Consumer Focused Carnival of Real Estate

I'm a lot less happy about this one than the one two weeks ago. On the one hand, nothing that came in was so obviously inappropriate that I had to ridicule it in the SPAM section. On the other hand, only four entries came in where the information they contained actually outweighed the nonsense and just plain bad information, and several were link chumming. This is pathetic.

The guidelines for this carnival.

As always, I arranged the entries that met guidelines into three levels, based upon originality, usefulness to the consumer, and how much thought and effort and research went into an entry.

STRONGLY RECOMMENDED

There were no strongly recommended entries this time.

RECOMMENDED

Tallahassee Real Estate Blog The "No Brainer" Investment. I do question some of the numbers and assumptions, and they just wouldn't work in many areas of the country, but it's a worthwhile idea.

Why Buyers Should Avoid Short Sales

MET GUIDELINES

50 Year Mortgages - A Compound Interest Nightmare. I agree about the fifty year mortgage, However, sacrificing other investments to pay the property off in 15 years (or 10) isn't very smart either. Haul out a calculator and or spreadsheet and do the math.

How to Make Sure this is your Dream Home: 7 Practical Tips The numbers in tip number four are flat out wrong, at least for the US, but it's still a good point.

SPAM AND OTHER RIDICULOUS SUBMISSIONS

Blessedly, there were none of these submissions this week, although one submission praising Negative Amortization loans almost got the super-special treatment. I've written many times about the downsides of the Negative Amortization loan, and it's extremely difficult to construct a scenario where it actually benefits a prospective borrower.

For those who might object to the treatment their submission received, the relevant information has been in the guidelines since before submissions were being accepted for this carnival. Having been told to read the guidelines, you willingly submitted these posts. Live with it.

Consumer Focused Carnival of Real Estate will return in two weeks (May 21st, 2008), here at Searchlight Crusade, unless someone else wants to host. Deadline for submissions will be May 19th.