The Fair Isaac Corporation, creator of the FICO credit score, usually doesn’t reveal many details about how missing a mortgage payment will affect people’s scores. But the company recently issued a commentary to lenders that contained some unusually specific information. FICO scores range from 300 to 850. Scores of 750 or higher generally qualify for the best credit terms. Here are some of the newly released details: Being 30 days late on a mortgage payment –

If a government entity wants to take all or part of your property by eminent domain, it’s required to pay you the land’s fair market value. Typically the government will send you a notice telling you what it thinks the land is worth, and offering to pay that amount. Its valuation will usually be based on an appraisal that it has commissioned. Some property owners who get an eminent domain notice rush out and get their

Do landlords have a right to limit the number of people who can occupy an apartment? The answer, as often happens in the law, is, “It depends.” In general, landlords own the property and they can decide how many people can live there. However, a landlord is not allowed to discriminate against tenants based on their “familial status.” (This rule was added to the federal Fair Housing Act back in 1988.) What does “familial status” mean?

Cash is playing a more significant role in residential real estate sales right now than at any time in recent memory. Consider the following: The median down payment on houses was 22% last year. That’s according to a study by Zillow.com of sales involving conventional mortgages in nine major U.S. cities. It’s the highest figure ever since the data started being kept back in 1997. By comparison, just three years ago the figure was 11%. And