FICO recently announced changes to how they will determine your credit score. These changes will help many borrowers on the cusp of eligibility, as they will now exclude  medical bills in collection and paid or satisfied collections when determining your score. What this means is that tens of millions of Americans will see their credit […]

If you are buying a house with a FHA mortgage or with a conventional mortgage with less than 20% down, you will probably have some form of mortgage insurance. This is an additional monthly charge on top of your normal payment to buy insurance on your mortgage. The insurance is not for you, though, it […]

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. […]

Many of my clients who are first time homebuyers, or who are coming back to the housing market after a (usually unwanted) hiatus, are curious as to when it makes sense to drop the rental and buy something. There are a number of things to consider as you make this leap, and as the short […]

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 […]

For the last few weeks, I have been explaining how to calculate income for people who are self employed. This includes anyone who owns a sole proprietorship, LLC, C-Corp, S-Corp, or is a member of a partnership. And now that I have covered that, I thought it might be a good idea to explain how […]

Last week, I explained how to calculate personal income from business entities which are filed through your personal tax returns, namely the Sole Proprietorship and the LLC. This week, I have decided to tackle the more complicated corporate structures. I started the week with the S-Corp, which is most like the other 2 structures, and […]

I have spoken several times in the past about this topic, but I feel it is an important topic to revisit, especially in the new year. I find many of my clients, especially first time home buyers, have some vague notion of what a “preapproval” is, but they do not know what is required to […]

There is a lot of misinformation online in relation to credit and qualifying for a mortgage. Yes, credit is certainly a factor when determining eligibility, but many people qualify who do not realize they do. This can be for a number of reasons – if you or your spouse are a veteran, you qualify for […]

Last week, I touched upon the new HUD guidelines released which change certain requirements related to people who experienced an economic event during the great recession. These changes allow you to purchase a home much sooner than before, even if you short sold, went into pre-foreclosure, or foreclosed upon a house, so long as you […]