Real Estate

Real Estate: Investing and Home Buying

Free Advice – Legal Advice Site for Consumers ^[18] 
FreeAdvice.com is intended to offer the most useful, comprehensive, balanced legal information for the public. The topic of real estate is covered here. 

Nolo – Real Estate & Rental Property ^[19]
Maintained by the legal publisher Nolo, this web page offers information on real estate topics in lay person language. 

Home Buying – Types of Credit – Mortgages

City of Memphis Down Payment Assistance ^[20]
“The City of Memphis is providing up to $10,000 to help homebuyers with down payment and closing costs to complete the purchase of a home inside the city limits of Memphis.”

Consumer Handbook on Adjustable Rate Mortgages (ARM) ^[21]
A handbook from the Federal Reserve Board that explains adjustable rate mortgages (ARMs), loans “with interest rates that change.” Includes descriptions of how ARMs work, questions to consider, a mortgage shopping worksheet and a glossary. Also available in Spanish. 

FDIC: Looking for the Best Mortgage ^[22]
This site from the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation offers a clear explanation of how to shop for the best mortgage option. The information is also available in Spanish. 

Freddie Mac ^[23]
Freddie Mac (Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation) is a privately owned corporation, sponsored by the Federal Government, which works to increase the supply of funds available to mortgage lenders. Their website includes a weekly mortgage survey and great information for homebuyers.

FTC Consumer Information – Shopping for a Mortgage ^[24]
The Federal Trade Commission’s Consumer Information Guide on Homes & Mortgages inclues these guidelines for shopping for a mortgage.

MAAR
The Memphis Area Association of Realtors website offers a list of agencies that provide homebuyer education ^[25] as well as resources ^[26] for navigating the process of buying a home.

MortgageLoan ^[27]
MortgageLoan combines current news and information, mortgage rates, calculators and broker/lender search tools to create an inclusive site for the prospective homebuyer or investor.

Reverse Mortgages

AARP: Reverse Mortgages ^[28]
AARP is a nonprofit membership organization of persons 50 and older dedicated to addressing their needs and interests. The section on Reverse Mortgages provides a comprehensive consumer information tutorial.

FTC Reverse Mortgages – Consumer Information ^[29]
This article from the Federal Trade Commission explains “how reverse mortgages work, qualifying for a reverse mortgage, getting the best deal for you, and how to report any fraud you might see.”

HECM: HUD FHA Reverse Mortgage for Seniors ^[30]
“The only reverse mortgage insured by the U.S. Federal Government is called a Home Equity Conversion Mortgage (HECM), and is only available through an FHA-approved lender. If you are a homeowner age 62 or older and have paid off your mortgage or paid down a considerable amount, and are currently living in the home, you may participate in FHA’s HECM program.”

Last review 2/23/2022