Do you have a mortgage question and are you looking for mortgage advice but you are not sure where to turn for unbiased answers.  Look no further because the ultimate mortgage book is here.  Mortgages: What You Need to Know, Strategies to Take Control of Your Financial Future answers most of your mortgage questions.  This book covers:

• The different types of mortgages
• Understanding adjustable rate mortgages
• How an amortization schedule works for a 30-year fixed rate mortgage, and
• It provides mortgage questions you need to ask yourself in order to determine which mortgage is right for you? 

The last chapter covers how to find a good mortgage planner in your neighborhood and what questions you should ask this person to ensure they have your best interests at heart.

Financial literacy is a big issue and this book will provide you with everything you need to know about mortgages so you can make smarter decisions for your future.  The main theme of this mortgage book is to Educate and Empower the individual:

• To take control of their financial future buy slowing down to understand the mortgage process
• How a mortgage affects short term cash flow while being mindful of long term retirement goals. 

After all, the type of mortgage you choose will directly impact your ability to save for retirement. 

Buying Real Estate

Q. Is now a good time to buy real estate?

A. That all depends upon who is buying and for what reason?
Although it appears that there are great deals to be had, my advice for the average person is move slowly. My reason for this cautionary approach is that I do not believe we are close to a bottom in the market.
Second, I also believe that today’s real estate market is reminiscent of the early 90’s. People who bought houses in 1989 and 1990 thinking they got a bargain that they could turn in a year or two were surprised. Then, real estate values did not come back for about five years and I predict a similar story today.
Today’s market is a little more complex then it was then because inflation is becoming a bigger concern and that means that interest rates will rise. This coupled with the recession we are in (yes I believe we are in one and it will be long and hard for the average American) and the flood of properties coming on from foreclosures will keep the values down for some time to come. While I do believe the market will further decline, you will find yourself in a Catch-22. If you wait you to long may not have the same programs available that are currently offered due to guidelines changing weekly as well as pending legislation that will make getting loans more difficult. In addition as pointed out above, I believe that interest rates will not improve much and if inflation rises so too will interest rates and there in lies the conundrum. Moral of the story, if you want to buy a new home for yourself to live in (not an investment property) I would go for it; sellers are anxious and will bite at any reasonable offer. Even if the market declines you are not going to be selling any time soon and you need a place to live so you might as well enjoy the tax benefits of home ownership. If however you want to get into the real estate investment game I would leave that one for the pros.