DRE issues fraud warning The DRE recently issued a fraud warning alerting consumers about loan modification scams and informing consumers of what they can do to protect themselves. The alert is available in both English and Spanish. Last July, the DRE had fewer than 10 complaints involving loan modification companies; today the department has 750 [...]

ONE avenue for escaping foreclosure may be getting a little easier to navigate: the so-called short sale, through which distressed owners sell their homes for less than the mortgage amount and are forgiven the remaining loan balance. More Mortgage Columns As the credit crisis deepened, short sales became harder to complete. Among other things, people [...]

Angel and I recently bought cruisers to ride to work while the weather is so nice. We spent one Saturday afternoon going to seven different bike shops. The third place we stopped was Mike’s Bikes. I was instantly impressed with the size of the store, the selection of bikes and the great service. We left [...]

As the national mortgage crisis threatens millions of Americans, more people than ever are choosing to short-sale their homes rather than face foreclosure. A short sale occurs when a lender agrees to allow a homeowner to sell the home for less than the mortgage owed on it. The lender either absorbs the difference or requires [...]

For about 180 city employees and roughly 790 county employees, Thursday was the last day of work. The city layoffs are part of the budget cuts the city approved when it passed its budget last month. When it passed its budget, city officials closed a $50 million deficit. County layoffs came with the Board of [...]