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Do you know where your property begins and ends?

By Frank Dowd | Oct 25, 2013

Unless you’re purchasing new construction, you’re most likely taking someone else’s word for it when they tell you that the property line “goes all the way back to the tree line and over to the fence.” Unless you are able to locate the lot pins that were put in place the last time the property…

You never know what you’ll read next on social media.

By Frank Dowd | Oct 17, 2013

I stumbled upon this Facebook post today from a local real estate broker. The names have been changed to protect the greedy. “What a great office/business meeting today. We had 85 percent of all our agents in attendance. Our title company XYZ Abstract released our quarterly profits. Our agents with one share got a check…

Settlement Nightmares…Tales of trouble around the closing table that could have been avoided.

By Frank Dowd | Oct 10, 2013

Our goal at ALT has always been to offer you no-nonsense advice, and help you avoid unnecessary pitfalls during the process of buying or refinancing real estate. In the spirit of the season, I thought I would share a few horror stories from around the closing table. If you’re thinking about buying a home, don’t…

title company for buying new construction

Buying new construction? You’d better hire the right title company.

By Frank Dowd | Oct 1, 2013

I’ve always said that an educated home buyer should start the process by finding the title/settlement company they would like to use before they get emotionally involved in negotiating for the new house. This is especially important when buying new construction. When you deal with a builder, you’ll need a good title company to assist…

Philly’s Economic Future Starts & Ends with Education

By Frank Dowd | Sep 10, 2013

The political tug of war between city and state officials and organized labor about how to fund and educate children in the city of Philadelphia is nearing the point of disaster. The city and state politicians continue to stock the school board with their political cronies that have no idea how to fix things, and…

Rates still historically low, but how much you pay for the house still matters.

By Frank Dowd | Aug 23, 2013

While none of us have a crystal ball, the smart money says that interest rates that have been rising over the last few months will continue to go higher and higher. An environment where rates are rising will almost certainly put downward pressure on housing prices. The question still remains, is this the best time…

Our service doesn’t end at settlement.

By Frank Dowd | Aug 8, 2013

I recently received a phone call at 9:42 am on a Sunday morning from a very nervous couple, clients of ours who had just settled on their new home the Friday before. Over the weekend, they began the process of moving into the house when they discovered mold along the baseboards in two of the…

Adjustable Rate Mortgages (ARMs), They’re Not All Bad

By Frank Dowd | Jul 17, 2013

As mortgage interest rates begin to rise, some homebuyers will be looking for an alternative to the thirty year fixed rate mortgage. The truth of the matter is… if used responsibly and for the right reasons, an adjustable rate mortgage could make a lot of sense when financing residential real estate. If your only reason…

Top 3 Reasons to Give Up Your Right to Choose

By Frank Dowd | Jul 12, 2013

We’ve designed our website www.ALTtitle.com to be a resource for anyone who’s considering buying or refinancing real estate. From the more than one thousand people who visit our site every month, we list the top three reasons that they’ve been given as to why they shouldn’t shop around for title insurance and related settlement services.…

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