Buying a home after a foreclosure is not an impossible task. With some careful planning and some savvy shopping, you can secure a mortgage loan even with a foreclosure in your credit history.

Wait At Least Two Years

Mortgage lenders focus on the last three years of your credit history when they consider your mortgage application. It is best to wait at least two years after a foreclosure. However, if you have a large down payment or a fairly good credit score, lenders sometimes make exceptions.

Save A Down Payment

One way to improve the terms of a mortgage loan is to have a down payment. A credit score of 600 or lower usually means you will need a down payment between 5% and 20%. Larger down payments will mean better rates. As a bonus, you can avoid PMI with a down payment of 20%.

Create Good Credit

A foreclosure doesn’t mean an end to your dreams of home ownership. After a foreclosure, take steps to build back a good credit score with regular payments on your bills and loans. It is also better to make small regular payments on credit cards than hit and miss with payments. You want to show lenders that you are dependable with paying your bills.

If you do run into trouble, call the billing company and make arrangements before they report you to the credit reporting agencies. Billing companies want to see their money and are often willing work out an arrangement.

Shop Around

When you are ready to look for a mortgage, compare prices online. Sub prime lenders offer loans to people with bad credit, but they don’t all charge the same rate. Make sure the lending company you pick offers competitive rates and fees. Mortgage websites now offer quotes from several companies, so you can pick the best financing offer.

Asking for quotes online doesn’t commit you to accepting an offer. So if you are hesitant about taking on a mortgage, online websites can give you an idea of what to expect.

Mortgage websites can also process your loan application online faster than a traditional mortgage office. Once you have submitted the needed information online, the paperwork will be sent out to you for final approval and your signature.

About the Author

To see a list of recommended bad credit mortgage loan companies online, visit this page: www.abcloanguide.com/lessthanperfectcredit.shtml. Carrie Reeder is the owner of ABC Loan Guide. It is an informational loan website, with informative articles and the latest finance news.

A home equity loan allows you to borrow against the equity you have built in your house. Even if you have no equity, you may be able to borrow up to 125% of the value of your home. You can use the extra cash to consolidate bills, fund college tuition, or any other reason you see fit. If you have bad credit, you can still apply and be approved for a home equity loan. Mortgage lenders are offering great interest rates and easy terms on home equity loans, even if your credit history is less than perfect.

A home equity loan will give you the financial means to pay off your debts and begin rebuilding your credit. You can use the cash for any reason you choose and you may even lower your monthly mortgage payments in the process. Don’t let bad credit stop you from applying for a home equity loan. Lenders are competing for your business and can offer you numerous options and choices when you apply for a home equity loan.

Homeowners have an advantage when bad credit prevents them from obtaining new credit accounts. You can use the equity in your home to secure a loan up to 125% of your home’s appraised value. Bad credit will not exclude you from apply for and being approved for a home equity loan. Lenders are currently offering loan products for all types of credit situations. If you have bad credit and own your home, a home equity loan can be designed to fit your individual needs. You can begin rebuilding your credit and get the extra cash you need to pay off high interest credit cards, past due accounts, and any other expenses you may have.

Bad credit will not prevent you from applying for a home equity loan. You could even be approved for a home equity loan up to 125% of your home’s value. Begin rebuilding your credit and get the extra cash you need to put you on the path to financial freedom. It is even possible for you to lower the amount of your monthly mortgage payments with a home equity loan. You can have extra cash in your wallet each month to help you repair your credit history. A home equity loan, even if you have bad credit, can be the solution the stress and pressure that comes from past due bills and endless calls from creditors.

About the Author

To see a list of recommended bad credit home equity loan companies online, visit this page: www.abcloanguide.com/lessthanperfectcredit.shtml. Carrie Reeder is the owner of ABC Loan Guide. It is an informational loan website, with informative articles and the latest finance news.

If you have considered applying for a home loan mortgage online, there are a few pros and cons to think about with getting a home mortgage loan online:

Pros:

1. The process of applying for an online home mortgage loan is very simple, unlike some lenders who operate in the ‘real’ world and ask for heaps of information.

2. The fees, when applying for a home mortgage loan online, can be considerably cheaper than the mortgages in the ‘real’ world.

3. Online home loan mortgages tend to offer a great variety of mortgage loan programs, including more flexible repayment terms and lower rates of interest.

4. Online mortgages are usually easier for borrowers who have bad credit history to obtain. Also, online mortgage loan websites do tend to offer more alternatives to those with a bad credit history.

5. Normally you find out faster if your home loan mortgage application has been pre–approved if you apply online. This means you can move on and apply with other lenders faster, if you don’t get approved the first time.

Cons:

1. Not all online home loan mortgage lenders have representation in all 50 states – so if you do apply for a mortgage loan online, make sure they’re represented in your home state.

2. Accountability can be a problem – you really need to stay on top of things, which can be troublesome if you don’t know what you’re doing.

3. You may be getting the deal that best suits their needs, not yours.

4. Sometimes you have to pay an application fee even before you know if your application has been successful – something that is not always the case in the ‘real’ world.

5. If things go wrong, and your online home loan mortgage provider doesn’t come through, there’s no formal organization you can complain to.

So, while applying for a home loan mortgage online may be a good idea, to keep your options open you may also want to talk with a real estate broker in the ‘real world’ about applying for your home loan mortgage. That way you can make your final decision of who to go with when you are closer to locking in the loan.

About the Author

To see a list of recommended mortgage loan companies online, visit this page: www.abcloanguide.com/mortgageloans.shtml. Carrie Reeder is the owner of ABC Loan Guide. It is an informational loan website, with informative articles and the latest finance news.

So you’ve been renting an apartment for a while and your friends are all buying houses and settling down to nice, quiet suburban lifestyle. Is this something you should be doing too? To put even more pressure on you, every other evening news cast is talking about the rapidly increasing value of houses in your area.
Before you rush out and buy the first house you can get a loan for, perhaps it would be wise to stop and decide if buying a house is really what you should be doing. To help you, here are four things to think about.

1. How long will you live there?
If your job requires frequent moves, or you are pretty sure you will not be in the same city in five years, do not buy a house. Real estate prices do sometimes dip and if you move you may have to sell your house at a loss.

2. Are you a Flipper?
Flipping is the art of buying a house, living in it for a time as you fix and improve it and then selling it for a profit. You then buy another house, live in it for a time, and sell it for a profit. The risk here is similar to that in the previous paragraph; the resale value of the house may go down. So if you are going to be a flipper, be sure to buy a house you would want to live in for the next ten years.

3. Does renting cost more than owning?
Sometimes you can find a house that is actually cheaper to own than the place you are currently renting. If you are purchasing a house purely for the sake of less cash outflow each month, be sure to consider all the costs of ownership: mortgage, insurances, maintenance, snow removal, etc. If you still find that owning is more cost effective than renting, go for it.

4. Is it what you really, really want to do?
Occasionally owning a house is what you really want to do, even if it doesn’t make economic sense. In that case, make sure you do your homework, consider the three thinking points above, and make the best choice you can. Buy the most house for the least money in the best neighborhood.

Buying a house can be an emotionally charged time in your life. It is also an enormous user of your resources. Take your time and be confident that you are ready to move into another stage of your life where you can be proud to say “This is my house.”

About the Author

Roger Sorensen is America’s Financial Guide. Learn more at his website www.Slave2Work.com – ask and receive answers to your personal finance questions, read his writings, or join the newsletter Money Basics. “How-To Be Debt Free!” is now for sale, read about it today at www.Slave2Work.com/debtfree.html

by Carrie Reeder

When you’re shopping for a new home—especially for the first time—all the terms and expressions may be confusing and difficult to understand. Adjustable rate, fixed rate, balloon payment – how do you decide which is the right type of home mortgage for you if you’re not even sure what each of them are?

The name of the mortgage type usually has to do with how you’ll pay for your loan – how the interest on the loan is being determined by the bank. The three major types of mortgages are fixed rate, adjustable rate and balloon payment. Each has advantages and disadvantages.

Fixed Rate Mortgage

With a fixed rate mortgage, you have a set interest rate for the entire life of the loan. The interest rate that you pay for your loan won’t change – which means that you’ll pay the same monthly payment for the entire length of the loan. This protects you from unexpected rises in interest rates that would increase your monthly payment. At the same time, should the interest rates drop, you will have the option of refinancing at a lower interest rate. Because the protections are largely on the side of the buyer with a fixed rate mortgage, interest rates on them are generally slightly higher than they would be on other types of mortgages.

A fixed rate mortgage is the safest type. Because the payments are predictable, it’s usually considered the most desirable type of mortgage. Always choose a fixed rate mortgage if interest rates are rising.

Adjustable Rate Mortgage

When you choose an adjustable rate mortgage, your monthly payment and interest rate will fluctuate with the current market interest rate. If the interest rate goes up, so will your monthly payment. If it drops, your monthly loan payment will as well. The adjustable rate is tied to an index, which is determined by the lender. Other terms of the mortgage are also determined by the lender. These include how often the interest rate is adjusted – anywhere from every 3-6 months to once a year, how much the interest rate can increase or decrease on any adjustment date, and whether there is a ‘cap’ on how high the interest rate can rise.

Often, adjustable rate mortgages are advertised with extremely low interest rates, which will be in effect for a short period of time. When the introductory period is over, the mortgage rate will rise to its normal amount.

Choose an adjustable rate mortgage when you have secure income that is likely to increase along with the economy. It’s a good mortgage when interest rates are stable, or if the signs suggest that they’re about to fall.

Balloon Mortgages

A balloon mortgage is often a last resort for home buyers who can’t qualify for more traditional loans. The balloon mortgage has a fixed interest rate and monthly payments for a specific amount of time. At the end of that time, the entire loan comes due – hence the name ‘balloon’. In practical terms, a balloon rate will give you a fixed monthly payment for several months. After that, you’ll essentially have an adjustable rate mortgage.

Choose a balloon mortgage loan for substantially lower initial rates, or if your credit limits the other types of mortgage that you can apply of qualify for.

Now that you understand your options for mortgage loans, don’t forget to shop around! The interest rates and fees can vary wildly from lender to lender, so make sure that you get the best deal that you can!

About the Author

To see a list of recommended mortgage loan companies online, visit this page: http://www.abcloanguide.com/mortgageloans.shtml – Carrie Reeder is the owner of ABC Loan Guide, an informational website with articles and more about various types of loans.

by Chileshe Mwape

Refinancing a mortgage is simply taking out a new mortgage. It means paying off one or more old debts by getting a new loan. Sometimes, refinancing your mortgage can really save you money. You may be able to pay less interest, lower your monthly payment, or convert from a 30-year loan to a 15-year loan and build your equity faster. But be sure that refinancing is right for you.

1. Refinancing can be a good idea for you if you:

- want to get out of a high interest rate loan to take advantage of lower rates. This is a good idea only if you intend to stay in the house long enough to make the additional fees worthwhile.

- have an adjustable-rate mortgage and want a fixed-rate loan to have the certainty of knowing exactly what the mortgage payment will be for the life of the loan.

- want to convert to an adjustable-rate mortgage with a lower interest rate or more protective features.

- want to build up equity more quickly by converting to a loan with a shorter term.

- want to draw on the equity built up in your house to get cash for a major purchase or for your children’s education.

2. Some situations where refinancing your mortgage can really save you money:

- refinancing your higher interest rate unsecured loans with lower interest rate unsecured loans if the terms of the loans are comparable and the new rate is lower than the existing rate.

- refinancing your secured debts (such as your mortgage or car loan) if the new loan is for the same length of time left on your old loan (or shorter), and the interest rate on the new loan is substantially lower than the interest rate on your existing loan.

- refinancing your home to pay-off expensive car loans or credit cards provided you’re not in financial difficulty and not at risk of losing your home.

Mortgage refinancing can be worthwhile, but it does not make good financial sense for every homeowner. A general role of thumb is that refinancing becomes worth your while if the current interest rate on your mortgage is at least 2 percentage points higher than the prevailing market rate. This figure is generally accepted as the safe margin when balancing the costs of refinancing a mortgage against the savings.

Sometimes, refinancing is an appropriate way to resolve financial problems. In some situations, however, refinancing can make existing financial problems worse. If you decide that refinancing is not worth the costs, ask your lender whether you may be able to obtain all or some of the new terms you want by agreeing to a modification of your existing loan instead of a refinancing.

About the Author

Copyright © Chileshe Mwape writes for the Mortgage Lender Guide at: http://www.lending-guide.org/ which offers informative articles about mortgages and loans.
This article may be reprinted online as long as all the above link is active and clickable.

by Carrie Reeder

Getting a home loan with bad credit has actually never been easier than it is today. Here are some tips to help improve your chances of success:

Find A Good Real Estate Deal – If you can find a property that has some equity in it when you purchase it, you may have an easier time getting financing on that property. To the lender it may be almost as good as if you had some kind of down payment on the property. Some lenders will consider the properties loan to value ratio when they consider the loan. Talk to your mortgage broker and see if this factor could help you get qualified.

Try Creative Financing – See if the seller would be willing to carry back a second mortgage on the home. This is where you set up a contract or agreement with the seller that you will pay them monthly payments, including interest of, let’s say, $150/mo on $10,000 dollars of the price of the property, as a second mortgage. Then, to make it nice for the seller, perhaps put in the agreement that the entire amount is due in full within 2 years or something. That should give you plenty of time to refinance and then the seller doesn’t feel permanently locked into the contract.

Save For A Down Payment – There are lenders who may be able to qualify you for 100% financing, even with low credit scores, but your interest rate will be much lower if you can put even 3-5% down. If possible, try to save as much as possible for a down payment. Sometimes it may be better to wait about 3-6 months to get into a new home loan if it means the difference of having a down payment. The interest rate could be quite a bit better because of that factor. However, if you don’t want to have a down payment, you can always refinance later for a lower interest rate.

Shop Around – There are some mortgage brokers out there that you will talk to who will say, “I can’t help you, and if I can’t help you, no one can help you.” But, if you persist in talking with other brokers, 10 minutes later you could be talking to someone who knows a way to help you, no problem. Most brokers feel that if they can’t help you, no one can. However, the ironic thing is that each broker is varied in the types of loans they can do. Some brokers have relationships with flexible mortgage lenders and others do not. I recommend applying online to mortgage services that will submit your application to multiple lenders. That way, your credit is only pulled once, and you can analyze offers from multiple lenders.

Improve Your Credit Score – There are some really simple ways to improve your credit score without spending too much time at it. All 3 major credit bureaus now have areas on their websites where you can dispute incorrect items on your credit. The process is very quick and easy. Make your current payments on time to help your score. Keep your number of credit inquiries down. Too many inquiries can hurt your credit score. If you want to buy a house, don’t apply for any credit cards, auto loans or any other type of loan if you can avoid it.

If you really do want to get into a home, don’t let bad credit stop you. There are lenders out there who can help you, it just takes some persistence. Apply with multiple lenders. Like I said, apply with mortgage services that specialize in bad credit mortgage loans and will submit your application to multiple lenders with only having one credit inquiry.

About the Author

To see a list of recommended bad credit mortgage loan companies online, visit this page: www.abcloanguide.com/lessthanperfectcredit.shtml – Carrie Reeder is the owner of ABC Loan Guide, an informational website with articles and more about various types of loans.

by Shruti Sharma

Someone great once said that ‘if it isn’t the sheriff, it is the finance company’. Do you feel the same? Has the piling up of bills forced you to take several loans? Do you live in constant dread that someone would soon come to claim his money. The problem is that you don’t ever seem to have the money. All you earn goes in paying the interest rate on various loans while the loan amount remains intact. There begins the vicious circle. So is there a way out? Definitely, there was never a problem invented that didn’t have a solution. This is the charm of human mind. The solution for spiraling loans is a debt consolidation loan.

Debt consolidation mortgage seems like a heavy term. It both perplexes and intrigues a loan recipient. However, I can assure you that a few handy tips on debt consolidation mortgage and you will be yourself giving advice on this subject. Debt consolidation is the first logical step towards being debt free.

Debt consolidation fuses your various loans like credit card loans, unsecured loans, auto loans, educational loans, home equity loans into an individual exclusive loan that brings down the interest rate and thereby making it possible to repay loan with lesser difficulty. Debt consolidation loan preserved against the security of your property or house is debt consolidation mortgage. It is worth noting that your home is at peril if you fail to make repayments on your mortgage. So all those captions highlighted in all the websites warning about failure of repayment are real. The finance company holds the claim to your property until you repay the loan.

Eliminate all your credit problems by consolidating your loans. The reduction in interest rate will process for you extra cash that can be used for home improvement, buying a car or simply repaying the loan. A debt consolidation mortgage you can get you flexible loan terms and loan repayment terms. Depending upon the amount of loan the repayment term can be extended from three to twenty five years. Whether it is your first mortgage, second mortgage, remember that you thoroughly understand the market. You should be well aware of the current interest rate, also interact thoroughly with the finance company before you agree on a deal. It is important to assure that the loan lenders comply with your loan requirements. Exercise your right to question. Clarity is indeed crucial, so clear all your doubts. Don’t sign a deal when you are not sure of what you are doing. Since it is a secured loan many money lenders would be eager to provide a loan. The guarantee of your property is a huge advantage in your favour.

There are numerous alternatives devised under a debt consolidation mortgage that are for the benefit for the contenders of debt consolidation mortgage. Debt management, credit counselling and credit repair are the most beneficial options for the point of view of a loan borrower.

Stretching your expenditure beyond the logical limit leads to debt. When our management skills fail, debts appear. Debt management primarily directs not so much towards taking a loan as to managing our own spending habits. Debt consolidation mortgage specialist cures such defects. They help us understand our mistakes and make a debt management plan for us. Debt consolidation consultants study our income and expenditure and detect a monthly payment for our consolidation loan keeping in mind our usual monthly expenses. Remember that debt management skills have to be updated by us from time to time to avoid being in the position which led to debt consolidation.

Credit counselling services aim at furnishing debt consolidation education to uninformed loan borrowers. Credit counselling is provided free of charge at various finance companies for which solicitor charges a good fee. Credit counsellors advice us on matters like managing your debts, when is the good time to apply for debt. They also tell us how to deal with creditors and how to amend your credit ratings. Also ask your debt consolidator to deal with your creditors. This will take a huge burden off your mind.

Credit ratings are enormously important in the loan market. We little realize its importance. Only when we have erred that we realize that credit scores are basic to applying for a loan. But thanks to credit repair loans we can still have a good prospect in the loan market. Since debt consolidation mortgage is a secured loan, little emphasis will be given to credit ratings.

One year after another goes by and you wonder whether this year you will be completely debt free. I say, yes you can be! By the instrument of debt consolidation mortgage you can very well, by now, be on the road to a debt free life. Debt free! And you thought it was not possible.

About the Author

The above article has been written by Shruti Sharma. She only intends to offer counsel to people who are misguided by loads of information available on the internet. This article on debt consolidation re-emphasises the age old logic that there is strength in unity. To find a Secured loan that best suits your needs visit http://www.chanceforloans.co.uk

by Syd Johnson

Blanket mortgages are mostly used by commercial developers for one of two purposes: first, they might have a plot of land that they plan to develop into multiple lots and sell them off.

Instead of getting a mortgage on each individual lot, they get a blanket mortgage for the entire development. The second is if someone, not necessarily a commercial developer, has multiple plots already developed and wants to use all of the properties as collateral for a new loan.

One the lots are developed, the owner will get a release to clear the title on each individual lot that is sold. A good application of this would be a commercial development or a subdivision. The blanket mortgage covers the entire thing during construction, and then a release is obtained for each parcel as it is sold off. A release clause must be built into the blanket mortgage that allows the developer to sell off each unit of the property as long as certain percentage of the entire debt is paid off.

The blanket mortgage is a way to do all of your financing with one mortgage application. It covers both current properties that can be used as collateral and potential properties that will arise once a plot of land is developed.

Individual homeowners can use blanket mortgages to cover construction of a new home while they are trying to sell their existing property. Once the old property is sold off, the blanket loan is reduced by the dollar amount of equity in the previous home. Some lenders will allow you to pay interest only on the amount that is budgeted for construction of the new property.

About the Author

This article may be freely distributed as long as there’s an active link to http://www.rapidlingo.com

by Richard Vert

Buying your first house is always a difficult time. There are so many important decisions to make, and problems to be solved, which combine to make it one of the most stressful events that will occur in most people’s lives.

Some of the most obvious problems include the need to:
* find a suitable house to purchase
* plough through complicated financial information
* choose an appropriate mortgage that will cover the cost of the house and is within your own strict budgets
* save up enough money (usually whilst still renting another property) to cover a mortgage deposit
* deal with unfamiliar legal fees, surveys and other costs
* make a realistic offer on your prospective new home
* waiting to see if the offer is accepted
* complete the purchase
* move and get settled in the new house, with whatever decorating/rebuilding is required

Given these factors, it is perhaps not surprising that first-time buyers can be the first to get spooked by changes in the housing market.

First-time buyers (FTBs) make up an extremely important sector of the house buying market, and many analysts view them as the life blood of the whole housing market. Without them a housing slowdown or even collapse of the system is inevitable. Recent reductions in the number of FTBs purchasing houses, with Scotland achieving its lowest annual total for nine years, and the increasing struggles experienced by FTBs trying to get onto the first rung of the property ladder will have serious knock-on effects, which are already being experienced around much of the country.

National Savings and Investments (NS&I) Senior Savings Strategist Dax Harkins said: “Despite a recent cooling house market, house prices have continued to outstrip both savings rates and incomes over the last year which means potential first-time buyers need to start saving sooner and harder to get into the market.”

Whilst house prices continue to increase at a faster rate than people’s incomes there will be fewer people able to afford a house.

In a recent study NS&I found that the average length of time required by FTBs, to save for a 5% mortgage deposit, ranged from five years in East Anglia, to three years, nine months in Scotland, with the average being four years and nine months, this is nine months longer than a year ago. The average age of first-time buyers also has increased, going from 37 from 31 three years ago.
The property website Rightmove has warned that the housing market could remain static for several years whilst it waits for the incomes of FTBs to catch up with the housing prices.

Miles Shipside, commercial director of Rightmove, said “As many sellers are refusing to part with gains they have made, buyers are forced to make up the affordability gap…The reality is it will take seven years of static house prices and wage inflation to bridge this affordability gap.”

Marjorie Townsend, head of Edinburgh-based Lindsays Residential, says: “It was recently reported that an average home in Edinburgh costs seven times the income of the majority of nurses. This is a shocking statistic.”

With over one in six FTBs turning to relatives and more high street lenders offering 100% mortgages, or even 102% from Lloyds TSB and Scottish Widows, to help buyers get onto the property ladder, some may be able to squeeze onto the first rung, but end up with long-term crippling debt in the process, fuelling the continued house prices inflation.

Various banks have come up with innovative methods to help facilitate the ability of FTBs to purchase a house which, whilst not addressing the real problem of house prices, will allow more people to own their own home.

A guarantor mortgage can increase the amount that can be borrowed, as long as the borrower’s parents have enough income to cover all their own debts, plus their child’s mortgage each month; however the parent will not have to make any payments themselves unless their child’s mortgage goes into arrears.

An offset mortgage could mean that money from a parent’s savings account can be offset against their child’s mortgage. Although the parent would not receive interest on their savings, the reduction in the amount to be paid by their child could make a big difference, and they would not incur tax on the amount either.

A ‘Professionals’ mortgage is a possibility for certain workers, which allows them to borrow more than their initially low-pay career would usually make them eligible for, on the understanding that their future pay will increase rapidly as they become high earners.

Whilst some may urge for caution to prevent the possibility of building up financially crippling levels of debt, others see a need for buyers to act fast.

Marjorie Townsend, of Lindsays Residential, believes: “The best advice for first-time buyers is to move quickly …There really is nothing to be gained by waiting for a competitive closing date, which will drive the price up. There are lots of sellers out there who are eager to sell and whose particular circumstances may require a quick transaction.”

Overall it seems that the situation for FTBs will continue to prove difficult unless a major change occurs that bridges the gap between income and house prices for those in most need. Recent government initiatives such as the Shared Equity scheme, that allows part ownership of property, may go some way to enabling some FTBs to start out, but Ed Davey MP, the Liberal Democrat housing spokesman, believes the policy could make housing even more expensive, “It seems to be looking at the demand side which could stoke house price inflation and make the problem of affordable housing even worse.”

Until the issue of supply and demand is addressed, there will continue to be problems. According to the Barker Review, which was published in April, up to 140,000 new homes need to be built each year in the UK if supply is to keep up with demand. Even if new homes are built at this rate, the time taken to stabilise the market will mean further delays for prospective new buyers who want to own property.

Further information
Moneynet mortgage comparisons (http://www.moneynet.co.uk/mortgages/index.shtml)
Full NS&I research (http://www.nsandi.com/press-room/press-releases/pr2004127.jsp)
House price reports (http://www.rightmove.co.uk/template/publicsite%2Caboutus%2CRTPRArchive.vm)

About the Author

Richard lives in Edinburgh, occasionally writing for the personal finance blog Cashzilla ( http://cashzilla.blogspot.com/ ), and praying for a huge lottery win.