When thinking about buying a home, one important piece to consider before any other is what is your borrowing power. Said another way, this means how much house you can afford. This is important for a number of reasons; you do not want to look at houses which are out of your price range, you […]

We all know the housing market collapsed in 2008 and 2009. House prices plummeted and there were deals aplenty. And the deals remained through 2009, 2010, and 2011. Foreclosures and short sales were everywhere, and you could buy a house at less than half it’s original price. But then in 2012, the market started to […]

When you are ready to buy a new home, it is important to find the right mortgage officer for your needs. Some mortgage officers specialize in very unique products for unique situations, meaning if you fit that need, the officer is great for you, but if you don’t, he probably won’t be of much help. […]

It’s that time of year again and, like clockwork, the houses are flying onto, and off of, the market. We are seeing new construction on the rise, both month-over-month, and year-over-year, and the explosion of houses on the market has only been outperformed by the explosion of requests for prequalification letters. We’re seeing house values […]

I have had buyers moving everywhere from Southfield to Northville who have called me after a move saying they forgot to factor a moving cost and now are using credit to get by. So whether you are a first time homebuyer considering making the move from renter to homeowner or you are a homeowner looking […]

If you currently own a home, or have ever owned a home in the past, you know that home maintenance costs can kill your monthly budget. They are usually unexpected costs which arise at the worst time, leaving you cursing your home and bad fortune. And because things with your home (think roof, foundation, windows, […]

I think it’s safe to say that we’d all like to be in a situation to retire some day. And that most of us would like that day to come sooner, rather than later. There are a number of ways to do this, but ultimately the smart money is on multiple streams of income. And […]

We have all seen the unprecedented movements in the housing market over the last 7 years. There were estimated depreciations of 20% nationally in 2007 and 18% in 2008, with continuing depreciation for several more years. Then, in 2012, we saw home prices go up as much as 23% in some areas, with similar growth […]

Now that tax day has come and gone, and we have seen the dust settle on our tax returns, it is time to consider how our most recent tax filing will impact our ability to qualify for a mortgage. As strange as it sounds, your ability to qualify for a mortgage could have changed drastically […]

As we discussed on Tuesday, homes which need repairs can often be a great way to get into the house of your dreams in your preferred neighborhood. It can be amazing how far a little work on a house can go as far as the home’s value, and thus what a good deal you can […]