How to Rent a Moving Truck

Friday, May 1st, 2009

movingtruckhouseI have moved many times, and at one point at the end of college/beginning of my career I was averaging one move every 9 months!  Needless to say, I have rented quite a few moving trucks and getting good deal is easier than you may think.  Last time I moved, I took the following steps to find a moving truck and ended up saving $120 off of a $700 rental (17% off).

There are 4 national moving truck rental companies for those movers who wish to move themselves, U-Haul, Budget, Penske, and Ryder.  Of course there might also be local or regional companies in your area for local moves, which I also recommend you ..read more

80/20 Mortgages: Good Riddance?

Saturday, April 25th, 2009

mortgagepaperworkNot long ago, 80/20 mortgages were so commonplace and many home buyers were using them to buy homes with no money down.  Today 80/20 are essentially so nonexistent that is does not matter if you have a perfect 850 FICO score, you still will not be able to find an 80/20 mortgage.  For better or for worse, these loans are no longer being offer to any type of borrower.

If you are wondering “What is an 80/20 mortgage?” let me explain.  An 80/20 mortgage (also called piggyback loans, tandem loans, nothing down mortgage, etc.) is (was) a mortgage for 80% of the purchase price with an additional mortgage for the other 20% of the purchase price, for ..read more