Links/Educational Material

Budgeting & Credit

• http://www.bankrate.com
  Free search engines to help you find the lowest credit cards and the highest-yielding savings accounts. The site also has a free “debt adviser” calculator to help you establish a game plan to become debt free.
• http://www.takechargeamerica.org
  The site has a Financial Toolkit section that contains a free budget worksheet, quizzes and other useful tools to help you get out of debt and manage your finances better.
• http://www.valueyourmoney.org
  The site, run by the Texas Society of Certified Public Accountants, has free articles on a wide variety of topics and a downloadable budget worksheet.
• http://www.ftc.gov
  Federal Trade Commission has a number of helpful consumer publications that you can download, including Building a Better Credit Record. On the initial screen, select News Releases, Publications & Speeches; on the following screen, select Publications—Consumer & Business.

• http://www.energystart.gov
  Use this site to locate the brands of clothes washers, refrigerators, dishwashers, and room air-conditioners, and other appliances with the Energy Star Label. There is also a search tool for locating stores that sell these brands in your area of the country.
• http://www.homeenerysaver.lbl.gov
  The Home Energy Saver is an Internet-based tool for calculating energy use in homes. It is designed to help you identify how best to save energy and find the resources to do so. It is sponsored by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and the Environmental Protection Agency.
• http://www.eren.doe.gov
  The Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy within the DOE developed a very helpful publication know as Energy Savers (available online) that supplies basic steps on how to make your entire home—from top to bottom—as energy-efficient as possible.

• http://www.hud.gov
  The web site for the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) provides information on the FHA mortgage product and extensive background material on the home-buying process.
• http://www.va.gov
  The web site for the Veterans Administration includes information on the VA loan program and its eligibility requirements.
• http://www.rurdev.usda.gov/rhs
  The site of Rural Housing Services within the U.S. Department of Agriculture provides information on their mortgage loan programs.
• http://www.ncsha.org
  The National Coalition of State Housing Agencies provides a Directory of State Housing Agencies on this web site.
• http://www.mbaa.org
  The Mortgage Bankers Association of America is the trade group for mortgage bankers. Their site includes some basic consumer information on the mortgage process.
• http://www.hud.gov
  The HUD web site provides consumer information on the mortgage process, including Buying Your Home: Settlement Costs and Helpful Information which can be printed from the site.
• http://www.alta.org
  The American Land Title Association is a national association for title insurance companies. The Consumer section of their web site provides a detailed description of the closing process, from the perspective of the title insurer and title searcher.

• http://www.stopmortgagefraud.com
  Helpful pointers for detecting potential predatory lending practices, published by the Mortgage Bankers Association. Also available in Spanish.
• http://www.responsiblelending.org/
  The Center for Responsible Lending has an array of brochures for users to download on the topic of high cost loans and other useful information.
• http://www.appleseeds.net
  Appleseed is a non-profit which has an array of brochures for users to download on the topic of high cost loans and other useful information.
• http://www.dontborrowtrouble.com
  Freddie Mac’s consumer awareness campaign combines public education and counseling services to help homeowners avoid lending practices that strip away equity.

• http://www.irs.ustras.gov
  Via the IRS web site, you can print a copy of Publication 530—Tax Information for First-Time Homeowners. This publication provides details on which homeownership expenses you may and may not deduct from your federal tax return and how to do so. From the main IRS screen, select Individuals. Then, under Resources, select Forms and Publications.

• Appleseed -
  http://www.appleseeds.net
  • “Avoiding Dangerous Loans” (ENG): http://www.appleseeds.net/servlet/GetArticleFile?articleFileId=143
  • “Avoiding Dangerous Loans” (ESP): http://www.appleseeds.net/servlet/GetArticleFile?articleFileId=144
  • “Credit, Debit, and ATM cards” (ENG): http://www.appleseeds.net/servlet/GetArticleFile?articleFileId=150
  • “Credit, Debit, and ATM cards” (ESP): http://www.appleseeds.net/servlet/GetArticleFile?articleFileId=151
  • “Using Credit Cards”- (ENG): http://www.appleseeds.net/servlet/GetArticleFile?articleFileId=161
  • “Using Credit Cards” (ESP): http://www.appleseeds.net/servlet/GetArticleFile?articleFileId=162
  
  
• Center for Responsible Lending -
  http://www.responsiblelending.org/
  • “How to Spot and Avoid Predatory Lending" http://www.responsiblelending.org/issues/mortgage/briefs/page.jsp?itemID=29675480
  • “Specialty Mortgages: What are the Risks and Advantages?” http://www.realtor.org/files/government_affairs/housing_opportunity/specialty_brochure.pdf
  • “Traditional Mortgages: Understanding Your Options” http://www.realtor.org/files/government_affairs/housing_opportunity/traditional_brochure.pdf
  
  
• Real Estate Center, Texas A& M University -
  http://www.recenter.tamu.edu/
  • “A Homeowner's Rights Under Foreclosure” (ENG): http://recenter.tamu.edu/pdf/825.pdf