Real Estate, Note Articles

American Funding's real estate note articles provide news, views and basic education on the business of buying and selling private real estate notes. If you hold a real estate mortgage note or deed of trust or are considering getting into the seller-held mortgage note business, read on -- it might help you take the next step.

Remember that if you're interested in selling a real estate note you can get a fast Free Real Estate Note Quoteby clicking on the link and filling out the form. Otherwise, if you have any questions, or want to see an article on a particular real estate note-related topic, Contact American Funding.

Three Big Tips to Keep Your Real Estate Note Healthy

If you’re involved in seller financing, attention to detail is one of the two pillars you need to keep everything running smoothly (The other is solvency, but the idea that you shouldn’t spend, lend or borrow out of your budget needs no explanation . . . we hope.) Whether you plan on selling your note or not, keeping your papers in order and explicitly defining the note’s terms is a necessity. Of course, it’s a little vague to just say, “Be detail oriented!” Here are three ways in which you should act on this big, broad principle.

Five Things That Add Value When You Sell Your Note

If you're looking to sell your real estate note you want the best price available. As note buyers we try to strike a balance between giving the seller good value for the note and realistic business interests. That's why this site includes resources to help you decide whether it's in your interests to sell your note to us. What kinds of notes get the best prices? Here are five common factors:

Buying and Selling Real Estate Notes During the Credit Crunch

It used to be a given that real estate was one of the safest investments but in 2008, everyone discovered that this wasn't exactly true. The pity is that most homeowners and landowners were not at fault. The blame rests on complex financial instruments that mixed good mortgages with bad ones: the so-called subprime loans.

Enter seller-held notes. (Read More)

Responsibility, Not Risk When You Hold or Sell Notes

As recent events have shown, some of the security promised by major banks and investment houses wasn't everything it was cracked up to be. By comparison, managing your own mortgage note can be safer, as long as you're scrupulous about the legal and procedural aspects of drawing the loan up, setting clear payment terms and choosing a borrower wisely. It may seem hard to believe that major financial institutions could have gotten it so wrong. Here's why it happened: (Read More)

Nobody Likes Foreclosing on a Real Estate Note

In 2008, record numbers of Americans face foreclosure because they signed up for an adjustable rate mortgage or a subprime lending "product" designed to lure them in with easy initial payments, then hammer them with a big increase later on. In many cases it looks like the banks are a little too eager to foreclose on people having trouble with payments, especially since the real estate market is so depressed you might ask: "Once they grab these houses, who are they going to sell them to?" (Read More)

An Introduction to Selling Your Mortgage Note to a Note Buyer

So you've made the decision to sell your mortgage note. What do you need to do to be ready for a note buyer? What process should you expect? Here's a quick, informal introduction. Contact us to talk to a representative who will guide you in more detail, but before you do, be prepared for the following events.Read More . . .

Quality Mortgage Notes: The Secret to Being a Great Note Buyer or Seller

We've learned a lot about mortgage notes over the years and have applied it to the way we do business. Buying and selling notes is detail-oriented because it has to be. Mortgage notes are the average person's central investment, and need to be handled with care in both a legal and procedural sense. We've learned, however, that note quality is one of the biggest factors involved in ensuring a smooth, fair deal.Read More . . .