When clients come to me expressing an interest in buying a condo here in Michigan, I usually run down a few important points. First, I discuss the various types of condos available. Determining what type of condo you want will help you to find the right community. Next, we discuss what it means for a […]

It’s surprising to me how often people ask me about automatic payments. Something which, in the grand scheme of the mortgage process, seems so inconsequential can really get some people thinking. But while I consider the mortgage process from a processing and underwriting standpoint, the payment piece becomes the long-term concern for the borrower. So […]

On Tuesday, I wrote about the relative worth of mortgage insurance. For some, it is a welcome expense; for others, it is a needless expense best avoided. But for those who go the mortgage insurance route, it is usually not very long before they want to get rid of that extra monthly insurance payment. To […]

As I discussed on Tuesday, FICO is changing some things in their scoring models. They will be excluding medical collections and paid collections when calculating FICO scores, meaning many people will see a significant increase in their credit score. So if you did not qualify for a mortgage a month ago, when these rules changes […]

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 […]

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, […]

Last week, I discussed some of the most common types of mortgage programs. This included conventional, FHA, and VA, and I touched on construction, or rehabilitation, loans. These are definitely the most common ways people finance a house, and each targets a specific part of the housing market. Today, I will discuss the most common […]

On Tuesday, I discussed Home Equity Lines of Credit (HELOCs), which are lines of credit that allow you to access the equity in your home. Today, I will discuss another variation of the home equity product line, the Home Equity Loan (HELOAN). These loans function similarly to the HELOC in many ways: they sit in […]

Many loan programs come with the option for home buyers to buy down an interest rate. What this means is the borrower can pay a certain amount in closing costs to have their interest rate reduced. The upfront cost is usually measured in points, where 1 point is 1% of the overall loan amount, and […]

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. […]