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Single Parents Can Buy Their First Home (Part 2)

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The first step in purchasing a home is qualifying for a mortgage.  To qualify for a mortgage a home buyer needs a credit score of 620.  However, it is best to get a copy of your credit report before going to the mortgage professional because there is often mistakes on your credit report.  The reason there is often mistakes in your credit report is that the report is done by people and computers.  Sometimes, the computer can compile or mis-compile information of people with similar names, similar numbers in their social security number, similar addresses, etc.  The reason I know these errors can occur as a result of the latter reason is that I had a client who was a junior.  His father filed a bankruptcy and the bankruptcy was showing on the son’s credit report.  I helped the son and father correct the incorrect information, and the son was able to purchase his home.

To find out if errors are on your credit report visit the credit bureau:

Once you have a copy of your credit report and you discover errors.  Dispute the errors with the credit bureau.  It will take 30 to 45 days for the credit bureau to investigate.  If the error can not be substantiated then the information will have to be removed.  By the way, the remove of the negative information does not automatically increase your credit score.  It may take as long as 60 to 90 days before the removal of the negative information will affect your credit score.

There are two additional facts that you need to know to be successful with getting a mortgage.

The first thing is that the mortgage company uses all three credit bureaus’ scores to create what the mortgage industry terms as a tri-merge.  Once the tri-merge is compiled the mortgage company uses your middle or median score to determine your eligibility for the mortgage.  This is the reason it is important to get a copy of all three credit bureau’s report.

Another fact that you need to know is that shopping around for a mortgage lowers your credit score, so take a copy of your credit report with you to prevent the reduction in credit score.  If the mortgage professional is not willing to use your copy of the credit report to give information about what products or mortgages they have to offer find another mortgage professional to work with that will.  Once you are happy with the product or mortgage allow the company to pull your credit report and begin the process.

However, before you finalize your choice in products please read tomorrow’s post to find out the difference between fixed and adjustable rate mortgages.

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  • Sarasota Homes Strand Buyers At Closing Table With Common Credit Score Disaster! Sarasota homes for sale - whether Sarasota or Fort Myers, Florida, Karen Adams knows how to overcome credit shock at closing table to grab the keys to her new home. Karen thought it was the right thing to do to allow mortgage lenders to compete for her business. She had......
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Single Parents Can Buy Their First Home

PALMDALE, CA - FEBRUARY 25: Real estate broke...

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Are you a single parent wondering if you could afford the “American Dream” of home ownership?  The answer is a resounding, “yes”.  However, it will require planning.

In order for you to be successful with your dream of home ownership it is is important to understand several things before getting started on your path to home ownership.  You must know:

  • the difference between a home appraisal and a home inspection
  • what your credit score is
  • how much home you can afford
  • what property tax exemptions you are eligible for and why
  • what is the difference between fixed and adjustable rate mortgage
  • what is replacement cost and how does it affect your insurance premium
  • why is it important to shop around for insurance coverage
  • why it is important to shop around for a mortgage
  • what is mortgage insurance and what does it protect
  • what is a FHA loan
  • what is a conventional loan
  • how much is needed, really, to purchase and maintain a home
  • what money saving tips are available to help you maintain your home
  • what should you be looking for in a home

Over the next series of posts a renowned and successful broker, author, co-author, and speaker will be addressing the above issues.

Ms. Brown has worked with several first time home buyers, but more importantly she has worked with and coached several single parents through the buying process.  In addition, all of the single parents that she coached through the buying process are still successful and happy homeowners today.

Ms. Brown has over ten years of experience as a real estate professional.  She prides herself on ensure that her clients understand the buying or selling process.  She accomplish this goal by educating her clients with books like “Should I Short Sale My Home” and “How to Make Your Home Sell”.  She also has a successful blog at Taylor-Brown Real Estate Talks.com.

Ms. Brown is not only a license real estate broker in both Indiana and Illinios, but she has two bachelor degrees.  One of her bachelor degrees is in business administration and the other degree is in electronic engineering technology.

It is equally important to point out the goal of Taylor-Brown Real Estate Talks.  Taylor-Brown Real Estate Talks’ goal is to empower the customer through education about real estate, mortgage, insurance, so that the consumer can achieve wealth through the listing and selling of real estate.

Tomorrow’s post will be on the all important credit score.  There has been a lot of changes in the mortgage industry in recent years, and Ms. Brown wants to share with you how those changes will affect your buying experience.

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Can a Woman Raise a Boy to be a Man?

Children in Jerusalem.

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If you asked this question in a bar, a gym, or a football game the answer might not be an honest one.  The fact is women, mainly I might add, have raised a lot of boys.  These boys, subsequently turned out to be some very incredible men.  Men have not always been there for their children, for whatever reason that may be.  Women, mothers, mamas have always been there for their children.

That is a fact that can never be ignored or forgotten.  Some men have been there, but not a lot.  In reality the child does suffer, this I can not deny.  This I know for sure.  It is hard to break the cycle, but not impossible.  An effort must be made to change the way society treats its children.  If the father is not around, the other men in the child’s life MUST step up.  A child should never feel like a burden to anyone.  I promise you they will feel that way, eventually, even though they are not.

A woman can raise a boy to be a man, but it still takes MEN to help.  A boy would feel akward hearing about sex from his mother.  He may not fully want to understand what she is saying, because of the embarassment.  In my experience a man can better explain what to do and say to a female.  Also in my experience a woman can tell you what to expect and why from a female’s point of view.  The best of both worlds.  The best of BOTH.  Women are so very beautiful, little boys would appreciate that fact if they really knew why.  If a man could show and tell them why.  I can tell you why womem are so beautiful, without them the world would DIE.  Women are the life of the world, and the world is beautiful.  A woman raised me, a very beautiful woman, and I am a MAN!

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Celebrity Single Family - Latest News

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There are challenges in every family, even if you are a celebrity.   Here are some of those challenges from around the blogosphere:

Jean Smart Announces Adoption of Daughter Bonnie – Celebrity Baby …

I’m very close to 58 and while choosing to parent a toddler would not be my choice at this age, if I had to or wanted to, I could. And I’d not only do a great job, I would have every expectation that I could continue to do a great job until … With both Jean and Richard at the cusp of 60 years old, a mileston that eliminates them from the normal adoption pool (the age limit is 50 plus you can’t be single, gay, obese, or poor), my bet is the child has “special physical or …

What’s a Prenup Worth? Tiger Woods (And We) Will Find Out …

But as so often, highly visible celebrity dramas are not just entertaining, they are also free education for the rest of us. If there is a prenup, can it be challenged? And if so, what is the best way to do it. Sit back, relax and enjoy the show (sorry Elin, we are entirely with you, but this is just what it is.) You can already find plenty of lawyers talking about who might get what on Google News or  morning TV shows. …. Single Parent Gossip Lifecasters …

Celebrity Single Parent - Oct 23,2009

What is it like to be a single parent and be a celebrity? Kim & Eddie talk to  celebrities who are raising their children under the watchful eye of the public and the media. Find out how they try and maintain a normal life while being a …

<a href=”http://www.singlemomsguidetoeverything.com/2009/12/celebrity-single-mom-bridget-moynahan.html”>The Single Moms Guide to Everything: Celebrity Single Mom Bridget …</a><p>As most of the people who commented on Hilton’s blog post noted, he knows nothing about being a single parent or the dynamics of co-parenting and perhaps should have just kept the drama-rama to himself. Kudos to Bridget for attempting …</p>

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Single Parent Dating - Latest News

Help a Single Father to see his daughter again...

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Dating maybe a touchy subject when you are a single parent.  Here are some tips from around the blogosphere to help you through this subject:

<a href=”http://www.datingsecretsforyou.net/2009/12/dating-tips-if-you-are-a-single-parent/”>Dating Tips If You Are A Single Parent</a><p>Single parents face many other challenges than those who are just single and dating. Single parents may feel apprehensive when beginning to date. For those who have already taken the plunge into dating; some single parenting tips to …</p>

Single Parent Dating: Safety Tips

Online dating can be an intimidating world, In order to keep the process of meeting new people light and fun, here are some basic tips to protecting yourself. 1. Single Parent personals are the starting place for people looking for …

Single Parenting - Raising an Emotionally-Strong Child | Parents …

They have finally been introduced to the man that their mother is dating, but they prefer to call him her “friend” and not her “boyfriend.” To them, boyfriend is just too serious of a term to be using. Further tips on single parenting …

Single Parent Dating Tips - Dating Advice For Single Parents

Single parents also need their own time. Explore the article to know single parent dating tips and advice.

children/”>Four Useful Tips for Single Parents Dating with Children | Dating

Whatever the reason is, you have found yourself in the position of being a single parent. Not only do you have yourself to look after, you have your children to look after too. That is what makes dating with children a very different …

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How to Teach Your Child the Importance of Money Management

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It is important to me to have a healthy self sustaining son; therefore, I feel it is important to teach him about money management now.  I started teaching him about finances by explaining to him about the importance of saving money.  He has a saving account that he is very proud of.

Even though I taught him about the importance of savings I knew there was so much more that he and I could learn about finances.  I would have to admit that for both our sakes I will have to conquer my compulsive spending hablits first in order to make us both financially free.  Therefore, I am trying to learn the information my finacee’ knows about stocks, mutual funds, bonds, and money market accounts.  She has a vast amount of information she has given me.  In addition, she recently, introduced me to some sources where my son and I can learn more.  Those source are Black Enterprise, Money Magazine, and the local newspaper’s business section.

Once, she challenged me to pick a stock from the paper and watch it performance to determine if it was a good investment.  She pointed out that a good investment would be a commodity, something a person needs no matter what the economy is doing.

I plan to do this activity with my son this summer.

Other tips I learned from Black Enterprise Magazine were:

  • teach your child the basic terms of investing
  • stick with companies that the child is familiar with like McDonald’s , Nike, etc.
  • try programs that allow the individual to purchase directly from the company like (DRIP) programs
  • encourage your child to do experiments like the one above and to read up on investing his or her self
  • find and send your child to investment camps
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Single Parenting Tips - Latest News

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The latest news about single parenting tips from around the blogosphere:
Dating with Children – 4 Tips To Guide Single Parents

Keeping these two things in mind will make a huge difference in your dating experiences as a single parent. So what are some other tips for dating with children? * Keep your children safe psychologically and physically – by keeping your …

How Singles Can be Stay-at-Home Parents: Tips for Unmarried Moms …

Being a stay-at-home parent can be tough financially for many but it’s even more challenging for single parents. However, it is possible for single parents to be home.

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Helpful Hints For New Moms - Tips For New Mother - Advice For New …

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Remembering the Joy of My Handsome Son

My son and I

My son and I

As a parent it is easy to get overwhelmed by life and all its challenges; however, even with all its challenges I often find myself reflecting on my role as a parent.  As a single father, it is difficult and almost impossible not to allow life to bring you down.  Therefore, I find joy in remembering the joy my son brought me the first time I laid my eyes on him.  You see, he was born pre-mature and had a lot of challenges his first year in the world, but if he could find the strength to make it, through the grace of God, then I can too.

My handsome son is not only a fighter, but he is smart, bright and loves a challenge.  He loves his war video games and pizza like any kid, but he brings wisdom and an understanding that is beyond his years.  He still shocks me with the things he understands.  He is a very forgiving son, and that is great, but I do my best to do my best for him.  So my challenge to you is that you remember the joy that your child brings to you when the day is not going as planned or that car cut you off, because there is always one person who is  counting on you or will always be in your corner and that is your child.

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