Featured Posts
3 Tips For Getting The Most Out Of Your Time House Hunting
In the ideal home-buying scenario, you'd have plenty of time to find the perfect home. However, this is not always possible. Maybe you are relocating for a job and have to buy a house from across the country. If this is the case, you might have to limit the time that you spend house hunting. Here are some tips to help you make your search as productive as possible. #1 Get A Mortgage Pre-Approval Before attending open houses and searching for a home, you should get pre-approved for a … [Read More...]
3 Programs That Allow You To Buy A Home With No Money Down In 2018
Home buyers are typically advised to put at least 20% down for a mortgage. Coming up with that amount can seem almost impossible if you have little to no money left over after paying bills each month. Fortunately, if you want to buy a house but are worried about coming up with the 20 percent down needed for a downpayment, you still have plenty of options. There are still plenty of programs that allow you to buy a home with a low down payment or even no money down in 2018. Here are some … [Read More...]
House Hunting When You Are In A Time Crunch
In an ideal world, you'd have plenty of time to find the perfect home. However, that does not always happen. Maybe you are relocating because of a job transfer. Fortunately, it doesn't have to take months to find the perfect home. You can speed up the process of buying a home utilizing some tried and true tips. Here are some of the best ways to speed up the house buying process. Find An Experienced Real Estate Agent An experienced agent likely has an extensive network and … [Read More...]
How To Manage Investment Property While Working Full-Time
In 2017, upwards of 75 percent of independent rental property owners in the U.S. reportedly worked another job on top of being a landlord. That means the overwhelming majority of landlords are attempting to juggle more than they can handle at times. There are organizational and strategic concepts that can maximize efficiency and profitability. Consider the following tips that bring property management tasks under three basic headings: organization, automation and outsourcing. Organization … [Read More...]
What’s Ahead For Mortgage Rates This Week – June 18th, 2018
Last week's economic reports included the post-meeting statement by the Fed's Federal Open Market Committee along with readings on retail sales and inflation. Weekly reports on mortgage rates and new jobless claims were also released. Fed Raises Key Interest Rate on Strong Economic Indicators The post-meeting announcement by the Federal Open Market Committee of the Federal Reserve indicated that committee members voted to raise the target federal funds rate to 0.175 to 2.00 percent from the … [Read More...]
Is Buying A Short Sale Right For You?
If you have been looking for a new home, and you find one offered under a short sale, this may be to your advantage. While some buyers are wary about buying a home that needs to be sold with the approval of the lender, it's a great way to get a bargain on a home that you love. A short sale may be a perfect way to buy a home, as long as you are able to wait until the offer is approved. The Basics Of A Short Sale A short sale occurs when the homeowner is facing a foreclosure and trying to avoid … [Read More...]
Questions to Ask When Buying New Construction
Buying a new home is exciting. Buying a brand new home can be even more so with the realization of being the first owner and possibly being able to choose your own layout and finishes. The prospect of owning new construction is definitely exciting, but it doesn't come without its own set of questions. If you're in the market for a new home, and considering new construction, make note of the questions below when you begin your property search. What are the long term plans for the community? … [Read More...]
Fix and Flip: Forget What You See on Television
The drama of home and garden TV shows may be fun to watch, but no matter what you think, reality shows are not at all like real life. If you think it's easy to buy a house that needs updating and turn it quickly for substantial profit, you might want to think again. That doesn't necessarily mean, though, that you should shy away from the idea of buying a "fixer-upper" -- just that you should approach such a home purchase with eyes wide open. Here are some valuable tips: Buying a house … [Read More...]
Buying A Foreclosure: 5 Things To Know
Buying a property out of foreclosure can be a very smart move, financially. But it can also be complicated, expensive, and stressful. Here are 5 things to keep in mind before you take a first step in that direction: Cash Or Preapproval Required Buying a house that has been returned to the lender through foreclosure means dealing with bureaucracy rather than with a motivated seller. Large lenders are notorious for taking their time to approve a contract, even if the offer is for the exact … [Read More...]
What’s Ahead For Mortgage Rates This Week – June 11th, 2018
Last week’s economic reports included analyst assertions that U.S. housing markets are overvalued in over 50 percent of markets. Weekly reports on mortgage rates and first-time jobless claims were also released. CoreLogic: Over Half of Top 50 U.S. Housing Markets Overvalued Rapidly rising home prices are causing some U.S. markets to be overvalued, which means that home prices are higher than a community’s ability to sustain. What goes up must come down in such scenarios, but home … [Read More...]
Long-Distance House Hunting Tips
It pays to start with a solid strategy when you have to house hunt from afar. Hunting for a house is stressful enough even if you are moving to another part of town. However, when you are searching for a house from afar, it can make the task of finding the right home for your needs seem almost impossible. Fortunately, in today's high-tech world, you have an array of tools available right at your fingertips that can make it easy to find the perfect house for your needs. So, even if you are … [Read More...]
What To Know When Looking At Active Adult Communities
For many Americans, retirement age is fast approaching or already here: Baby Boomers account for nearly 75 million individuals in the United States. Retirement can present a lot of opportunities, especially when it comes to relaxation, activities, and the enjoyment of life with those of a similar age. More and more Americans are looking to 55+ communities to fulfill those wants and needs. Active Adult Communities 55+ communities, also known as an active adult or age-restricted communities, are … [Read More...]
What You Need To Know About Short Sales
On the surface, a short sale seems like the perfect deal. However, before you take the plunge, you need to understand how this type of home purchase works. What Is a Short Sale? A short sale is a home sale in which the homeowner is selling the home for less than he or she currently owes on the mortgage. In most cases, this means that the buyer is paying less for the home than it's worth, which leads to instant equity. Short sales allow homeowners to get out from under mortgages without damaging … [Read More...]
Pros And Cons Of Buying A Foreclosure
When a homeowner stops making regular mortgage payments, the bank can foreclose on the property. This means that the bank takes possession of the property in an attempt to recover the debt the homeowner owes. In some cases, the bank may try to recover this debt by selling the property at auction. In other cases, the bank will simply list the foreclosed home for sale. Choosing to purchase a foreclosed home has both advantages and disadvantages for the buyer. Weighing these advantages and … [Read More...]
What’s Ahead For Mortgage Rates This Week – June 4th, 2018
Last week's economic reports included readings on Case-Shiller home prices, pending home sales and construction spending. Weekly readings on mortgage rates and new jobless claims were released, along with monthly labor-related reports on job creation and the national unemployment rate. Case-Shiller: Home Prices Maintain Rapid Growth S&P Case-Shiller home price indices for March showed home prices continued to grow at blazing rates. Seattle, Washington held on to first place with a … [Read More...]
How To Qualify For An FHA Loan
Borrowers who cannot qualify for a conventional mortgage are often able to obtain an FHA loan. However, to secure this type of loan, you must still meet certain requirements. What Is an FHA Loan? FHA loans are mortgage loans that are backed by the Federal Housing Administration. It is designed to help borrowers who are unable to meet the requirements for a conventional mortgage or other types of financing. These loans can be used to purchase single-family and multi-family homes. What Are the … [Read More...]
Understanding Your Debt To Income Ratio
When you are filling out a mortgage application, the lender will be asking you for specific financial information. One of the reasons they ask for this information is to enable the underwriter to calculate your debt to income ratio. The debt to income ratio is what most mortgage lenders use to determine the level of risk they are taking when they agree to provide you a mortgage. Most mortgage lenders will use your debt to income ratio to determine your interest rate, down payment requirements, … [Read More...]
Home Updates That Make Good Multi-Generational Sense
Multi-generational households and the growing preference on the part of many retirees toward "aging in place"have altered home design in recent years. Interiors are more open, more functional and more adaptable that they were even a decade ago. Spaces tend to be less formal; living space is better integrated with work space like the kitchen, and rooms tend to serve more than once purpose, both for quiet pursuits and for family gatherings. Universal Design Home design has … [Read More...]
What’s Ahead For Mortgage Rates This Week – May 29th, 2018
Last week's economic reports included readings on sales of new and previously-owned homes along with weekly readings on mortgage rates and new jobless claims. Home Sales Lower in April Sales of new and previously-owned homes were lower in April. The Commerce Department reported sales of new homes at a seasonally-adjusted annual rate of 662,000 sales. New home sales were 1.50 percent lower than for March, but were11.60 percent higher year-over-year. Analysts expected new home sales to rise to … [Read More...]
