There are certain standard costs associated with closing the sale of a house. These fees are split between the buyer and the seller, as spelled out in the sales contract. As I negotiate the sales contract for you, I will not only work to get the sales price you want, I will also work to [...]
Deciding how much house you can afford is a personal decision. Many factors come into play. How much can I borrow? How much can I put toward my down payment? What size monthly payment can I afford? There are no black and white answers to these questions. Its a matter of give and take. If [...]
Do you plan on keeping your loan for a while? Then it may make sense to "buy" a lower interest rate by paying one or more "points." Even if you're unsure of how long you plan to keep your mortgage before you move or refinance, paying points now for a lower rate may make sense. [...]
What is the difference between the interest rate and the A.P.R.?You'll see an interest rate and an Annual Percentage Rate (A.P.R.) for each mortgage loan you see advertised. The easy answer to "why" is that federal law requires the lender to tell you both.The A.P.R. is a tool for comparing different loans, which will include [...]
How can you improve your credit score? It's virtually impossible to change your score in the time between when most people decide to buy a home or refinance their mortgage and when they apply. So the short answer is, you really can't "on the spot." But there are strategies you can live with to make [...]
In today's increasingly automated society, it should come as no surprise that when you apply for a mortgage, your ability to pay can be reduced to a single number. All the years you've been paying your mortgage, car payments, and credit card bills can be analyzed, sliced, diced, spindled and mutilated into a single indicator [...]
What is a credit score? Before deciding on what terms they will offer you a loan (which they base on their "risk"), lenders want to know two things about you: your ability to pay back the loan, and your willingness to pay back the loan. For the first, they look at your income-to-debt obligation ratio. [...]
An overview of the loan process Make no mistake, there's a lot involved in getting a mortgage loan. You wouldn't be here on our website if you could fill out a one-page application and get the best loan for you funded the same day. What we do is do most of the heavy lifting for [...]