Drop PMI With Or Without Refinancing
After you've paid down a certain amount of your mortgage loan and have earned enough equity in your home you should be able to stop paying private mortgage insurance (PMI). To find out how to drop PMI, call your mortgage lender and ask about the process. Dropping PMI may or may not involve…
Holiday Gifts For The Home Buyer, Seller, Agent Or Lender On Your List
With the winter holidays approaching, it seems like an obvious time to talk about some of the items you might want to give those buyers, sellers, real estate agents, and mortgage lenders nearest and dearest to your heart.
Homeownership Booming With Low Interest Rates
Odds and ends from real estate news around the country. Home values continue to rise as interest rates for 30-year mortgage rates hit historically low levels. The strong economy and low unemployment rate are helping more and more people around the country become first time home buyers. Also, a…
Explaining Private Mortgage Insurance
Private mortgage insurance (PMI) helps first-time buyers purchase a home without having saved the requisite 20 percent in cash for a down payment. However, consumers have complained that lenders are making it even more difficult to cancel PMI. If you are paying down the principal loan balance…
Increasing Your Home's Energy Efficiency Can Pay Off This Summer
A few simple tweaks can reduce your energy costs in peak times by up to 50 percent and help reduce air pollution. Summer is a key time for rising energy costs, but a few techniques will make your home more efficient.
Title Insurance May Protect Lender And Buyer
When you're buying a home your lender will likely ask you to buy title insurance. Title insurance covers the cost of a title search to make sure you have a clear title. Title insurance protects the lender in case it's later discovered that there's a problem with the title. When you're buying a home…
Necessary Insurance Coverage And The Common Mistakes
Having the correct insurance coverage will help save you when you need it most. Whether you rent or own, buying homeowners or renter's insurance is a necessary part of life. If you rent, you need to protect yourself in case your belongings are damaged or stolen. If you own your home, you need to…
Soon It Will Be Possible To Get A Loan From Your Local Insurance Agent Or Tax Preparer
Is an insurance company or tax preparer the best place for consumers to get home loans? That will depend on the quality of the company doing your home loan. But if a huge company like State Farm gets in the home loan game, you can be fairly certain they'll show up with the cash at closing.
