A Mortgage Broker or a Bank? The Best Path to Finding the Ideal Mortgage

How do you find the best deal on a mortgage, knowing that even a small difference in interest rate or rules can mean a significant amount of money saved? Should you go to a mortgage broker or bank to find it? Let’s first look at what brokers do. A mortgage broker is a middleman who […]

I’m in the middle of the loan process for buying a new home and am considering opening a new credit card account. Is this a bad idea?

Four Unspoken Rules of Buying a Home

A combination of warmer weather and the promise of rising interest rates will be enough to convince many potential home buyers that this spring is the time to look. If you’re one of those potential buyers, here are four unspoken rules of home buying you should know before starting your search. 1. Get pre-approved. If […]

Applying For a Mortgage in 2014? Don’t Do It Until You Read These Tips (Part 2)

You have rights as a borrower—know them. The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau’s new regulations were created to ensure that mortgage borrowers’ rights are protected. In fact, as a borrower, you have more rights this year than any previous year, thanks to the CFPB’s reform. Knowing your rights and exercising them in situations where you are […]

Should I just accept the mortgage loan terms a bank offers or can I negotiate those terms?

Applying For a Mortgage in 2014? Don’t Do It Until You Read These Tips (Part 1)

Thinking of getting a mortgage in 2014?  If so, there are a lot of changes happening.  Here are some tips on successfully navigating them and qualifying for the best mortgage available on the market: Refresh your financial record-keeping skills.  2014’s new rules require lenders to be especially thorough in requesting adequate documentation for borrowers’ income […]

Are Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac’s troubles over?

Government Watchdog Finds Fault (Yet Again) in Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac’s Practices

The Federal Housing Finance Agency’s Office of the Inspector General recently audited Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac’s use of a web portal designed to decrease error in collecting appraisal data.  Not surprisingly, the audit found that both government-sponsored entities are failing to use the portal properly.  For example, in some situations for which the database […]

With all the housing market changes, how can I be sure I’ll make money on a flipped property before I invest in it?

The Present and Future of Home Flipping: Guess Which Has the Better Outlook?

RealtyTrac data shows that in 2013, investors who purchased a home with the intention of flipping it within six months made an average of $10k more from the flip than the numbers shown for 2012.  If we were to look at these numbers alone, the first impression might be that home flipping for profit has […]

How the New FHA Loan Limits are Calculated: A Quick Primer

Now that FHA’s loan limits are back to their pre-2008 numbers, getting an FHA mortgage might be quite a bit more difficult in certain areas of the country with above-average real estate prices.  If you’re interested in how this “ceiling” is now calculated, you have to first understand how FHA determines the national loan limit […]

The FHA’s Big Announcement: How New FHA Loan Limits for Palm Beach County, Miami Dade County and Broward County Could Affect Your Plans to Buy a Home in 2014

In a memo from the Department of Housing and Urban Development’s Housing Commissioner, HUD released the new Federal Housing Administration’s (FHA) maximum loan limits effective for all FHA loan applications received January 1, 2014 through December 31, 2014.  While the decrease was expected in the industry, it could have a significant impact on real estate […]