With all the attention on foreclosures and ways people are losing their homes, there comes a new crop of scams to either steal a home, strip the equity out or simply rough someone up at the closing table. Desperate people do desperate things. Sometimes when there is nowhere to turn, people turn to the devil for help. There are ways to avoid being in this situation to begin with, but here are 5 ways a mortgage consumer can easily be ripped off.

1.    Loan Modification Specialist: If you are trying to work with your current lender on modifying your existing loan and find that it is hell- it is. However, it is not a reason to give up or turn to a specialist for help. A Mortgage Modification Specialist is typically a group of ex-mortgage brokers, lawyers and title companies that have teamed up to help people work through the government programs. THEY ARE NOT ALLOWED TO TAKE A FEE UPFRONT FOR THIS SERVICE. If, the attorney, is the front man and requires a retainer, it is being split among the group. Let’s face it, this is not an easy task for anyone, and they are entitled to a fee, but not upfront. Continue to take the time to work with the lender yourself. If you need help, call the lawyer that represented you in the first place and ask them to refer an attorney. You need a lawyer not a specialist.

For the last 10 years, we’ve been obsessed with search – and getting our business and our listings well placed in search results.  Times are quickly changing and social media is becoming as important as search.  Not only does Facebook have more US visitors than Google, Facebook is now driving more traffic to the web’s biggest sites.

We hope everyone enjoys their 4th of July weekend, and this video!

(P.S. Be careful in the pool!)

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A Conversation with Leesa L. Finley, Realtor®, Circa Properties, Wake Forest North Carolina

Wake Forest is located centrally in North Carolina in Wake County. We are equidistant from both the great Appalachian Mountains and the Carolina Coast making day trips a breeze regardless of your chosen outdoor activities! Located just north of Raleigh NC Wake Forest NC is also a prime location for commutes to Raleigh, RTP (research Triangle Park) and Durham. Many of the residents of Wake Forest work at Cisco Systems, Duke Hospital, IBM and many of the other Technology Corporations.

Wake Forest, NC maintains a “small-town” charm while still providing residents with all of the everyday amenities and conveniences of day to day life. We have an unparalleled Historic Preservation Committee that understands the balance between maintaining historic preservation yet allowing both home owners and business owners that have historic properties evolve their properties and keep them “current”. Our planning board is constantly on top of the ever growing influx of new residents and is always one step ahead of the progress by creating and altering existing infrastructure. Wake Forest NC is truly a town to call home!

Buying a home with a “Gift of Equity” typically occurs between family members. It is when one person buys another person’s home and part of the down payment is a gift rather than cash. As an example I can sell my 200,000 house to my niece for 200,000 and give her a 50,000 gift of equity. Here, she will be actually paying me 150,000 for the house, because the down payment is the gift.

In the contract it will need to state that the purchase prices is 200,000, the 50,000 down payment was already received and the balance due is 150,000. She may then take the contracts to the bank and get a loan based on the purchase price of