New home buyers paying more than $25,000 in fees - 2004-03-22
Most new home buyers in the Tucson area disburse more than $25,000 extra in costs to pay for government-imposed impact fees and taxes on their homes, based on a report from the Southern Arizona Home Builders Association.

Residents pay the most in Marana, where government fees and taxes of $17,695 on the typical home add $36,169 in payments on a 30-year mortgage.
Read the full story at The Tucson Citizen

Creative mortgages boost home sales - 2004-03-22
With home prices climbing, lenders are developing increasingly creative mortgages aimed at homeowners whose budgets are stretched thin.

Among the newly popular options: loans based on the value of the home after improvements are made; "piggyback" loans that combine a standard first mortgage with a home-equity line of credit.

And such lenders as Countrywide Financial Corp. are offering mortgages that allow some borrowers to skip up to 10 payments over the life of the loan.
Read the full story at Baltimore Sun