Free Real Estate Articles

You may republish any of these free real estate articles onto your own website as long as you publish the piece in its entirety. This means keeping (A) the author's byline, (B) the author's bio at the end of the article, and (C) the author's hyperlink.

Articles for Home Buyers

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Getting Mortgage Quotes Online - 3 Tips for Internet Security
Using the Internet is a great way to get quotes for a home loans while saving time and energy in the process. You just have to exercise a little caution along the way. This article explains how to protect yourself while getting online quotes.
Published on 12/23/08

When is the ARM Loan a Good Idea for Home Buyers?
When used properly, an adjustable-rate mortgage (ARM) loan could save you money. But it can also lead to problems if you're not careful. This article explains the right and wrong way to use an ARM loan.
Published on 12/1/08

How to Apply Online for a Mortgage Loan
There are certain things a home buyer should know before applying online for a mortgage loan. By researching the process before venturing into it, borrowers will be better prepared to take the right steps toward success.
Published on 5/16/08

How to Lower Your Home Insurance Costs
Purchasing insurance for your home can be a balance between cost and coverage. This article gives home buyers and homeowners the knowledge needed to strike the right balance.
Published on 6/1/08

Your No-Nonsense Guide to Buying a Home
In the last few years, the process of buying a home has been altered by the so-called mortgage crisis and the continued evolution of online real estate tools. So this article takes a modern look at the home buying process.
Published on 6/24/08

Home Moving Made Easy - Relocation Tips from the Pros
Homeowners in the United States sell their homes and move, on everage, every five to seven years. That's a lot of moving, and it can be a stressful time for anyone. But by preparing for your next move, you can greatly reduce the stress involved and simplify the entire process.
Published on 7/3/08

Home Inspection Tips for Home Buyers
The home inspection is an essential part of the home buying process. In this article we will talk more about the home inspection, how it works, how to find an inspector, and related topics.
Published on 5/16/08

Custom Homes 101 - A Buyer's Guide to Success
Custom homes have become increasingly popular over the years. This article will help buyers understand the process of building a custom home from the ground up.
Published on 6/5/08

101 Tips for a Smoother Home Buying Process
This list of home buying steps will serve two purposes. First, it will give you a good understanding of the home buying process from start to finish. Secondly, it will help you identify those areas where your knowledge is lacking, so you can conduct further research on your own.
Published on 5/16/08

Mortgage Loan Rates - 5 Things a Buyer Should Know
If you plan to buy a house in the near future, then the topic of home loan interest rates will be near and dear to your heart. In this article, we will examine how interest rates are applied to a mortgage loan.
Published on 8/28/08

Buyer's Guide to the Adjustable Rate Mortgage
Many home buyers choose the adjustable rate mortgage (ARM) in order to save money during the first few years of homeownership. But later, these same homeowners run into trouble when the adjustable rate mortgage adjusts (hence the name) to higher interest rates. Here's how to avoid such problems.
Published on 6/12/08

Debt-to-Income Ratio When Applying for a Mortgage
What is debt-to-income ratio and what does it have to do with the mortgage approval process. This article explains DTI and how lenders use it when reviewing loan applications.
Published on 8/30/08

Buying a House in the New Economy
Credit has always been important when buying a house and applying for a mortgage loan, but today it's more important than ever. To fully understand the reasons for this, we need to look back over recent economic changes.
Published on 5/24/08

How To Fix Errors On Your Credit Report
This article explains the process of fixing credit report errors if you find that one or more of your reports has erroneous information on it. It also explains the "nature of the beast" with regard to the credit-reporting agencies. A must-read article for future home buyers.
Published on 6/18/08

Real Estate Auctions - 21 Things Buyers Should Know
Buying a home at auction is a good way to save money by paying less than market value. Here are 21 things you should know about real estate auctions before you attend one.
Published on 5/16/08

Credit and Home Buying - Like Peas and Carrots
Forrest Gump said he and his friend Jenny "was like peas and carrots," referring to how inseparable they were when growing up. Borrowing that analogy, home buying and credit scores are like peas and carrots too. The two concepts are more inseparable than ever, and this article explains why.
Published on 7/1/08

Tips for Getting the Best Mortgage Rates
As a home buyer, it only makes sense to try and obtain the lowest interest rate when applying for a mortgage. After all, that rate is a primary component of the mortgage payment, so it has a direct bearing on the amount of money you'll pay each month.
Published on 5/16/08

How to Be a Home Buying Statistic - The Good Kind
The years 2007 - 2008 were full of bad real estate statistics, such as the record-breaking number of mortgage foreclosures. Here are five ways you can be one of the good statistics, one of the real estate success stories!
Published on 5/20/08

How to Buy a Home With a Low Down-Payment
Many people mistakenly believe that a down payment of at least 20 percent is required in all mortgage scenarios. This is the way things were for a long time. But these days, there are more flexible loan programs and terms available to home buyers.
Published on 6/16/08

Low-Income Home Buying Programs Explained
What's a low-income home buying program? I get this question a lot, especially from first-time home buyers. So here's an overview of low-income home buying programs, how they work, and where you can learn more.
Published on 5/19/08

10 Things You Must Do Before Buying a Home
Buying a home is often the largest personal finance transaction a person makes in his or her life. So it's critical that you make the right preparations and do the proper research. Here are ten things you must do before buying a home.
Published on 7/12/08

Getting Mortgage Quotes Online - Safely and Smartly
The Internet has changed nearly every aspect of the real estate process, and that includes the way we research, compare and apply for mortgage loans. In this article, I'll explain the process of obtaining quotes from lenders via the Web, and how to do it safely and smartly.
Published on 6/25/08

Articles for Sellers

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6 Reasons to Stage Your Home Before Selling
Why should I bother staging my home? What do I get back for all the time and effort I put in? This is one of the most common home staging questions among sellers, especially those who are selling in a seller's market.
Published on 5/23/08

Tips for Selling a Home in Winter
Some people will tell you that selling a home during winter is impossible. We say it depends upon two things -- (A) the amount of effort you put into it, and (B) the type of real estate market you are in. Here are some tips to help you sell during the colder months.
Published on 5/23/08

Creating Curb Appeal - Tips for Sellers
As a real estate professional, you know the importance of curb appeal when trying to sell a home. But do your clients know? If not, this article will help.
Published on 8/13/08

Articles for Homeowners

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FHA Home Loans to the Rescue - Help for Homeowners
The federal government recently passed new legislation to help struggling homeowners avoid foreclosure. It goes into effect October 2008.
Published on 8/6/08

Should I Refinance My Mortgage Loan Now?
There's no doubt about it. A mortgage refinance can be a really money-saver for homeowners in certain situations. But it's not always the right move to make. This article will help you understand when it's a good time for a refi, and when it should be avoided.
Published on 5/10/08

Home Equity Loan Scams to Avoid
Home equity loans remain one of the most popular financing tools among homeowners. But these loans also get a lot of homeowners into trouble each year, and in the worst-case scenarios they can even result in foreclosure and loss of the home.
Published on 9/3/08

The Reverse Mortgage Loan Explained
Most seniors over the age of 60 have heard a lot about the reverse mortgage loan lately. But what is the unique lending option and why is there so much buzz about it lately? Let's take a closer look.
Published on 6/5/08

Avoiding Foreclosure - Two Options for Homeowners
I just finished reading a Reuters article that said home foreclosures for January of this year were up 57% over January of 2007. I guess it takes numbers like that do really drive home what's happening in this country. Sadly, many of these homeowners don't realize there are ways to avoid foreclosure altogether.
Published on 5/23/08

Free Article FAQs

What's the purpose of these articles?

Our free real estate articles are part of a larger effort to improve the level of education consumers receive on real estate matters. We know that agents are on the "frontlines" when it comes to educating the public, so we want to help them in that regard. In the end, everyone benefits.

Who writes the real estate articles on this site?

All articles on this site were researched and written by Brandon Cornett, the creator of this website and also the Home Buying Institute website. Brandon publishes a large network of real estate information websites, and on this site he has gathered the "best of the best" in terms of home buying and mortgage articles.

What are the rules for using free articles from this website?

Guidelines for publishers are posted at the top of this page, and also at the top of each article page. Basically, you can publish any real estate article from this list as long as you publish the article in its entirety and include the author's note at the end of the article (with the active hyperlink to the author / source website).

Complete guidelines for publishers:

1. Publishers must include the author's byline (such as "by John Doe") at the top of each article.
2. Publishers must respect the copyrights of the authors by publishing the real estate article intact with no edits or changes.
3. Publishers must include the author's note found at the end of each real estate article, keeping the citation hyperlink intact (active and linkable). This is the most common violation we have to email webmasters about.
4. Publishers may not sell articles from this website or charge others to view them.

In other words, please be a responsible web publisher. It saves everyone time and energy. Thanks in advance for your professionalism!

Don't search engines penalize you for duplicate content?

No. This is a commonly misunderstood concept among webmasters. Duplicate content is when you republish the same exact page of content many times across your own website, in an attempt to "trick" search engines into thinking your site is larger than it really is. On the other hand, publishing an article or news story from one website to another is known as syndication. News websites do it all the time, such as when a local news channel republishes a Reuters story. Search engines do not penalize this.

Can I edit the articles when I put them on my website?

No. Please keep articles intact when republishing them onto your website (without edits). This is needed for quality-control purposes, and to respect the copyrights of the author.

Still Have Questions?

Like any good web page, this FAQ series is a living document. We will expand it as needed to address any questions not answered above. If you still have questions about the free real estate articles offered through this website, please contact us.