It’s a story I’ve heard a thousand times, “I want to get a mortgage, but….” and then the person tells me a tragic story of a credit problem they believe to be insurmountable. Even though I’m not a Realtor anymore, I still hear it from friends and family members who know I write this blog.… Continue Reading
Since I read this article by Maggie McGrath over at Forbes in early January, I’ve been turning it over and over. If you didn’t see it when it exploded onto social media, the gist is that most of America doesn’t have $1,000 in liquid cash at any given time. By the majority, I mean, 56… Continue Reading
The news is abuzz with the quarter percent interest increase that came from the Federal Reserve back in mid December, causing all sorts of panic and riots in the street. Well, maybe not riots — but a lot of people are wondering if they need to refinance now or if they’ve already missed their opportunity.… Continue Reading
There are few dirtier words to the average home buyer than “mortgage insurance.” Article after article has been written on ways to avoid mortgage insurance and on why it’s an awful, terrible thing, but I’m here to tell you something new. Mortgage insurance isn’t always a horrifying scar on your mortgage paperwork. In fact, mortgage… Continue Reading
When you think of the word “conventional,” I know it brings to mind images of things that are considered “normal” or “standard” in our culture. That kind of thinking has caused a great deal of confusion among mortgage-seekers for a very long time because a Conventional mortgage isn’t the default choice for many buyers. For… Continue Reading
Well, it’s past Thanksgiving and another holiday shopping season is in full swing. I hoped you saved a bundle at the Black Friday sales because you’re going to need those extra nickels and dimes to buy your new home this winter. Wait, what? Did I say you should try to buy a house during the… Continue Reading
I know a lot of you have heard the news that the Federal Reserve has decided to raise rates for the first time in nine years and you’re probably scared, but I want to set your minds at ease about this and let you know what to expect from it. It’s not all doom and… Continue Reading
There are few steps in the real estate process that both Buyers and Sellers dread so equally as the appraisal. Not only does it represent the next to last step (and thus, an urgency is added to packing and making repairs), but it can literally make or break a deal that both parties have already… Continue Reading
I know I sometimes harp on those good old days before the Great Recession came and crushed the hopes and dreams of millions of Americans, but when I read this news story in the Boston Herald, I couldn’t believe my eyes. Apparently, the difficult loan qualifications of years past are over and those of you… Continue Reading
As you go about your mortgage shopping, checking out deals and offers here and there, you may notice a peculiarity of the people you deal with. Some of them are bankers, others are brokers. Maybe they’ve even got some other invented title, but they do seem to offer some very different kinds of products. If… Continue Reading