Mortgages: 7 Things You Don’t Want to Learn the Hard Way


Experience is a good teacher, but when it comes to mortgages—whether you’re arranging a new one or renewing—learning by experience can be expensive.

The more you understand about mortgages and home equity lines of credit (HELOC) before you sign a mortgage contract, the more you can save in interest charges, lender fees, and other borrowing costs. (more…)

Home prices rise, snapping 8-month drop streak

The downward cycle in home prices broke in April after eight consecutive months of decline, according to a survey released Tuesday. According to the S&P/Case Shiller 20-city index, prices rose 0.7% compared with March, although they fell 0.1% when adjusted for the strong spring selling season. Prices were down 4% year-over-year. “In a welcome shift … Continue reading

Obama’s Housing Scorecard

The Obama administration has announced yet another initiative to help struggling homeowners avoid foreclosure. Earlier this week, the Department of Housing and Urban Development announced it would extend the period of time unemployed homeowners with Federal Housing Authority-backed mortgages could skip or make smaller mortgage payments to a minimum of 12 months, up from a … Continue reading

Increasing Seller’s Property Value

Understand first of all that there IS a difference between price and value. Price is the amount you are asking for the property. Value is buyer perceived, and this perception of value is influenced by many factors such as location, features, condition, comparison to other purchase option, etc. By attending to details that can have … Continue reading

Buying vs. Renting

A home is one of the most expensive purchases most of us will ever make during our lifetime. Whether you decide to rent or buy, either choice comes with its own rewards and risks. Homeownership offers many advantages over renting including: Advantages of Buying versus Renting Buying Renting Tax write-off No tax write-off You can … Continue reading

Mortgage Refinance: 4 Ways To Know Its Time to Refinance Your House.

You may want to refinance your home for several reasons. 1)Mortgage Rates might be lower now. The biggest reason that people refinance their mortgages is to save money. No matter what has happened to you, there is always a good reason to start saving money. A lower rate on your mortgage can help you stretch … Continue reading

Mortgage Tips From Me To You

At some point in your adult life, you are likely to purchase a house of your own. Whether you are sick of renting, or you have decided to settle down and start a family, purchasing your first home can be an exhilarating and nerve-wracking adventure. In researching the best practices for new home buying, we … Continue reading

Getting a Mortgage Quote Online

If you are interested in buying a home then you are certainly shopping for a mortgage quote from a variety of different lenders. This is important because when you have more than one mortgage quote you can compare the different lenders and find the one that is best for you. Frequently, the average  mortgage quote … Continue reading

Buying Your First Home

can be exciting but there is a lot to know. Buying a home will depend on real estate laws and customs where you are located but there are basic steps that every first homebuyer needs to accomplish.   Step 1- Your Finances Establishing credit is very important especially when you are looking to purchase a … Continue reading

The Rise of Real Estate Infomercials

From the very beginning of the industry, real estate infomercials have been very successful. There’s something about the idea of making money in real estate that appeals to a lot of people.   In fact, most of the real estate infomercials that have appeared through the years have been scams for several reasons. First the … Continue reading

Flipping Houses for Gold: How to Find the Perfect Fixer

Many real estate investors enjoy “flipping houses,” or buying and selling houses quickly for profit. Not all flips are fixers. However, rehabbers make millions turning ugly houses into dollhouses. On the other hand, some inexperienced investors lose money buying houses that just don’t turn a profit.   If you’re looking to get started investing in … Continue reading

15 Construction Loan “Inside Secrets” To Building Your New Home.

1. Which construction loans are available and which one should you apply for? Home loan banking and the internet has changed the mortgage and construction loan industry forever. Today’s construction loan choices include the 30 year fixed, 15 year fixed, 1 year ARM, 3/1 ARM, 5/1 ARM, 7/1 ARM, 10/1 ARM and don’t forget the … Continue reading