The time to close on a mortgage loan is once again increasing. The average time in January climbed to 50 total days, up four days since the “Know Before You Owe” mortgage disclosure rules took effect in October, shows a new report released by Ellie Mae. Over the past year, the average time to close […]
Home Buyer Rush? Mortgage Applications Surge!
Borrowers were undeterred by the highest interest rates in five months as mortgage applications for home purchases surged 12 percent in the latest week. Home purchase applications are now 19 percent higher than one year ago, the Mortgage Bankers Association reports. “This was despite the fact that mortgage rates reached their highest level since July,” […]
Buying And Selling A Home At The Same Time
Ah, to be a first-time home buyer again: How easy it was to buy a home when you weren’t carrying another mortgage on your back! If you’re looking to graduate from first-timer to repeat buyer, you know things are about to get much trickier. Unless you’re a bona fide house collector, you’ll have to sell your home in […]
Many Renters Can Afford To Buy A Home, They Just Don’t Realize It Yet …
First Time Home Buyers, Tip #1, Getting Started.
This series, Getting Started, is about should you buy or rent at this time, what can you afford, how do you secure a mortgage and home buyer tips from real estate brokers and mortgage lenders. 1) Advantages of buying vs renting 2) How much home can you afford 3) Getting a mortgage in today’s market […]
99 Problems, And Saving For a Home Is Just One
So you want to buy a house! But first you need a car. And you want to get married in a big wedding, and then have some babies. Don’t forget their college education, and your master’s degree, and the looming specter of retirement. Life often feels like a series of savings goals. Once you’ve paid off your […]
Buying vs Renting, Build Your Own Equity Not Your Landlords
Buying vs renting, build your own equity not your landlords … If you are renting, buying a home could very well be a financial move that benefits you in the long run, as you pay your own mortgage and build equity instead of paying your landlords mortgage. What is your monthly rental payment? $450, $500, […]
If You Buy a House Now, You Will Save About $217,000.00!
Buying a home costs money. Lots of money. There’s the down payment and the monthly mortgage payment and the maintenance and taxes and the insurance and… Are you overwhelmed yet? It might seem like so much that you just want to put off the house hunt and sign that yearlong lease with your landlord (even though he […]
Donald Horne’s Down Payment Resource Center
Although most potential homeowners aren’t aware, there are hundreds of homeownership programs available to homebuyers across the country. In fact, just within this area, there are many different programs to assist homebuyers just like you in their path to homeownership! We invite you to see which programs you may be eligible for by searching through […]
How to Prepare For an Appraisal
This weeks client question, How to Prepare For an Appraisal … 1. Curb Appeal Although many homeowners are familiar with the term “curb appeal” as it applies to prospective buyers, many don’t realize that the home’s first impression is important to the appraiser as well. Landscape maintenance chores, such as clearing away debris, trimming trees and shrubs, […]