Do you get the deed after your final mortgage payment? After making your final mortgage payment, there are many documents you should receive, but is the home deed one of them? Q: My husband and I paid off our home in 1999, 10 years early. We never received a deed. The loan company said that [...]
Refinancing your mortgage can be a way to change your loan terms. If you refinance, you may be able to get a better interest rate or shorten the length of your loan, which can potentially save you money over time. With mortgage interest rates hovering around 4 percent, your savings from refinancing may be significant—especially [...]
Buying a home can be an exciting and overwhelming process. When all the paperwork’s been signed, you’ve moved in, and the dust has settled, you may be thinking twice about your choice in homeowners insurance. How soon after you buy your home can you switch insurance providers, what happens to the money you may have [...]
Refinancing your mortgage? Before you refinance your mortgage, here's what to know and ask during the loan application process. Q: I enjoyed your recent column that appeared in our local paper. I've just gone through a refinancing and found myself wondering about certain questions I should have asked. The main question was whether my loan [...]
Sometimes a mortgage lender will make a last minute request of a borrower that could have been dealt with early on in the process. Q: I got your name while doing a search on the Internet and I have a question. I was about to go to my closing for my mortgage on the purchase [...]
The average length of time for a refinance can vary if they don't have the right documents needed for a mortgage refinance. Q: My husband and I started a refinance late last year with an Internet lender and we are still going through the process. Now, our mortgage broker wants a letter about my husband's [...]
Are you selling a house without a Realtor? Seller financing and selling a home without an agent has its cost and benefits. Q: I appreciated your article on the advantages and disadvantages of holding title to a home in a limited liability company (LLC). I have a house in Maryland that is valued at around $350,000 [...]
Foreclosure is scary. Before the bubble burst and the housing crisis hit, it was taboo to go through foreclosure. Now it’s almost common. And, unfortunately, despite the rosier outlook for the real estate market, too many homeowners are still facing foreclosure. The most important thing for any homeowner in this situation to know is that [...]
Last year, I found myself shopping at a major retailer. The store was having a great sale, and I found a fair number of clothes that fit me, all at an excellent price. When I was checking out, the cashier offered me a big discount if I opened up a major credit card co-branded with [...]
