Title Junction wish you and yours a blessed Easter weekend!

Does a new home loan make sense? There are at least seven reasons to refinance a mortgage. You probably can think of the first one -- to get a lower mortgage rate. The average interest rate on an outstanding mortgage at the beginning of 2012 was 5.098 percent, according to the Bureau of Economic Analysis. However, lenders today are offering rates well below that benchmark, making a refinance a no-brainer for many. But low rates are not the only motive nowadays, here are some more good reasons to consider to refinance. Refi for a lower rate The No. 1 reason to refi is to get a lower mortgage rate. Despite sinking rates, a lot of people haven't refinanced. Many homeowners would like to refinance but can't because they have little or no equity due to falling home values, too many can't refi for this reason. Convert an ARM Stability-hungry borrowers are ditching adjustable-rate mortgages and refinancing into fixed-rate loans. Other borro...

Yes, today all mathematicians around the world will be celebrating...but whether they choose to eat PIE is another story!!  For those who don't know  π, it is the ratio of circumference to diameter of a circle. Also known as, 3.14.....hence the date attached to it March 14th (3/14).  Click HERE , to see many ways to celebrate this day. From sending an ecard to watching a video with dominoes.  Any way you SLICE it, whether it be pi or PIE....ENJOY THE DAY!!!

How much does Title Insurance cost? The one-time premium is directly related to the value of your home. Typically, it is less expensive than your annual auto insurance. It is a one-time only expense, paid when you purchase your home. Yet it continues to provide complete coverage for as long as you or your heirs own the property. Do I need Title Insurance? Most definitely! Title insurance is a means of protecting yourself from financial loss in the event that problems develop regarding the rights to ownership of your property. There may be hidden title defects that even the most careful title search will not reveal. In addition to protection from financial loss, title insurance pays the cost of defending against any covered claim. Why Do You Need It? Buying a new home is one of life's most gratifying experiences. As you approach the big day of closing, however, all the details can be a little overwhelming. You might easily overlook the single most important step in ...

In a market flooded with foreclosures, homebuyers can find steals easily. Or that's what many of them think until they begin searching. Soon, they learn that only savvy buyers get the best deals. Understanding how banks negotiate foreclosure deals is a must if you want to buy low in today's market. Here are five secrets every homebuyer must know when shopping for a foreclosed home. Don't make lowball offers on just-listed properties It's useless to make lowball offers on bank-owned houses that have been on the market for only a few days, says John Thompson, a Realtor at Samson Realty in Chantilly, Va. "When you haven't had opportunity to expose your property to the marketplace long enough, you would be reluctant to take a lowball offer," Thompson says. "Most of the banks are aggressive with their pricing, but they are not going to give the properties away." Asset management companies handle sales for banks. These companies price ...

With the Web technology constantly changing, you, in turn, have to keep up with it. For example, Google recently altered the way it indexes Web sites, which turned much of the predictable wisdom regarding search on its head. 1)  Create, don’t duplicate.  One of the biggest changes relates to identical content. In short, BE ORIGINAL. “Google aims to return authoritative relevant results,” says Jesse Leimgruber, certified Google analyst and SEO pro at Rank Executives. “They now remove sites that are not authoritative, post duplicate content, and fail to add value to users. Their recent ‘Panda’ update was designed to improve search experience by demoting low-quality sites that lack useful and original content.” So while sharing that awe-inspiring article you found on the Web will hold value in social media, i.e. Facebook and Twitter, it won’t aid in boosting your Google ranking. It can actually hurt your site’s rankings. So in a nut shell, keep it original when it comes ...

Homebuyers are back. But they're not finding many for-sale houses to choose from. This dearth of for-sale homes isn't imaginary. In fact, the pool of properties actually has shrunk in housing markets across the nation. Only 2.32 million existing homes were available for sale in the U.S. at the end of September 2012, according to the National Association of Realtors. That figure represented a 5.9-month supply of for-sale homes at the September pace of sales. A year earlier, the supply of for-sale homes would have lasted 8.1 months at the then-current pace of sales. So, what happened to all the houses? Leslie Appleton-Young, chief economist for the California Association of Realtors in Los Angeles, and Rick Sharga, executive vice president of Carrington Mortgage Holdings, a mortgage company in Aliso Viejo, Calif., offer some answers. Sellers are on the sidelines.  Some homeowners have no reason to move. Others aren't motivated because they would take a loss at c...

Did you catch it? Today is NATIONAL BACKWARD DAY! Shake up the day-to-day humdrum with  Backward Day ! Try walking backwards, talking backwards, and doing everything the wrong way round. Are you tired of the same old way of doing things? CHANGE IT UP TODAY!! Do things backwards!!  Want to confuse people with text ~  http://www.togglecase.com/convert_to_reverse_text.php#results How to Celebrate Backwards Day Instead of waking up on the wrong side of the bed today, try waking up on the right side! While reading a book from cover-to-cover is always recommended, begin with the end and end with the beginning! Eat your dessert before the main course! And to kick things up even more, eat dinner in the morning and breakfast in the evening! Instead of eating a sandwich with the goodies in the middle, put the goodies on the outside of the bread today! Wear your shirt, coat, gloves and/or cap backwards. Wear your socks inside out, on top of your pants! As lo...

It doesn't take much to quickly update a room, here are some great ideas for the kitchen and bath: Color ~  Paint an accent wall — try a bold, bright color! Dedicated Workspace ~  Create a station for what you love — baking, crafts, you name it! Dining Banquette ~  With a banquette at the table, you'll dine in comfort. Bathroom Seating ~  A comfortable chair is a great piece to have in the bath. Try upholstering one in terry cloth or even putting a ceramic garden stool right in the shower. Kitchen Island Alternative ~  A pretty table and chairs makes a great alternative to an island, while a single large-scale lantern or chandelier hanging above it will punctuate the room. TV in the Bathroom ~  If you love a good long soak in the tub, hang a wall-mounted flat-screen. Low-Maintenance Rugs ~  Indoor-outdoor rugs are super-easy to clean whether they're in the front of the sink, under a table, or if you have young children or pets.   W...

Each of 2012's favorite bathrooms offers something different. Some inspire organizational ideas; others present creative tiling techniques, while still others make use of color and natural light.  1) Contemporary Bathroom design by Seattle Interior Designer ID by Gwen 2) Traditional Bathroom design by Boston Design-build ARCHIA HOMES 3) Contemporary Bathroom design by Portland Architect Alan Mascord Design Associates Inc 4) Traditional Bathroom design by Denver Interior Designer Chalet 5) Traditional Bathroom design by Boston Architect Frank Shirley Architects 6) Modern Bathroom design by Los Angeles Architect Griffin Enright Architects 7) Traditional Bathroom design by Philadelphia General Contractor Hanson General Contracting, Inc. 8) Contemporary Bathroom design by San Francisco Architect Mike Connell 9) Contemporary Bathroom design by Minneapolis Design-build Lake Country Builders 10) Eclectic Bathroom desi...

Some level of certainty and stability returned to the U.S. housing market in 2012, providing a solid foundation for the market to build on in 2013. But there are still significant risks that threaten this hard-won stability and could trip up some local markets trying to make the tricky transition from stability to strength. U.S. Foreclosures Continue Slow Descent At a national level and in states with relatively efficient foreclosure processes, foreclosure activity will not pose a significant threat to housing market stability. U.S. foreclosure activity will continue its slow descent off the peak of 2.9 million properties with foreclosure filings in 2010 and back toward a more normal level of around 500,000 properties with foreclosure filings a year – although don’t expect to see a completely normal foreclosure year until 2015. Foreclosure Flare-Ups Rising foreclosure activity in certain markets at the beginning and end of the year could threaten the stability in those ma...

The recovery in the housing market continues to pick up steam, as home prices posted the biggest percentage gain in more than two years in the latest reading of the closely followed S&P/Case-Shiller index. The index showed prices up 4.3% in October compared to a year earlier. That's the best improvement since May 2010. But that earlier increase was due to a temporary spike caused by a homebuyers' tax credit of up to $8,000 on homes purchased in late 2009 and early 2010. This latest rise comes as the housing market has shown numerous other signs of recovery in recent months. A combination of near record-low mortgage rates,lower unemployment and a drop in foreclosures to a five-year low means there are more buyers interested in purchasing fewer available homes. That in turn has lifted prices. October marked the fifth straight month that the index has been up on a year-over-year basis.  The improvement in housing market fundamentals has ...

Many first time buyers ask, why do we need Title Insurance? What are the benefits? Here are very important reasons, why you need Title Insurance: 1.      A title insurance commitment for title policy will disclose the status of the real property taxes on the subject property.  2.      A fire destroys only the house and improvements. The ground is left. A defective title may take away not only the house but the land on which it stands. Title insurance protects you against such a loss. 3.      A deed or mortgage may have been procured by fraud or duress. 4.      A deed or mortgage made under an expired power of attorney may be void. 5.      Title insurance covers attorney’s fees and court cost for defending your title. 6.      Title insurance helps speed negotiations when you’re ready to sell or obtain a ...

If buying a home is on your New Year’s Resolution list for 2013, know this: your biggest challenge will almost certainly be coming up with your down payment and closing costs. Whether you’re trying to scrape by with 3.5 percent for an FHA loan or you’re planning to put down a full 20 percent, saving for a down payment might be the largest savings endeavor you ever undertake, after retirement planning. But don’t let that daunt you. Look at it as more of a challenge or a game than a slow-slogging deprivation-driven chore. In fact, I suggest that you add something to your scrounging and saving: scavenging . Finding your down payment money hidden in resourc es that are right in front of you can be a fruitful and fun angle t o take on an otherwise overwhelming goal. Use this short list of oft-untapped down payment treasure troves to open your eyes to funds that might be hidden in plain sight: 1.  Your budget’s biggest line items. I like to get maximum bang for my buck. And I like to ...

According to Trulia’s Summer 2012 Rent vs. Buy Report, buying became cheaper than renting in all of the 100 largest U.S. metropolitan areas. To determine this, Trulia used several factors that will not apply in all instances: a 3.5 percent mortgage, itemized deductions at the 25 percent federal tax bracket and a seven-year time horizon. The Trulia report ranked home-ownership affordability highest in Detroit, where the cost savings of owning over renting amounted to 70 percent. In Los Angeles, the difference dropped to 32 percent—still, home-ownership represents a savings over renting. “If buying a home is cheaper than renting in every major metro and makes financial sense in most situations, then why aren't more people buying? The reason is because many people can’t take advantage of today’s affordability,” said Jed Kolko, Trulia’s chief economist. “It takes years to save enough for a down payment, ...

Home values were up 7.6 percent nationally from the third quarter of 2011 to the same period of 2012, according to data from the National Association of Realtors. See the five best markets where prices went up fastest. 1. Phoenix-Mesa-Scottsdale, Ariz. 2012 Q3 median home price: $153,400  Up: 34.9 percent 2. Cape Coral-Fort Myers, Fla. 2012 Q3 median home price: $127,000  Up: 27.6 percent 3. Akron, Ohio 2012 Q3 median home price: $118,800  Up: 26.9 percent 4. Boise City-Nampa, Idaho 2012 Q3 median home price: $146,000  Up: 21.9 percent 5. Lansing-East Lansing, Mich. 2012 Q3 median home price: $95,700  Up: 19.5 percent Thanks to BankRate for this article, read more here