When buying a home and applying for a mortgage, a good credit score is critical. A home can be purchased with less than stellar credit, but often at interest rates and terms that aren’t to...
When buying a home and applying for a mortgage, a good credit score is critical. A home can be purchased with less than stellar credit, but often at interest rates and terms that aren’t to...
When buying your first house, the terms and conditions of the mortgage process can be confusing. Here’s a primer on two such terms: points and the origination fee. Origination fee. This is the cost that...
Each month you send off a hefty chunk of money to your mortgage company. If you’re like most people, it represents 25 percent to 30 percent of your income. That payment is split into as...
Buyers who put less than 20 percent down on a home might find themselves with a higher-than-expected monthly payment. The extra money, which often takes first-time homebuyers by surprise, is for private mortgage insurance. What...
Mortgage lending is yet another industry that has undergone massive change by the internet. Online lenders advertise fast and easy transactions while traditional lenders offer more personal service. Regardless of which option you choose, it’s...
Despite the mortgage-lending reforms that followed the 2008 economic crash, it’s your job as a consumer to be on guard against questionable lenders — especially if you have damaged credit and shaky finances. Here’s how...
The financial crisis of 2008 started with shoddy mortgage-lending practices. Congress answered this problem with the 2010 Dodd-Frank Act, which was designed, among other things, to tighten mortgage lending standards and disclosures, keeping consumers better...
If you haven’t bought a home in recent years, the paperwork you’ll be confronted with will look a little different this time around. That’s because of new regulations put in place following the 2008 financial...
Since the financial crisis in 2008, mortgage rates have held to historic lows. The financial world hangs on the mere hint of a possible interest rate increase by the Federal Reserve. But what about rank-and-file...
How much is a home worth? That’s the crucial question asked by home buyers and their lenders in a sales transaction. It’s up to a professional real estate appraiser to analyze the property and market...
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