A Mortgage Broker or a Bank? The Best Path to Finding the Ideal Mortgage

How do you find the best deal on a mortgage, knowing that even a small difference in interest rate or rules can mean a significant amount of money saved? Should you go to a mortgage broker or bank to find it? Let’s first look at what brokers do. A mortgage broker is a middleman who […]

Four Unspoken Rules of Buying a Home

A combination of warmer weather and the promise of rising interest rates will be enough to convince many potential home buyers that this spring is the time to look. If you’re one of those potential buyers, here are four unspoken rules of home buying you should know before starting your search. 1. Get pre-approved. If […]

Should I just accept the mortgage loan terms a bank offers or can I negotiate those terms?

Applying For a Mortgage in 2014? Don’t Do It Until You Read These Tips (Part 1)

Thinking of getting a mortgage in 2014?  If so, there are a lot of changes happening.  Here are some tips on successfully navigating them and qualifying for the best mortgage available on the market: Refresh your financial record-keeping skills.  2014’s new rules require lenders to be especially thorough in requesting adequate documentation for borrowers’ income […]

Are Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac’s troubles over?

With all the housing market changes, how can I be sure I’ll make money on a flipped property before I invest in it?

How the New FHA Loan Limits are Calculated: A Quick Primer

Now that FHA’s loan limits are back to their pre-2008 numbers, getting an FHA mortgage might be quite a bit more difficult in certain areas of the country with above-average real estate prices.  If you’re interested in how this “ceiling” is now calculated, you have to first understand how FHA determines the national loan limit […]

Don’t Break the Bank: Buying an Affordable Home with an Optimal Mortgage

With the housing market in recovery, finally, and many other economic indicators looking positive for the first time in years, many people who decided to rent and weather the storm are emerging back into the market and looking to purchase homes.  But just because the housing market is stronger than it had been doesn’t mean […]

The Diminishing Value of HARP 2.0

While home prices in the country have seen a promising increase (more than 12% in the past year), HARP 2.0, one of the most popular refinance programs of the past few years, is seeing a decline in popularity.  The reason for this is since the HARP 2.0 program allows for high loan-to-value (LTV) mortgages, and […]

Mortgage Requirements Are Loosening for Prime Borrowers

A recent Federal Reserve survey of domestic loan originators shows that out of more than 70 banks within the US, most are loosening their mortgage lending standards—more in the last quarter than at any time during the last 10 years.  This survey, conducted once per quarter by the Federal Reserve, ascertains what the national lending […]

Rising Rates and Selling Your Home

If you’ve made the decision to sell your home – whether for a career move, retirement, or to move on to the next phase of your life from a starter home or into a downsized house – you might be watching the rising interest rates with some apprehension.  After all, higher rates means more expensive […]

Rates are rising. Is this the right time to refinance or a buy a house?