How to Choose a Lender Part 2 – Harold Smith – Episode #91
Part 2 – Too good to be true & Get what you pay for
View other parts of this series: Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4
How do you choose a lender? That is exactly what we are discussing in this four part series. We were able to bring in Harold Smith with Cornerstone Mortage to tell us more about the main criteria everyone needs to be using when picking a lender. The right lender will ensure the best possible experience.
This four part mini-series is packed with great info that you will want to know. Feel free to forward a link to this vlog to any of your family, friends or neighbors or whomever you think might find this of value.
For more info:
The Matteson Group
Coldwell Banker Apex, Realtors
214.405.3640
Your trusted real estate advisors providing a joy filled experience!
Here is Harold’s info:
The Harold Smith Team | Cornerstone Mortgage Company
5600 W. Lover’s Lane, Suite 204, Dallas, TX 75209
Toll Free: 1.877.890.5055 | Office: 214.350.5055 | Fax: 214.350.5008
Pre-Qualify Online: www.HaroldSmithTeam.com
E-Mail: harold@houseloan.com
How to Choose a Lender Part 1 – Harold Smith – Episode #90
How do you choose a lender? That is exactly what we are going to discuss over the next few days. We were able to bring in Harold Smith with Cornerstone Mortage to tell us more about the main criteria everyone needs to be using when picking a lender. The right lender will ensure the best possible experience.
Part 1 – Get a “personal experience” reference
View other parts of this series: Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4
This four part mini-series is packed with great info that you will want to know. Feel free to forward a link to this vlog to any of your family, friends or neighbors or whomever you think might find this of value.
For more info:
The Matteson Group
Coldwell Banker Apex, Realtors
214.405.3640
Your trusted real estate advisors providing a joy filled experience!
Here is Harold’s info:
The Harold Smith Team | Cornerstone Mortgage Company
5600 W. Lover’s Lane, Suite 204, Dallas, TX 75209
Toll Free: 1.877.890.5055 | Office: 214.350.5055 | Fax: 214.350.5008
Pre-Qualify Online: www.HaroldSmithTeam.com
E-Mail: harold@houseloan.com
Morgage Market View by Harold Smith
Moving can be very exciting…but it can also be a bit of a pain as well. Besides packing and unpacking, there is a long list of details to be handled. Things like choosing a mover, connecting utilities, getting Internet and cable service, or subscribing to newspapers or magazines in a new area can be quite a chore. And if you forget to connect one of the utilities you could be stuck in your new home for several days without that much needed service. To ease the stress of moving and schedule new connections for all of the utilities in one convenient location, simply logon to www.whitefence.com.
You can quickly compare prices for movers, phone, electricity, television, or high-speed Internet. Just select the service you wish to compare (e.g., phone, cable, electric, etc.) or enter your address on the home page, hit search, and within seconds a list of services and prices available in that area will appear. Next, click on the service of your choice to view details and pricing or comparison shop by choosing three providers. Once you determine the provider, select the service plan, complete the requested information, enter the connection date, and within minutes a confirmation will be sent to you.
If you want to change your current provider, simply hit the icon for phone, cable, or internet, select “switch provider”, complete the requested information and a list of providers in the local area will appear. Choose the new provider and the service will be changed.
Additionally, on the site you can complete a change of address form, subscribe to local newspapers, and order magazine subscriptions. Moving to a new home should be enjoyable and exciting. Using this tool can help remove a bit of the stress of moving and will also help save valuable time.
Read MorePURCHASE REQUIRED?
Ever been faced with this dilemma when out shopping? You walk up to the register to pay for an item that costs $8. The cashier rings it up, and when you reach into your wallet to pull out a credit card to pay, the cashier explains that the “store policy” requires a minimum purchase of $25 when paying with a credit card. Frustrated and embarrassed, you realize that you are short on cash, do not have a checkbook, and are forced to either pass on the item or make a mad dash to the closest ATM, pull out the cash, and maybe even get hit with a service charge for using the ATM.
But did you know that retailers cannot require a minimum charge for merchandise? Here is the scoop.
Many of us think that when a retailer refuses to accept a credit card for a small purchase, it is the credit card company that is enforcing this policy. Not true. This is simply a policy that has been put in place by the store. Basically, the store is charged a fee by the credit card company for each purchase that is made by credit card. Sometimes the fee eats into the profit the retailer would make on a purchase and therefore many stores require a minimum charge to ensure that the profit will cover the service charge. But the reality is that any store which accepts Visa or MasterCard cannot require a minimum purchase. Credit card companies want their customers to use credit cards, no matter how big or small the purchase may be.
So what does a consumer do to overcome this obstacle when shopping?
Ask to speak to the manager, and explain that credit card companies do not require a minimum purchase and stores have to accept a credit card as form of payment, no matter what the amount of the charge. If the store still insists on a minimum purchase, contact the issuer of the credit card and report the merchant. Small purchases add up, and with more and more people using credit cards to rack up miles or earn points for cash or rewards, knowing the facts about what you can charge could payoff big in the long run!”
Read MoreSavings…your secure future
Tis the season for giving, and this is also a good time to give to yourself by putting away some year-end savings.
But if you invest in a Mutual Fund that is about to pay a distribution before the end of the year, you could get caught in a tax trap…a trap that many innocent investors fall victim to.
Be sure to research the fund you are about to invest in and find out if it’s planning to have a year end distribution. Here is how a distribution from a Mutual Fund typically works. If the price of the fund is $10 per share and the fund does a $1 taxable distribution just before the year is over, the share holder gets the $1 either in cash or the equivalent amount in additional shares. But the value of the fund drops by that same $1, which would bring it down from $10 to $9 in this example. The net value is the same to the shareholder, but the $1 distribution is now taxable.
So let’s say someone invests $10,000 in a fund that is about to pay a year-end distribution. They get a statement showing a $1,500 distribution, and typically the money is re-invested right back into additional shares. The value per share declines to account for the distribution, but the additional shares received still keep the value of the account at $10,000…but now the shareholder has a $1,500 taxable gain, which could mean a $500 tax bill for some. Talk about a Bad Santa.
To avoid this unpleasant surprise, visit the websites of the Mutual Funds that you may be considering and determine if the fund will be paying distributions in December. If you do determine that the distribution will occur in December, and you need to avoid a big taxable gain, wait until the fund’s “ex-dividend” date (after the money has been deducted from its share price), and then make the investment into the mutual fund. Or, consider investing the money in the same Mutual Fund, but buy the Mutual Fund as an IRA, or see if you can invest additional funds into your 401K – and then the distributions will be tax deferred.
It’s so important to add to your savings…but take just a few minutes to understand and determine the dividend date on Mutual Funds, so you can ring in the New Year without having to give Uncle Sam an unnecessary present.
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