Do You Need A Real Estate Agent to Buy or Sell Your Home?
The home-buying/selling experience is a deeply personal one. After all, this could be the biggest transaction you ever make. A real estate agent can help simplify confusing paperwork, connect you with the right buyers/sellers, work out deals, and reduce your anxiety about the entire process. But even though working with an agent is the norm […]
What’s the Difference Between Mortgage Pre-Qualification and Pre-Approval?
Buying a house is an exciting time, and it’s natural to want to start your search right away. But before you download the Zillow app in an HGTV-induced haze of wrap-around porches and open floor plans, there are a few things you should consider. For instance: Have you thought about how you’re going to pay […]
Tips from a Pro for Smart House Flipping
Do you daydream about transforming a 1920s bungalow from moldy to modern? Do you spend your time scouring Zillow for knockout deals? Maybe you’ve dreamed for years of buying a fixer-upper, maybe you had the idea five minutes ago — no matter where you are in the long-haul process of house flipping, this segment of […]
10 Ideas That Green Your Home — and Your Wallet
Whether you’re starting a huge remodeling project or just giving your house a minor face lift, implementing eco-friendly home improvement strategies not only helps you go green, it saves green, too. Small green home improvements can shave off hundreds of dollars from your energy costs annually, while major ones can boost your home value by […]
Millennial, Gen X, or Baby Boomer. Here’s How Your Home Purchases Stack Up
Spacious interior with an open floor plan or a cozy Colonial with well-defined rooms? A Tudor built in the 20s with loads of character or a modern home stocked with all the latest technology and conveniences? When it comes to buying a home, everyone wants something with four walls and a roof overhead. But past […]
The Answers to Your Most Burning Questions About a Mortgage Refinance
Picture this. You’ve been living in your first home for a few years. Since you made the purchase (congrats, by the way), your credit score has improved, you received a promotion at work, and you’ve definitely learned a thing or two about how to be responsible with your finances. You’re starting to consider refinancing your […]
4 Things That Today’s First-Time Homebuyers Are Doing Right
Sometimes it feels like you can’t escape the headlines about how your generation — the millennials — are shaking things up. How you avoid malls, choose to marry and have kids later, contribute to the demise of chain restaurants and look to gain social good from your investments, not just financial returns — essentially challenging […]
Mortgage Matchmaking: Swipe Right on the Right Mortgage for You
Dating apps like Bumble and Hinge make searching for your soulmate as easy as swiping left or right. The seemingly endless possibilities of a match can make it hard to commit. But unlike daters who may think their perfect partner is only a few swipes away, it might be harder for homebuyers to figure out […]
Do Higher Interest Rates Mean It’s a Bad Time to Purchase a House?
The years following the market crash in 2008 at times felt like a staging of “Waiting for Gadot.” Like the play’s title character, interest rate hikes never arrived, even though you expected them at any moment. For seven years, the Federal Reserve’s benchmark federal funds rate, the rate that banks charge to loan each other […]
The Basics of a Jumbo Mortgage
Chances are, you know a little something about mortgages. But have you heard about their big brother, the jumbo mortgage? A jumbo mortgage — also known as a jumbo home loan — might sound expensive and downright financially daunting, but it’s not nearly as intimidating as it sounds. A jumbo loan is simply a big […]
