Kurt Jackson's (kurtjackson) Blog

Prices in Kansas City keep going up. Investment accounts keep dropping. When will it stop? For most seniors/retirees the options to overcome this financial problem are limited.  • Turn to family: Families are struggling financially.  So is that a viable option? • Get a job to make ends meet.  Is ...

It has been said that the cost of Reverse Mortgages can be too high, even here in Kansas City, Missouri. Really?  The costs are high? Compared to what? Remember our first installment was a sixty-two year old with a $250,000 house would qualify for an $118,033 Line of Credit (LOC). Their closing c...

"Reverse Mortgages cost too much."  "Don't get a Reverse Mortgage because they cost too much." That's the message the media pundits want you to believe. So when someone says that Reverse Mortgages for seniors cost too much in Kansas City, Missouri. I ask them "compared to what?" Let's do what th...

•1.   They can be complicated and confusing. True. Reverse Mortgages are complicated and can be confusing, but they don't have to be. There are plenty of publications, web sites and mortgage professionals that can be valuable resources for you to better understand them.  I know this because as a ...

Millions of Americans are afraid the value of their homes will stagnate or even drop. Many are predicting much slower appreciation rates in the future as this whole housing crisis shakes out. If you are 62 or older there is a way to guarantee your home equity will grow.  That's right, there is a ...

One of the biggest criticisms of a Reverse Mortgage in Kansas City Missouri is the perception that the costs are high. While they are higher than traditional mortgages they also provide features that traditional mortgages don't.  We'll leave that argument for another today. The costs involved in ...

As I look at our local market and see inventories rising and sales dropping I wonder why.  Does my market believe the media about the housing bubble? Are a lot of the people with their homes on the market thinking they have to sell now to hit the top of the market?Or are they worried that values ...

The blame for the Subprime mess has been spread across many different players- the greed of the end investor, that greed and demand being pushed to the lender, the pressure and desire for more loans and loan products by the lender being pushed to their originators or mortgage brokers, then the lo...

Trade Up Now or Wait? Why a Soft Market Might Be Ideal!The general media has invested so much into perpetuating the idea of a "housing bubble" that it may be just the right time to turn that to your potential advantage. Just a couple years ago just about any buyer had to brave the auction style f...

When people get an inheritance one of the first things they want to do is to plunk it down on their mortgage.  Now that may be the best place to put that money, but it may not be too.  They need to have a consistent way to show them the smartest thing to do financially. (Note: for Real Estate Pro...