The 30-year fixed mortgage rate has been bouncing between 6% and 7% this year. If you’ve been on the fence about whether to buy a home or not, it’s helpful to know exactly how a 1%, or even a 0.5%, mortgage rate shift affects your … [Read more...]
Financials for First-Time Homebuyers
Are you prepping to buy your first home? If so, one of the steps you should take early on is making sure you’re financially ready for your purchase. Here are just a few of the financial fundamentals you’ll need to focus on as you set out to … [Read more...]
Obtaining a Mortgage Amid Financial Difficulties
It’s no secret that the housing market is hot right now. Demand is high and supply is low, leading to high prices for home buyers. However, in the long term, it’s overwhelmingly a smart financial decision to buy a home as opposed to renting … [Read more...]
Four Reasons a 20% Down Payment is a Good Idea
If you’re thinking of buying a home this year, you may be wondering how much money you need to come up with for your down payment. Many people may think it’s 20% of the loan to secure a mortgage. While there are plenty of lower down payment … [Read more...]
Why Mortgage Rates May Increase and What It Means for Home Buyers
We’re currently experiencing historically low mortgage rates. Over the last fifty years, the average on a Freddie Mac 30-year fixed-rate mortgage has been 7.76%. Today, that rate is 2.81%. Flocks of homebuyers have been taking advantage of … [Read more...]
Over 6 Million Homeowners Entered a Forbearance Plan. How Will This Affect the Housing Market?
According to the latest report from Black Knight, Inc., a well-respected provider of data and analytics for mortgage companies, 6.48 million households have entered a forbearance plan as a result of financial concerns brought on by the … [Read more...]
How a Mortgage Payment is Affected by Property Taxes
When buying a home, taxes are one of the expenses that can make a significant difference in your monthly payment. Do you know how much you might pay for property taxes in your state or local area? When applying for a mortgage, you’ll see … [Read more...]
Understanding When It Makes Sense To Refinance Your Home
With the recent lower interest rates, many homeowners are wondering if they should refinance. To decide if refinancing is the best option for your family, start by asking yourself these questions: Why do you want to refinance? There … [Read more...]
46 Million Millennials Are Mortgage Ready. But Do They Know It?
Many have written about the millennial generation and whether or not they, as a whole, believe in homeownership as part of attaining the American Dream. Millennials have taken longer to obtain traditional milestones than the generations … [Read more...]
Mortgage Interest Rates are Increasing Fast for Home Buyers. Now What?
Let's first look at what is happening with mortgage interest rates? If you are actively looking to buy a home, then you probably already know that mortgage rates spiked upward in November. But if you are casually thinking about … [Read more...]