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, […]

A Home Equity Line of Credit (or HELOC, for short) is a line of credit which is secured against the equity in your house. Different banking institutions offer different rates and terms based upon the percentage of equity you have available in your home. These lines of credit sit behind your mortgage, allowing you to […]

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 […]

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, […]

Conventional wisdom dictates that the spring is a seller’s market. Houses show nicely in the spring. The holiday season has passed, tax time is over, and prospective buyers are ready to start shopping. And because we all hype the spring up as the time to buy a house, people come out in droves to buy […]

There are a number of reasons why people declare extensions on their taxes, but I have found that it is most commonly done by small business owners who have very complicated returns due to multiple income streams and a number of different types of write offs. These people are often earning a nice living, own […]

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 […]

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 […]

Last week, I discussed some of the consequences of the government shutdown on the mortgage industry. Now, 6 days after the government reopened, I am proud to report that the impact has been almost nonexistent. Mortgages continued to close during the shutdown and continue to now. No one lost a home or lost an interest […]