*Click for mortgage interest rate information for April 2019 I received a fact-packed email recently from a local mortgage lender. This is someone I’ve worked with enough to know that their information is solid, skewed neither positive or negative but true and unbiased. Andrew McCrossen, a Loan Officer at V.I.P Mortgage did a little digging… Read More
Buying a Home
Moving with Kids is a Whole Other Can of Worms
So why is May to August prime-time for Real Estate sales? It mostly comes down to families with kids. For obvious reasons, parents would prefer moving during the Summertime, Real Estate’s infamous ‘busy season’. “Before the kids start school” is most often the #1 item on a parent’s home buying wish list. But of course… Read More
Hunting for the Best Mortgage Rate? Raising Your Credit Score WILL Save You Money!
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
Rumors of Relaxed Credit Reporting Standards Vastly Overblown
Using credit responsibly is an integral part of your personal finance. Not only is credit a key factor in securing a mortgage when buying a home, vehicle or other major purchase, landlords and property managers invariably look at credit before approving new renters, as do insurers, utility companies and employers. It’s not always easy to… Read More
3 Things You Didn’t Know About Good Real Estate Agents
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
First-Time Home Buyers, Where is Your Sweet Spot?
Gilbert, Arizona recently earned a spot on WalletHub’s list of the Top 10 best places for first-time home buyers. I’m not exactly sure how this happened. Gilbert has been experiencing the same shortage of inventory as the the rest of the country and though it has been easing up a bit, availability is still not… Read More
Are Higher Rental Costs Prompting More Millennials to Buy Homes?
Rental markets in the Phoenix Metro Area have exploded in recent months. As a matter of fact this article from AZ Central states that Phoenix ranks 9th for the most unaffordable cities for renters. And Millennials seem to be bearing the greatest rent-to-income liability. Great for investors. Not so much for Renters. Saving for a… Read More
Teachers are at Ground Level of Housing Affordability Stats
We are all for the sentiment behind the “Red for Ed” movement. Not only is compensation for Arizona teachers near the bottom of the barrel, but student test scores for the state are among the lowest in the country. Admittedly not every problem is solved by throwing money at it, but there is irrefutable evidence… Read More
Is This Why You’re Not Buying a Home? No.1 Hurdle and How to Conquer It.
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
Kiplinger Declares that Spring has Sprung for the Real Estate Market
There’s a bit of a fracas brewing in Arizona’s Real Estate market but that’s nothing unusual for this time of year, in fact Arizona perfectly reflects similar activity throughout the country. Low resale inventory, sluggish turn-times for New Construction homes, low interest rates gradually evaporating, and a steady stream of home buyers entering the market… Read More