By Michele Lerner While rising mortgage rates certainly make transactions more expensive, they shouldn’t deter your purchase. Here are eight ways you can buy a home despite higher mortgage rates: 1. Make a bigger down payment 2. Pay points 3. Equity sharing 4. Switch loan products 5. Shorter terms 6. Downsize expectations 7. Buying with friends
Read more %1$sBecoming a Home Owner: Hardest, Easiest Home Loans to Get
By Chris Birk Credit score requirements have loosened in recent months, a sign that at least some mortgage lenders are starting to take a softer approach after years of tight lending. But let’s not call it a comeback quite yet. Plenty of consumers with and without credit are still struggling to secure home financing. Before you start shopping
Read more %1$sShould I Buy or Rent a Home?
With interest rates near forty year lows, the decision to rent versus buy becomes difficult. Use this calculator to help determine which makes sense for you at this time.
Read more %1$sHow Much Home Can I Afford?
When you’re buying a home, mortgage lenders don’t look just at your income, assets, and the down payment you have. They look at all of your liabilities and obligations as well, including auto loans, credit card debt, child support, potential property taxes and insurance, and your overall credit rating. Use this calculator to determine how
Read more %1$sHOW TO FINANCE A NYC APARTMENT COMBINATION
SPONSORED With mortgage rates still historically low and large co-op and condo apartments difficult to find, buying two smaller apartments and combining them is an attractive option for buyers willing to renovate. And since renovations and real estate often go hand in hand in NYC, a mortgage is often the glue enabling two apartments to be
Read more %1$sConstruction Loans for Your Dream Home
Affluent home buyers are building their dream mansions using construction loans that cover extravagant projects, including indoor swimming pools and multi-car garages. By ANNAMARIA ANDRIOTIS Affluent home buyers are building their dream mansions by signing up for jumbo construction loans that cover extravagant projects, including indoor swimming pools and multicar garages. Some are using construction
Read more %1$sMortgage Rates at Month’s Best Levels
By Dan Green Via QE3, the Federal Reserve purchases $85 billion in bonds monthly — $40 billion mortgage-backed bonds and $45 billion treasury bonds. Its September 2012 launch ushered in the period of the lowest mortgage rates in history, with 30-year fixed rate mortgage rates dropping to 3.31 percent nationwide for borrowers willing to pay
Read more %1$sBuying a House: How Much Can You Afford?
By Ronda Kaysen …When the housing bubble burst and it became clear that lenders were handing out mortgages with their eyes closed, many banks tightened their lending practices. Buyers suddenly were being asked to show stellar credit ratings and lay out 20% of the price of the home as a down payment. But, five years later, as the
Read more %1$sBuying Real Estate Property By Obtaining A Mortgage – Some Steps You Need To Follow
Do you want to buy real estate property? Well, if yes, then you need to have sufficient money for it. Possibly, you will not have the lump sum amount and thus, you require obtaining a suitable mortgage. These days there are several lenders who would offer you the loan at a reasonable rate. Thus, make
Read more %1$sAre 20-Somethings Ready to Buy a Home?
Millennials, also known as Generation Y, have come of age during one of the most turbulent economic times in American history. And these 20-somethings still want to buy homes, despite seeing home values plummet during their formative years. Compare Mortgage Rates in Your Area “The aspiration for homeownership is still there, but they also recognize
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