Feb 4 2010

How Does Rent to Own Work?

If you would like to own a home but are not able to get a home loan, then you will want to read this article.  Specifically, we will be discussing how it works when you rent to own a home and the key benefits that you will enjoy.  After reading this article, you should be able to decide if renting to own is right for you.

When you get a rent to own home, you are renting the home for a preset period of time and then you have the option to purchase the home at the end of the rental period.  Unlike a lease purchase agreement, you are not required to purchase the home.  On the other hand, the current home owner must sell it to you with the terms specified in your original contract.  They cannot sell the home to anyone else until your option expires.

You will make a monthly payment to your landlord in the same way you would if you were renting.  The primary difference is that each month a portion of your payment will begin accruing as a rent credit.  If you decide to exercise your option, your accrued rent credit will go against the purchase price of the home.  When you do go to get a home loan, many lenders will treat the transaction as if it were a refinance.  This, combined with your rent credit and equity build up, very often means that no additional down payment will  be required when it comes time to get a mortgage.

One of the key benefits of renting to own is that should the home appreciate during your rental period, you are able to benefit from this appreciation.  If your contract allows it, you can even sell the home to someone else for the new fair market value, pay the original owner the amount that was agreed upon and pocket the difference.


Jan 28 2010

Cost Friendly Car Insurance For Young People

Everyone must have car insurance in order to legally operate their motor vehicle. Cheap car insurance for young driver can be difficult to find as many companies view young drivers as high risk investments. Car insurance for young people often requires the young driver to demonstrate a certain level of responsibility. For example, car insurance providers will reduce your premiums if your child is able to maintain at least a 3.0 grade point average in school. Students with higher grade point averages tend to be more responsible as they work harder in school and insurance companies view them as a lower risk.

As long as your child is younger than 21, you will continue to pay higher insurance rates. Young male drivers are more aggressive on the roads and therefore cost their parents more money in insurance premiums. Car insurance for young people can be affordable if you place your child in an older vehicle. You want to offer your child a car that has anti-lock brakes, air bags, and other safety features but your insurance costs will go down considerably if you give them a car that is not brand new.

To find cheap car insurance for young drivers, contact your insurance broker. Ask them for a free quote and then contact several other insurance companies to obtain free quotes. You can then compare the quotes and choose the company that offers cheap car insurance for young drivers. The one thing you need to watch is for future discounts. Some companies will offer you discounts after being with the company for a year and if you teen driver demonstrates responsible driving behavior. While you may pay more money initially, you will actually end up saving a considerable amount of money in the end. Use online insurance companies to your advantage as well to obtain quotes and find out if they truly offer the best deals out there.


Dec 22 2009

Don’t Take Field Sobriety Tests in Seattle if Investigated for DUI

Driving drunk is a pretty dangerous thing to do.  But driving after drinking is not.  Driving after drinking is perfectly legal, so long as you are still able to properly operate a car.  The cops know this.  The prosecutor’s know this.  But they don’t care.  What they care about is turning every minor traffic stop where a cop can smell alcohol on someone’s breath into a DUI charge.  Trust me, I know.  I’m a Seattle DUI attorney.  I see it every day.

But you don’t have to go down in flames just because you were unlucky enough for forgetting to turn on your blinker after having a few glasses of wine at dinner.  Knowledge is power, and knowing what the police can and cannot do and how refusing to cooperate with the police can affect you later is about as powerful as it gets.  And today is your lucky day, because I’m going to give you some knowledge regarding field sobriety tests in Seattle, Washington.

Before I get too far into this, though, I want to make one thing very clear.  What I am about to say is true in Seattle and the State of Washington when it comes to DUI investigations.  It may or may not be true for the state that you live in.  Each state’s DUI laws can vary greatly from one to another.  Before you go out drinking and tell the cops to kiss off when they ask you to perform field sobriety tests, make sure you know the rules in your state.

I’m sure we all know what field sobriety tests are.  They go by names like the alphabet test, the one leg stand, the walk and turn, and the horizontal gaze nystagus (or HGN).  What they are supposed to do is help the cops determine whether or not you are able to drive a car correctly.  What they actually do is make you complete a series of tasks you may have never done before, on the side of the road, with a cop leering at you with his flashlight pointed at you, with the understanding that if you fail you are going to jail.  Sounds like a recipe for success, right?

And the worst thing is, the cops aren’t looking for a reason to let you go with these tests, they are looking for a reason to arrest you for DUI.  When you take these tests, all you are doing is building a case against yourself.  Many times, these tests will be the only evidence the state has against you.  And you know what?  In Seattle you don’t have to take them.  And you shouldn’t.

Though refusing to do field sobriety tests may be used against you later, but that can be explained away easily – you heard that you shouldn’t take them from a Seattle DUI attorney. Enough said. So, if you are ever confronted with this in Washington State, just say no. Trust me, you’ll be happy you did later.


Oct 26 2009

LLC Formation Companies

Using LLC formation companies is just one of the many ways people go about the formation of LLC businesses. If you plan to use a LLC formation company to help you in the LLC formation process, you need to be careful about what company you use. The reason for this is that some LLC formation companies will try to take advantage of your ignorance, so you want to be careful. One way that they will try to take advantage of your ignorance is to guide you in the wrong direction when choosing a state to form your LLC. The LLC formation state that you pick should be based on where you are going to do business, not on the benefits that the state has to offer. If you live outside of Nevada and file with someone inside Nevada the chances of them talking you into a NV LLC and foreign filing in your own state are great because the formers will charge you RA fees.


Oct 23 2009

Simple Steps For Planning A Wedding

Planning a wedding, can be one of the most successful experiences in a young womans life.  There is just so many things to get done, organize manage.  Not to mention, so many interested parties that have a need to be involved to make sure things are done and keep everybody happy.  Lucky for the groom, all he has to do is keep his nose clean, and pitch in whenever necessary during this whole process.  Supporting your fiance, and doing as much of the heavy lifting and grunt work for this is the best thing for him to do.  A bit of a stereotype I know, but that’s sort of just the way things are.  Nobody said it was far, but rest assured things do balance out in the end I believe.  If your looking for some easy wedding planning suggestions, then check out that link.