Many potential homebuyers I have spoken to have told me they are sitting on the sidelines until the fall or winter. The housing market jumped up tremendously last year, and is up again this year, meaning your dollar isn’t going quite as far as it did two years ago. Generally, as we leave the summer […]

For many, this housing season is a major indicator of what is to come with the economy. If we have another record year where house prices inflate another 20%+, it means the housing market is in full rebound and we are approaching pre-2008 values. If they suddenly plummet and lose all the ground they make, […]

If you have the cash reserves to buy your next house, it might be tempting to forego the mortgage process and use your savings, instead. You won’t have to worry about going through the mortgage process, you can generally close faster, and you avoid all of the interest paid on the mortgage. For the right […]

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. […]

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 […]

  A rate lock, or lock in, is a guarantee of a rate by a lender for a set period of time. This protects you during the loan process from interest rates going up, which could ultimately cost you more money at closing, cost you more money monthly in the monthly payment, or in a […]

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 […]

Speculative real estate transactions have become extremely popular again in the last few years. Depressed house values combined with historically low interest rates have created the perfect environment for people looking to flip homes for a profit. But for many, this does not mean buying the house with cash, it instead means getting a mortgage […]