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VA Home Loans Make a Difference for a New Generation
Nearing its 70th anniversary, the VA loan guaranty program and its benefits — no down payment, no private mortgage insurance and seller-paid closing costs — have emerged as a lifeline for veterans and...
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What Makes Your Mortgage Credit Score Different
When is your credit score not actually your credit score? How about when you’re applying for a home loan. I can’t count how many times a frustrated veteran has come to me demanding to know why the...
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The New Homebuyer: More Credit Savvy
Tighter credit requirements among mortgage lenders have produced — wait for it — borrowers with better credit. Not exactly a Nobel-worthy finding, but a recent Federal Reserve analysis of homebuying...
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Why You Can’t Get a Home Loan
Left out in the cold by a tight lending climate, prospective homebuyers are finally starting to see a thaw. Fifty-one percent of respondents to the latest Fannie Mae National Housing Survey indicated...
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Why Military Members Get More Protection From High-Cost Credit
This is the second article in a series devoted to consumer issues for National Consumer Protection Week, March 3-8. In a perfect world, unscrupulous creditors couldn’t take advantage of anyone,...
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5 Big Things Standing Between You & a Refinance
Mortgage rates are beginning to creep up, but they’re still well within the kind of range that makes longtime homeowners shake their heads in disbelief. The average interest rate on a 30-year...
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Can Your Netflix Account Help You Get a Mortgage?
Paying your Netflix bill on time doesn’t just guarantee you instant access to “Breaking Bad” reruns. It could also help you get a mortgage. Ideally, prospective homebuyers have a miles-long credit...
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The Hardest & Easiest Home Loans to Get
It seems the Great Thaw may be upon us. Credit score requirements have loosened in recent months, a sign that at least some mortgage lenders are starting to take a softer approach after years of tight...
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Your Spouse’s Credit Could Hurt Your Chance of Buying a Home
My wife was entering her third and final year of law school when we bought our current home. While she landed a nearly full ride to a Top 20 school, after two years of nonstop studying, her debt and...
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How Unpaid Taxes Can Keep You From Buying a Home
For mortgage lenders, your debt is not a deal-breaker – up to a certain point. Even the nasty stuff like judgments and collections won’t necessarily keep you from getting a mortgage. But life can get...
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Is There a Best Time to Buy a Home?
Timing is critical when it comes to buying a home. There are myriad sites, seminars and real estate sages out there offering the inside scoop on how to land the best deal. You could spend hours...
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5 Signs You’re Ready to Be a Homeowner
No one can tell you when you’re ready to become a homeowner. But it’s probably fair to say a lot of first-time buyers wish otherwise. Buying a home is often one of the biggest purchases you’ll ever...
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5 Things Homebuyers Forget to Ask Their Lenders
Getting a mortgage can mean keeping track of a lot of moving parts. Savvy shoppers know to ask lenders about interest rates, closing costs and how much they can borrow. But even seasoned buyers may...
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5 Ways to Make a Mortgage Move Faster
Good lenders try to make the mortgage process more of a sprint than a marathon. They also try to impart on prospective homebuyers how much power they have in moving that finish line. You can generally...
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What Happens to Your Mortgage After Death?
Death isn’t on the minds of most homeowners on closing day, naturally, unless it’s a fear of drowning in paperwork. But it’s really never too early to consider what happens to your mortgage should you...
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The Worst Things You Can Do Before Buying a Home
Cynics may scoff, but getting under contract on the right home can turn even the most stoic shopper into a bit of a dreamer. From paint colors to planting a garden, picturing yourself in that property...
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5 Real Estate Rules You Shouldn’t Break
Spring signals the start of two hallowed seasons: homebuying and baseball. Like the national pastime, purchasing a home supposedly comes with its own set of “unwritten rules.” Conventional wisdom and...
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The Etiquette of Homebuying
Homebuying isn’t all house tours, contracts and closing costs. People and personalities are at the heart of a process that can elicit both fun and frustration. Emotions can run high. Sellers often...
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Saving for a House: It’s More Than a Down Payment
It’s easy to get caught up in credit scores when considering a home purchase. But as lenders continue to loosen requirements, the need to have money in the bank doesn’t get any less acute. Getting...
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Can Your Commute Impact Your Mortgage?
It’s the cornerstone cliché of the real estate business: Location, location, location. Most homebuyers make it past the banality to implicitly understand they may pay a premium based on a property’s...
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