This article was updated on 4/25/17. If you are gearing up to buy a home, your credit score could mean the difference between a manageable mortgage payment and one that breaks the bank. That’s because your credit score is one of the biggest factors lenders use to determine your mortgage interest rate and how much [...]
Contract contingencies offer protection for people buying a home in case something goes wrong. There are three standard contract contingencies homebuyers should know about to make sure they can get out of a home agreement if they need to. Under certain circumstances, contract contingencies can keep homebuyers from facing penalties if they decide to walk [...]
Private mortgage insurance, or PMI, can be a large new expense for homebuyers to take on each month. Fortunately, there are ways to avoid paying for PMI. If homebuyers are able to invest enough equity in their property, private mortgage insurance will not be required by the lender. If homebuyers put at least 20 percent [...]
The IRS will collect taxes on forgiven or cancelled mortgage debt but distressed homeowners may pay less than the full amount if they file correctly. When the bank forgives your mortgage debt, sells your home in a short sale or repossesses it with a deed in lieu of foreclosure, you no longer owe the mortgage [...]
In many ways, the Internet has made buying a home easier. Instead of relying on a real estate agent to mine the best listings for you, you can simply plug in your search criteria to a national or local real estate listing site to see what’s available in your area. You can also apply for [...]
Home prices are rising and foreclosures have gone down but several risk factors still face the 2014 housing market recovery. Daren Blomquist, Vice President of RealtyTrac, shared these four trends for the 2014 housing market recovery. RealtyTrac is a company that collects and analyzes real estate data and is one of the only major real [...]
It’s still a good time to refinance. In fact, it’s a great time to refinance your mortgage. Interest rates remain at historic lows, and locking in a low mortgage rate could save you a lot of money—tens of thousands of dollars over the life of your mortgage. Refinancing now is a smart move, but it’s [...]
Do you need to get your old tax records right now for a mortgage application, car loan or student financial aid? In the past, you had to wait days or weeks to get your tax records in the mail from the IRS. But now your tax records, including returns and other filing information, are available [...]
Home financing regulations have become a little more clear. New federal rules—which are intended to prevent the risky loans that sank the housing market—went into effect Jan. 10, and consumers may need to do a bit more work to get a mortgage. The QM rule is designed to ensure that lenders only make loans to [...]
The best mortgage rates are offered to those with the highest credit scores. This is true now more than ever. Since the housing market crashed, lenders only offer good mortgage rates if homebuyers have good credit scores. [VIDEO] If a borrower’s credit score is too low, the loan may not be approved at all. People [...]
