If you have ever found yourself struggling to pay the mortgage or know someone who has, the question of "What would actually happen if I just stopped paying my mortgage?" probably has come across your mind. While walking away from a mortgage should be avoided at all costs, there are a growing number of homeowners and investors who are doing just that. Some out of simple frustration, others out of a...
by Matt Kastner 
Courtesy of the friendly neighborhood tax collecting organization we all love (you love the IRS right?), comes the top ten most important issues for any home seller to consider. While most of these probably won't apply to a majority of you, they fairly helpful nonetheless. via Inman...
by Matt Kastner In this market of tight budgets and shrinking profit margins, minimizing your expenses when selling a property is essential. Upon closing a real estate sale, any unsheltered capital gains will be subject to significant taxation, which can take a bite out of your profits. One way for a real estate investor to avoid this problem is to utilize a 1031 tax deferred exchange. If used properly, this method is...
by Matt Kastner Since your house isn't your biggest investment and you are using this mentality as a springboard to get out of the endless cycle of dumping your money into the bank's coffers, there is one big question looming in your mind: "What do you do with this new found money you have saved?" The short answer... invest it....
by Matt Kastner So if your house isn't your "biggest investment," what is a person to? You have to live somewhere. That's an important question, but there is no easy answer. If the solution had to be narrowed down to one thing it would be "responsible money management."...
by Matt Kastner In the world of real estate you often here people touting that a person's home is their single biggest investment. If you subscribe to this idea, perhaps it's time a dose of reality....
by Matt Kastner Other than which building to buy, the most important question to ask yourself when investing in real estate is "How am I going to pay for this?" If you're loaded with cash and have a ton of equity built up in your house and other investments, this is a pretty easy question to answer. But for most of us, things aren't quite so simple....
by Matt Kastner *NOTE - This article was originally written in September of 2006 for the newsletter. All investors realize sooner or later that their credit score can have a major impact on what type of financing can be acquired when purchasing new properties. It happens all too frequently: the perfect property has been identified, an offer has been made, but the financing terms aren’t agreeable because the credit...
by Matt Kastner