The Pay it Forward Promise is a program which I started in January of this year as a way to give back to the community. I made a resolution to help people more, and this has been a great way to do that. It is something I am proud to offer, and something which makes […]

As we covered last week, one of the biggest benefits of home ownership is building equity. But besides the equity aspect, the next most important benefit of owning a home for many Americans is the tax write off. Now, I’m not an accountant, and I can’t guarantee that everything I say will apply to everyone […]

With interest rates steadily declining over the last two years, and finally hitting all time lows recently, it is no wonder so much attention is being paid to refinancing. Refinancing is, basically, just trading your existing mortgage in for a new one with a different rate and term in an effort to lower your costs. […]

This is a common question I am asked by clients, and I would say it is a pretty good question to ask. If you watch the news, there are reports seemingly ever day which contradict each other on the topic of down payments. Some will say put at least 20% down to avoid mortgage insurance […]

There is a special mortgage type for active duty military, reservists, and veterans, called a VA mortgage. This mortgage works nothing like a conventional or FHA mortgage, as it does not rely on traditional debt to income calculations and has much more forgiving credit qualifications. It was a mortgage program designed by the government to […]

In my last post, I discussed what a conventional loan is. But for many customers who do not qualify for a conventional mortgage, or who do not want to put as much money down on a house, going with an FHA mortgage might make more sense. An FHA loan is a government backed loan with […]

One of the first questions I am asked by my customers is: “what type of mortgage is best for me?” And to answer that question, I will usually ask them a series of questions to get a better understanding of their needs. After we go through this exercise, I will lay out several options, and […]

The most important first step in buying a house is determining what you can afford and what type of mortgage makes the most sense for you. So, it seemed a good idea to explain what is involved in qualifying for a mortgage and what some of the basic terms mean. For starters, it is important […]

With interest rates still hanging at record lows, homeowners around the nation have been looking into refinancing their mortgages.  Even here in the Metro-Detroit area people are saying goodbye to their “jumbo” loans and are now working with a Michigan mortgage lender to refinance into a more conventional loan. Sure that homeowner might have to […]