Have a safe and merry holiday season this year! If you are in the market for a new home, or think you might be in the market at some point later in the year next year, it is important to understand the impact of the Dodd-Frank changes going into effect in January. Should you have […]

Last week I discussed the new Dodd-Frank regulations and how they will impact home buyers, as well as what a Qualified Mortgage will be per the Dodd-Frank regulations. On Tuesday, we discussed the Dodd-Frank Ability to Repay Rule as it relates to the new DTI hard cap of 43%. And today, I would like to […]

As I discussed earlier this week, there are new regulations which will go into effect on January 10 which will impact the mortgage industry pretty significantly. Of all the new changes, the most important to borrowers is the “ability-to-repay rule,” which sets new standards on what is and is not an acceptable mortgage. This new […]

There is a lot of buzz relating to the new Dodd Frank mortgage guidelines which go into effect on January 10th. I have noticed an increasing number of on-air personalities have been discussing it on TV, and most of this discussion is in mortgage jargon. I think these changes can have a staggering impact upon […]

As a mortgage professional, I meet a lot of folks who are just starting out. They are renters who are on the fence, wondering whether or not purchasing a home makes financial sense. This is a common question which most first time home buyers have, and it is certainly understandable. So when I have this […]

Over the last few weeks, I’ve talked about what a fixed rate mortgage is, what an adjustable rate mortgage is, and how they compare to one another. Today, I would like to discuss a specific mortgage which has gained a lot of media attention over the last few years: the Option ARM. An Option ARM […]

After discussing different options for the type of mortgage a client might want, the conversation will often come back to this question: am I better off with an adjustable rate mortgage or a fixed rate mortgage? And while I would love to be able to definitively answer that question for my customers, the truth is, […]

Last week, I explained what an adjustable rate mortgage is, and when it could be an appropriate product. Today, I plan on explaining what a fixed rate mortgage is, and how fixed rate mortgages work. Fixed rate mortgages have a set interest rate which will not change for the life of the loan. Prevailing interest […]

Making extra principal payments on your mortgage can have a number of benefits – these extra payments can reduce the number of years you are in debt, save you thousands upon thousands of dollars in interest over the life of the loan, and allow you to build equity in your home much more quickly, should […]

A growing trend I have noticed over the last few years is homebuyers looking to go through the process without a realtor. And while you can save some money in fees to the realtor, I personally would not recommend this. A realtor adds a lot more to the home buying process than many prospective homebuyers […]