017 – Credit card holders will soon pay more. So will people with adjustable-rate mortgages or home equity lines of credit. But most would-be home buyers needn’t worry. And auto loan rates won’t likely change much. For savers? Rates should creep up, at least for the highest-yielding CDs and saving... Read more »

How to claim Florida as your state of residence to save on taxes

14 Jun

Herold

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Save on taxes to claim Florida as your state of residence NEW YORK – June 13, 2017 – Question: I live in New York. If I buy a second home in Florida, can I count Florida as my residence for state tax purposes? Answer: Maybe, and claiming the Sunshine State as your permanent residence could... Read more »

Here we are again Fla 2017 hurricane season

13 Jun

Herold

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It’s here: Fla.’s 2017 hurricane season TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – May 31, 2017 – Hurricane season officially starts June 1 and Florida is prepared. The 2017 hurricane season lasts through Nov. 30. The Florida Hurricane Catastrophe Fund – an insurance company for insurers that kicks in if damage claims grow too high – is in its... Read more »

Downpayment help with a catch: A claim on equity

13 Jun

Herold

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How does Downpayment help with a catch: A claim on equity? NEW YORK – May 31, 2017 – A growing number of startups, such as Unison and OWN Home Finance, are offering buyers help with a downpayment in exchange for a stake in their home’s future equity. Unison gives buyers up to 50 percent of the... Read more »

What are the 25 tips for first-time home buyers

12 Jun

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25 tips for first-time home buyers GROVE, Okla.– June 9, 2017 – Buying a home can be a nerve-racking experience, especially if you’re a first-time home buyer. Not only is it probably the biggest purchase of your life, but the process is complicated and fraught with unfamiliar lingo and surprise expenses. To make the first-time... Read more »

Fannie to loosen mortgage requirements

12 Jun

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WASHINGTON – June 9, 2017 – Government-sponsored financing giant Fannie Mae will ease its requirements next month, raising its debt-to-income ceiling from 45 percent to 50 percent on July 29. The move could pave the way for a larger number of new buyers to qualify for a mortgage, particularly millennials who may be saddled with... Read more »

How to keep hackers out of your email

09 Jun

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The hackers still find a way to get into your email The FBI reports that email phishing accounts for 95 percent of cybersecurity threats. That’s why client communications are a key component of “cyber hygiene,” legal and law enforcement experts said during the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation’s Cybersecurity Conference in Chicago, which... Read more »

Did you know more homeowners have regained equity

09 Jun

Herold

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CoreLogic: More homeowners have regained equity IRVINE, Calif. – June 8, 2017 – Nine million U.S. borrowers have regained equity since the height of the mortgage crisis in 2011, according CoreLogic’s newly released Q1 home equity report. U.S. homeowners with mortgages (about 63 percent of all homeowners) have seen their equity increase by a total... Read more »

Be careful as we reaching the hurricane season

08 Jun

Herold

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6.9M homes at risk of hurricane storm surge IRVINE, Calif. – June 7, 2017 – Homes along the Atlantic and Gulf coasts are most in danger of damage from storms and hurricanes, but the risk spreads beyond typically affected states such as Florida and Louisiana, according to real estate data company CoreLogic. Nearly 6.9 million... Read more »

New ‘HomePod’ speaker coming to smart homes

07 Jun

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SAN JOSE, California (AP) – June 6, 2017 – Apple nodded to several up-and-coming technology trends, unveiling a new “smart” home speaker and device features touching on virtual reality, online privacy and a form of artificial intelligence called machine learning. The “HomePod” speaker unveiled Monday is similar to devices from rivals, some of which have... Read more »