Home Buyers are never quite sure of the precise moment to lock in their interest rate. Quite frankly, I’m not sure you’ll find a better time than now. Thought the Spring home buying season is right around the corner, home prices seem to be fairly stable, by which I mean we’re experiencing a normal rise… Read More
When you’re shopping for a low mortgage interest rate, keep in mind that widely advertised rates for home loans are usually designed for home buyers with “very good” to”excellent” credit scores. — Understanding Your Credit Score — That’s not meant to imply that you can’t get a mortgage if you have a “fair” credit rating,… Read More
Gone are the days of the guaranteed 30-day closing. Though not impossible, in light of tighter mortgage regulation a 30-day closing is no longer the norm. Realistically you’re probably looking at 45 days from contract to close, and that’s without additional contingencies. Even with this extended contract period there are a number of things that… Read More
If you’ve never bought or sold a home, chances are you have a preconceived notion of what real estate agents are all about. Even if you have had experience working with an agent, you may have formed a mistaken impression of the profession as a whole. Are you aware of exactly what your agent should… Read More
I might venture a guess that better than half of all home buyers, and a great majority of first-time buyers, choose an FHA mortgage. Home loans come in a variety of flavors but the FHA loan, insured by the Federal Housing Administration, offers benefits not found in most other options, not the least of which… Read More
Early, alarming predictions for a dramatic surge in mortgage rates in 2018, have so far fallen flat. True, home buyers have seen incremental increases in rates for home loans since January, but in more of a one-step-forward-and-two-steps-back pattern. I’m cautiously optimistic that this might continue for three significant reasons. First, the country’s economy appears to… Read More
With the recent rise in mortgage rates beginning to level off, and Real Estate’s busy season fast approaching, conditions are ripe for Home Sellers to get off the fence. Properties in first-time-buyer range are flying off the shelf, as are more expensive homes… priced right. If that weren’t enough good news for Home Sellers, more… Read More
In a Zillow report (below), research revealed that coming up with a down payment is the number one hurdle for home buyers. I have found that it’s a common misconception among potential buyers, that you must have a 20% down payment to buy a home. I’m here today to let you know that is CATEGORICALLY… Read More
This year’s income tax season is nearly at a close and many of us have already moved on to determining and tracking deductions for the 2018 tax year. Mortgage and Home Equity loan interest tax guidelines will be changing but the general public’s initial knee-jerk reaction to these adjustments was largely premature. Fortunately the bottom… Read More
Since the post below was first published, The House has passed a version of the TRID Improvement Act of 2017. I’ve read the amendments, you can read them here, and they are indeed an improvement. It takes Congress so long to develop or improve anything that I hesitate to point out that it could use… Read More
