Here at Title Junction Jennifer Ferri believes in continuing her knowledge to make sure she is a well informed agent.  Jennifer has attended seminars provided by Old Republic National Title Insurance Company on the 2006 Policy and Endorsements that were recently approved for use in the state of Florida.  Title insurance forms have been standardized and now have a better coverage for both owners and lenders.   The second course she attended covered the new 2010 FAR/BAR contract and related forms.  FAR/BAR contracts are contracts that have been approved by the Florida Association of Realtors (FAR) and the Florida Bar Association (BAR).  The print on the new 2010 contract is larger, and easier to read.  The contract also includes revisions to the previous "As Is" contract, as well as several new riders.  Another important change is on line 547 "Collection or Collected""  "Collection" or "Collected" means any checks tendered or received, includes Deposits, have become actually and finally collected and deposited in the account of Escrow Agent or Closing Agent.  Closing and disbursement of funds and delivery of Closing documents may be delayed by Closing Agent until such amounts have been COLLECTED in Closings Agent's accounts.  The  FAR/BAR is the most commonly used residential real estate form in Florida.  Please contact Title Junction if you would like to schedule a class to go over these new changes.  Jennifer would be happy to accommodate your needs.  Call (239) 415-6574 or email:  swylie@title-junction.com to schedule today. ...read more

Getting a mortgage is no simple task, it's a complex and time consuming task.  Thanks to Yahoo Finance I have listed five pitfalls to avoid. 1.  Not checking your credit.  Before you start searching for a mortgage, you should know where you stand in the credit score department.  Bad credit can bump up your mortgage interest rate or leave you with no approval at all.  Be sure to check early in case any changes need to be made to get your credit back up to snuff. 2.  Applying for new credit alongside the mortgage.  Be sure to avoid applying for any other type of credit before and during the mortgage process.  Whenever you apply for new credit, you're seen as a greater credit risk, at least initially.  If you happen to apply for a credit card or auto loan around the same time you apply for a mortgage your credit score might get dinged enough to kill your eligibility or bump up your interest rate. 3.  Failing to look at the total housing payment.  A mortgage consists of principal, interest, taxes, and insurance (PITI).  A common mistake made by prospective home buyers if not factoring in their property taxes and insurance premium into their overall mortgage budget.  The debt to income ration (DIT ratio), used to determine if a borrower will qualify for a certain mortgage payment. 4.  Not getting pre-approved.  Good preparation is the key to a good mortgage.  Before shopping for a home, make sure you can actually quality for financing by getting a pre-approval.  A mortgage pre-approval is more robust than a simple pre-qualification because the bank pulls your credit and looks at income, assets and employment.  Your DTI ratio will also come into play to ensure you know exactly how much you can afford. 5.  Not reading your loan documents.  Finally, it's your responsibility to read and accept the terms of your new mortgage.  Sure, it might be a pain to go through all the loan documents at signing, but it's a bigger pain to sign up for something you don't want or agree with.  Take the time atclosingto ensure you understand everything you are signing and thereby agreeing to.  And don't be afraid to ask questions! Otherwise, you could wind up with a mortgage with predatory terms and no place to turn.  I hope these tips help, here at Title Junction we will do our best to assist you with your real estate title needs. Jennifer FerriOwner and OperatorTitle Junction LLC ...read more

Title Junction will be conducting a series free classes; "Let's Talk About…" Ferri will be covering Doc Stamps, , and Power of Attorneys. Make sure to mark your calendar for this very insightful free class being held on January 20, 2011 at 10 am in Title Junction's office; 6313 Corporate Court, Suite C, Fort Myers, FL 33919. Please RSVP on or before January 19, 2011 to: swylie@title-junction.com, call 239-415-6574 or visit us on the web atwww.title-junction.com ...read more