• Common First-Time Home Buyer Mistakes
• Lender Checklist: What You Need for a Mortgage
• Specialty Mortgages: Risks and Rewards
• 5 Factors That Decide Your Credit Score
• 5 Property Tax Questions You Need to Ask
• 6 Creative Ways to Afford a Home
• 8 Tips to Guide for Your Home Search
• 10 Questions to Ask Your Lender
• Budget Basics Worksheet
• How Big of a Mortgage Can I Afford?
• Loan Types to Consider
• Get Your Finances in Order: To-Do List
• Common Closing Costs for Buyers
• How High Tech Home is Your Home?
• Pros and Cons of Going Condo
• Questions to Ask When Choosing a REALTOR®
• Take the Stress Out of Home Buying
• Thinking of Making an Offer on a Short Sale? What You Need to Know
• Tax Benefits of Homeownership
• Tips for Lowering Homeowner’s Insurance Costs
• What You Can Do to Improve Your Credit
• Your Property Wish List
• 5 Things to know About Homeowner's Insurance

• 5 Things to Know About Title Insurance
• 7 Reasons to Own Your Home
• 10 Questions to Ask Home Inspectors
• 10 Questions to Ask the Condo Board
• 17 Tips for Packing Like a Pro
• Closing Documents You Should Keep
• Tips for Buying in a Tight Market
• Tips for Finding the Perfect Neighborhood
• What a Home Inspection Should Cover
• What Not to Overlook on a Final Walk-through
• What’s a Home Warranty?
• Why You Should Work With a REALTOR®

• Simply Stated Closing Summary: A quick reference guide used during the closing process to help the homebuyer better understand the key terms of their settlement documents. (Available in English, Spanish, Chinese, Korean, Vietnamese, Russian, Japanese, & Tagalog)

• Prepare and Avoid: 70-Something Ways You Could Lose Your Home:  (Available in English, American, Spanish, Chinese, Korean, Vietnamese, Russian, Hindi, & Punjabi)  Title insurance is one of the most valuable forms of security that a home buyer/seller can have, yet its benefits are rarely explained.  This brochure provides the information.

• 41 Steps To Buying Your Home (Available in English, Spanish, Chinese, & Vietnamese) This color-coordinated checklist outlines the functions of the real estate professional, the lender, and the title company team.

• En Camino Al Sueno Americano -The Home Buying Process DVD This seven minute step-by-step description of the home buying process will assist in explaining the real estate process to first-time homebuyers, in Spanish.

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 normal, median existing-home sale prices have increased on average 6.5 percent each year from 1972 through 2005, and increased 88.5 percent over the last 10 years, according to the NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS®. In addition, the number of U.S. households is expected to rise 15 percent over the next decade, creating continued high demand for housing.

3. Equity. Money paid for rent is money that you’ll never see again, but mortgage payments let you build equity ownership interest in your home.

4. Savings. Building equity in your home is a ready-made savings plan. And when you sell, you can generally take up to $250,000 ($500,000 for a married couple) as gain without owing any federal income tax.

5. Predictability. Unlike rent, your fixed-mortgage payments don’t rise over the years so your housing costs may actually decline as you own the home longer. However, keep in mind that property taxes and insurance costs will increase.

6. Freedom. The home is yours. You can decorate any way you want and benefit from your investment for as long as you own the home.

7. Stability. Remaining in one neighborhood for several years gives you a chance to participate in community activities, lets you and your family establish lasting friendships, and offers your children the benefit of educational continuity.

Online resources: To calculate whether buying is the best financial option for you, use the “Buy vs. Rent” calculator at www.GinnieMae.gov.