By PETER ROSENTHAL, President V.I.P. Trust Deed Company I am often asked about the wisdom of selling one’s real estate without a broker. Obviously, commissions on a hypothetical $200,000 property can be $10,000-$12,000 or more and that, theoretically, is a lot of money to waste. The question is, is it really wasted? As I am […]

By PETER ROSENTHAL, President V.I.P. Trust Deed Company Over the years I have written many columns on real estate fraud. Though this subject matter is not as timely now as it was during the early 1980’s and again in the early 1990’s, I wish to discuss this area of fraud that, hopefully, you will never […]

By PETER ROSENTHAL, President V.I.P. Trust Deed Company Every day I see ads in the paper for real estate loans that are almost too good to be true. The deals that are too good to be true always have an asterisk and small print down at the bottom. The small print is exactly the same […]

By PETER ROSENTHAL, President V.I.P. Trust Deed Company Q: We are presently shopping for a house in Burbank. We have been quoted different mortgage rates by a couple of lenders, depending on the amount of points that we pay up front. In addition, there are different rates for 15 year loans and 30 year loans. […]

By PETER ROSENTHAL, President V.I.P. Trust Deed Company I received so many calls after my last graffiti article that I was prompted to write a follow-up.  One call from an apartment owner really struck home because of its negative characteristics.  In general, the caller was complaining that the Long Beach police didn’t care about the […]

By PETER ROSENTHAL, President V.I.P. Trust Deed Company I often base these articles on true day to day stories.  Yesterday took the cake:   It was almost a course in “how to defraud your children.” This customer was referred to us to handle a foreclosure, but as an aside he inquired about equity loans.  He had […]

By PETER ROSENTHAL, President V.I.P. Trust Deed Company In a previous article I touched many a sore spot by discussing loans made to friends and relatives.  We have all “been there, done that” and, unfortunately, many of us will be asked to do so again. This column assumes that you have agreed to lend a […]

By PETER ROSENTHAL, President V.I.P. Trust Deed Company (Reprinted from San Fernando Valley Apartment Management Magazine July, 1997) In the February issue I devoted a column to discounted trust deeds.  I indicated in that column that a low interest rate (6-8%) and a long maturity (10-30 years) equals a huge discount.  The reasons are unimportant […]

By PETER ROSENTHAL, President V.I.P. Trust Deed Company February 1996 In the past, you have heard me mock the bureaucratic mindset; I promise that this time, however, I will be funny and to the point. Recently, upon arriving at the Los Angeles County Hall of Administration, I realized I had forgotten to bring copies of […]

By PETER ROSENTHAL, President V.I.P. Trust Deed Company December 1995 Q:  Our home is in foreclosure, and we have received many, many offers to help us.  Some of these want the deed to the house (which will then be rented back to us); others tell us to deed the house to them so that our […]