Whether you are a realtor, first-time home buyer, seasoned, savvy investor, old-hand developer or dipping your big toe into the investor market, perhaps you can learn from these local real estate Q&As.

• Topic: New Maryland Foreclosure Laws Protect Homeowners
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• Topic: Seek Another Lender If Quoted HIgh Fees
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• Topic: Credit Score and Credit Cards
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• Topic: FHA Loans
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• Topic: The Risk of Selling Without a Realtor
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• Topic: Why Do I Need Title Insurance
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• Topic: What a Tax Loss Means to Lenders
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• Topic: Mortgage Lenders Make It Hard For Some To Refinance
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• Topic: Repair, Build Credit before Getting Realtor or Lender
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• Topic: Selling Rather Than Refinancing When In Bind
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• Topic: Foreclosures and First Time Home Buyers
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• Topic: Pay Self First
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• Topic: Can your Company Credit Card Affect your Credit Score?
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• Topic: Credit Bureaus Sell and Sell Your Personal Information
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• Topic: Commercial Properties Risky for Buyers, Lenders
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• Topic: Don't Need Money? Get a Home Equity Line of Credit
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• Topic: Watch What You State - part 2
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• Topic: The Truth In Lending Not So "Truthful"
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• Topic: The Slow Road To Better Credit and a Lower ARM
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• Topic: Buying a Condo: To Pay A Mortgage or Pay Upfront?
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• Topic: Equity Credit or Reverse Loan? Whicih Best Suits You?
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• Topic: Living Debt-Free Isn't Always Best Option
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• Topic: Always Read The Fine Print When Refinancing
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• Topic: Calculate Your Debt-To-Income Ratio
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• Topic: Lowest Interest Rates Not Always Best Ones
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• Topic: Make No Mistake...Buy NOW!
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• Topic: Fixing Your Credit Score
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• Topic: Realistic First Home Purchase
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• Topic: Settle First Property Before Buying Second
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• Topic: Full documentation or Stated Income Loan
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• Dear Readers: I thought I would break from the traditional question-and-answer format to talk about what has been happening in the subprime market.
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• Question: My girlfriend and I want to buy a house. She is a health care worker and makes about $30,000 per year. Her credit score is just above 500 and she has a car loan of just over $400/month. I make about $60,000 a year, have decent credit and no debt. We have our eye on a house that is $500,000 but we think we can get it for less. It is perfect for us and we really love it. Can we afford it?
  Jessica's ANSWER
  
• First Time Home Buyers Question: My husband and I are in our early thirties and have been married for three years. We have been thinking about buying our first home for a couple of years and were even pre-approved by a lender. Now we are thinking of holding off again. Do you think now is a good time to buy?
  Jessica's ANSWER
  
• First Time Home Buyers Question: I want to buy my first home and I am confused about the difference between "points" and the "free" loan being offered by my bank. Help!  Jessica's ANSWER
  
• Question: I want to buy a two hundred-acre farm as a second home for $800,000. The farm has an adorable old house on it that I would like to restore. I have excellent credit and a great income. And the farm is making money – 100 acres of it is rented out to a neighboring farmer, the rest is wooded. I am having trouble getting a loan and I do not understand why. Can you please help me?
  Jessica's ANSWER
  
• Question: I am 65 years old and need about $30,000 to help my daughter pay for college. My house is worth about $500,000 and I owe about $120,000 on it. I would like a home equity line of credit but my credit score is not the best because I went through bankruptcy several years ago. I am a senior citizen and receive social security, and I also have a part-time commission-only job. My combined income is about $20,000/year. Can I get a home equity line of credit?
  Jessica's ANSWER
  
• Question: I am a first-time homebuyer and I want to buy a foreclosure property. Do you think this is a good idea? And can I get a mortgage for a foreclosure property?
  Jessica's ANSWER
  
• Question: I am a senior citizen and almost had my home paid off when I applied for a $50,000 loan to pay for a new car and some other things. Now every month the mortgage company sends me a statement, and every month the amount that I owe is growing and growing. I now owe almost $90,000 and they only gave me $50,000. How can they do this to me?
  Jessica's ANSWER
  
• Question: I want to buy a house but was told that I have no credit. Is that better than having bad credit? I thought I had bad credit because someone stole my identity and opened up credit card accounts in the past and then failed to pay them. I was also told that I have medical bills on my credit report that showed up as collection accounts. Is it possible for someone with no credit, other than collections, to buy a home? By the way, I keep applying for credit cards and getting rejected.
  Jessica's ANSWER
  
• Question: I am a first-time home buyer. The property I liked best is listed “as-is”. I always thought that “as-is” meant that there was a problem with the property, but this house looks like it has been well maintained and in perfect condition. Why would someone sell their house “as-is” if the house is in perfect condition? Does this mean that there is something wrong with the house that I won’t know about until I move in?
  Jessica's ANSWER
  
• Question: I want to buy a condominium in Dupont Circle to use as a pied-a-terre during the workweek and to attend cultural events on the weekend. My wife wants to take out a mortgage to buy the property. I want to be debt free as we go into retirement. What do you think we should do?
  Jessica's ANSWER
  
• Question: I own my home and the house next door to me is coming up for sale. I am interested in buying it and thinking about making my neighbor
  an offer. Do I have to wait for it to go up for sale, and do you think this is a good idea?
  Jessica's ANSWER
  
• Question: My father died without a will, and I cannot afford to make the mortgage payment on his condo. What can I do? Jessica's ANSWER
  
• Question: My husband and I are in our early thirties and have been married for three years. We have been thinking about buying our first home for a couple of years and were even pre-approved by a lender. Do you think now is a good time to buy?
  Jessica's ANSWER
  
  

Do you have a question for Jessica? Just fill out the short form on the left side of this page and Jessica will answer it for you. You may even see your answer published in The District Chronicles!