Foreclosures

Hi gang!
I live in California where real estate is absolutely insane! The number of home foreclosures is rising and in many states it's becoming a huge problem. It's unforutnate for the person involved, but it's also a chance for you to make lemons out of lemonade. Consumers are very interested in foreclosures, yet they can be very confusing and risky. The delinquency rate on HUD homes, and FHA home loans in general, has shot up. It’s about 7 times higher than it has been in the past. But it’s not just HUD homes that are up for grabs.

The IRS, the Dept. of Agriculture, the US Army Corps of Engineers, the Small Business Administration and the Customs Department all have delinquencies on FHA loans. So, here is a link to all the available houses and how the sale is conducted in each state. It is www.hud.gov. Just remember that each organization has a different way of selling these homes, and you’ll have to do a lot of research and work to get the great deal you want. And if you’re a first time homebuyer, don’t buy a home in pre-foreclosure. You want to
leave that to experienced real estate individuals. Another great link is
www.realtytrac.com It's a national foreclosure database.

Working on your taxes yet? You should be! If you need help check out
www.taxact.com. According to the site, you can prepare, print and file for
free. They must be getting something out of this, right? Well, they’re hoping you buy their other products, including fancier tax prep software that they offer. Also, you have to pay to file your state return, which some people may choose to do out of convenience. But you still have a free option, so take advantage of it! Another great site is www.iirs.gov - free filing for those making under $50K.

Every wish you could just take a good class to teach you how to manage and control your money? Check these sites out!
www.themoneycamp.com - classes and tutorials on money www. latimes.com - Investing 101 www. learnaboutmoney.com - brush up on money management

Still working on spring break plans for your family? If you want to take a vacation, there is no better time. Because of the labor unrest and bankruptcy situations at Delta and Northwest, these companies are having trouble selling seats to business travelers. When an airline is having trouble business travelers do what’s called "booking away," meaning they look for other airlines to fly even if it’s less convenient. As a result, those two airlines are discounting fares for vacation travelers. Of course, with these great deals, there is always the chance that the airline could go belly up and you’re stuck with a ticket. So, it’s important to know how to play the game. If you are a nervous traveler, don’t buy vacation travel on either of these two airlines. But if you roll with the punches, go for it.

Just be sure to buy that ticket on a credit card. You are offered protection and can at least dispute the charge that way. And don’t buy tickets that coincide with a cruise you’ve booked or are planning to take. That’s just not smart. Also, if you’re at your destination and the airline shuts down, other airlines are required to carry you on a standby basis.

Well, that's it for today! I hope you're all healthy and happy! As always,
thanks for sharing your great tips with me! There was a tie for the
February submission contest! I just couldn't decide between three of the entries so the winners of free video rental coupons at Hollywood Video are Lisa Vish of Georgia, Jodie Simon of Utah, and Amy Hartung of California! Woohoo!!!
Have a great week!!
CENTSerely,
Sister Thrifty