Get the latest info on mortgages, home equity, and refinancing at the home loans blog. First-time homebuyers and seasoned homeowners alike will find helpful and current information on the wide world of mortgage lending.
Your home is your castle, but sometimes even the best castles can stand to have the moat dug out a little deeper or their battlements reinforced after a particularly harrowing attack by marauding knights. Borrowing money for those items on your credit alone can be tricky, which is why banks offer you multiple options to tap your home’s equity, including the choice to refinance your current mortgage.
Read MoreFalling in love with a house, especially when you're a first-time home buyer, is a bit like falling in love with a person. It's easy to idealize your future home and completely overlook its flaws. Here are the top things you're most likely to come to regret if you're a first-time homebuyer.
Read MoreJune first is the official start of the 2018 hurricane season for coastal dwellers across America. Although the sky is clear for the time being, this is the perfect opportunity to review your hurricane safety plan and get your home ready to survive the next big storm.
Read MoreIf you want to save money on your mortgage or access some of the equity in your home, refinancing your mortgage could be a vital step in your journey. There are a variety of things that make home refinancing a popular financial tool -- and today, we’ll get into how and why you might want to consider refinancing.
Read MoreImagine you’re in your eighties. You’ve taken out a reverse mortgage in order to stay in your home and use its equity for your living expenses. You do this for several years, but once these funds are depleted, the bank owns your home, and you also owe thousands in property taxes. You have no money or no job, and you’re about to be homeless.
Read MoreThis week, we're answering the all-important question: what makes a winning offer on a home? Our colleague, Kristi Waterworth, former real-estate agent of nine years, is here to answer that.
Read MoreA 15-year mortgage isn't right for everybody, but it may be perfect for you. Let's talk about what the 15-year mortgage is, then we'll get into the gritty details to help you figure out if this product would work well in your situation.
Read MoreFirst time home buyers have so much to deal with when they’re starting the process that it’s hard to shortlist the most important things for them to keep in mind. Clearly, it's best if you're as prepared as possible -- and if you're already on the hunt for your dream home, you probably know a bit about what you're doing already.
Read MoreTitle insurance protects both home buyers and lenders from defects on a property’s title -- but do you really need it? Here’s the basics on title insurance, including how it helps both the buyer and the seller of a house.
Read MoreCash-out refinancing for debt consolidation can be a great option for a homeowner who has been paying their payments faithfully for a while — and it’s also helpful for those who realize that the loan they used to secure the home was not compatible with their needs.
Read MoreIf you're a new homeowner, home maintenance may be a totally foreign concept to you. No longer will a landlord be checking on your furnace filters or coming into replace appliances when they go out. So, what's essential, and what's not?
Read MoreBuilding your own home gives you the incredible opportunity to customize the space exactly to your specifications from day one. You can add real value to your home and improve your quality of life when you think about installing useful technology during the construction process.
Read MoreIf you're a first-time home buyer, the process of purchasing a house can seem intimidating and complicated. There's a ton of information out there, so it's easy to get overwhelmed. On top of that, a lot of the information is wrong. Below are six myths about financing a home that simply aren't true.
Read MoreHousing prices across the country have skyrocketed in many markets since 2011. The reasons for increasing prices in one area of the country are complex. Here are just five reasons that housing prices are going up in the U.S.
Read MorePACE loans are meant to be home equity types of loan products used to cover energy-efficiency upgrades to homes, so they’re primarily utilized for big-budget items like solar panels, tankless water heaters, HVAC upgrades, and new window and door installation. Sounds pretty awesome, right?
Read MoreWhen the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017 was signed into law, there was an immediate uproar. Some people railed about how it would affect their paychecks, others about their child care credits. Another group was howling about their formerly tax-deductible interest from their home equity loans. We’re here to get to the bottom of this situation and clear up any misinformation you may have heard about deducting home equity loan interest in 2018 and after.
Read MoreThe truth is that home buyer grants aren’t actually for everybody, but they are for a lot of people. In fact, there are so many out there that unless your income is exceptionally high for the area or you’re on a tight schedule, you’ll probably find plenty of places that will give you a grant or something similar to get into your first home.
Read MoreChoosing the mortgage that’s right for you can be really confusing and complicated, especially if you’re one of many buyers who has a lot of options to choose between. Do you go with the 30-year conventional or the 30-year FHA? What’s this USDA thing all about? This blog should help fill in what you need to know about the different types of mortgages.
Read MoreIt may be hip to do things unconventionally, but that notion doesn't quite apply when you're choosing a mortgage -- especially when we're talking about an adjustable rate mortgage versus a fixed rate mortgage. Adjustable Rate Mortgages aren't for everyone, but that doesn't mean they're not for you. If you're very self-aware and know what you need to do to complement your financial picture, it could be the perfect instrument to help you achieve your goals.
Read MoreWhen the time comes for a major home improvement project like a landscaping project or new roof, you can keep your liquid money in savings and tap your house-sized piggy bank instead. Home Equity Lines of Credit are flexible, affordable and attainable sources of funding for home improvements like landscaping or a new roof.
Read MoreHow much are closing costs, really? When it comes to nearly anything else in life that you buy, you know the price up front. You buy a bag of bananas, it’s 49 cents a pound. You order a new laser printer, it’s a couple hundred bucks. You know what it’s going to cost, to the penny, before you agree to buy the thing.
Read MoreIn our last post, we explained the Loan Estimate form and how it can help a mortgage shopper decide between mortgage loan options. This blog is about that form’s fraternal twin, the Closing Disclosure form. They’re two pieces of a whole, designed to ensure that you get the loan you think you’re getting and all your mortgage and closing related expenses are spelled out in plain English.
Read MoreIf you’re a first-time home buyer, you may have no idea how much house you can actually afford. What’s expensive for some buyers may be totally doable for you (whereas that cobblestone dream home down the street may be more of a future goal than a practical starter home). There’s no quick formula to figuring out how much you should spend on your home, but we’ll give you the top 6 factors to consider so you can start honing in on your ideal price range.
Read MoreWhen you’re staring down yet another $400 utility bill in the dead of winter, the idea of an energy-efficient house might start to seem really appealing. An energy-efficient home loan is one approach to funding home improvements, however it can also lead to higher periodic mortgage payments. Energy-efficient mortgages are most of the times accompanied by potential challenges.
Read MoreGetting a good deal on your dream house requires you to be informed on current rates, and educated when it comes the home buying process. Whether you want to buy your own home or an investment property, remember: whenever you can, avoid settling for the existing market-price.
Read MoreYou might have mastered the art of nailing a good deal on a home, but that’s all for naught if you don’t pick a home that matches your personality and needs. Finding the perfect house is like going on a blind date; you have to think about how your date makes you feel, whether they’ll connect with your loved ones, and whether you have a future together.
Read MoreAre you shopping for a new home? You may have already noticed how househunting can be bizarrely taxing to the body and mind. Don’t worry, we’re here to get you to the other side of ownership with a big smile on your face. So, let’s jump straight into the deep end and take a look at the top first-time home buyer mistakes.
Read MoreYou may think you can't buy a home if your credit is poor, but we have some good news: even if your credit score is lurking somewhere in the depths of the Atlantic Ocean, you can still own your dream home—and without a down payment of 20%.
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