With mortgage rates falling and the buyer’s market in full swing, some potential homeowners might be tempted to go ahead and buy before they’re ready. This could lead to a borrower becoming overleveraged, and owing more than they should. In a report, WalletHub found which U.S. cities have the highest percentage of […]

There are two ways to look at a reverse mortgage. First: Only get a reverse mortgage if you absolutely have to. Doing so will encumber a home you should own outright, limiting your ability to move or pass the home on to your family. Second: A reverse mortgage lets you […]

Buying a house is exciting, emotional as well as stressful. Whether you are a first-time buyer or have experience in buying homes, it will always be everyday stress. Even though you try hard to have done all things smoothly, you may face several hurdles. For instance, a seller can be […]

There are right ways and wrong ways to buy a home. The latter of which will cost you a lot of unnecessary money, stress, and frustration. Use best practices, however — as offered by real estate experts below — and you’ll walk away a winner with a smile on your […]

Tim Jones: All Things Real Estate Q: My wife and I need to refinance out of our current first mortgage. We bought our home three years ago with a first-time buyer program, which required us to pay interest-only for 36 months then, after 36 months, the interest rate goes sky-high […]

Reader question: We’re hoping to buy a home in the future. A buddy of ours who’s a realtor said we should get pre qualified for a home mortgage. What does the pre approval process involve? How’s it different from pre qualification? . You are not alone in wondering this. Last […]

Wouldn’t it be nice if life came with step-by-step instructions? Now it does! We break down how to master pretty much any money-related task right here in our “How to Do Everything” series. Whatever the goal, we’ll cover the steps to take and things to know to reach your next […]

If you’d like to buy a house, you may think your first step should be driving by homes you’re interested in or visiting an open house. But the home buying process should start before you ever look at a single home. That way, you’ll be in the best possible financial […]

Once you pay off the debt, the lender owes you a document that would tell anyone looking at the title to your home that the mortgage or deed of trust had been released. (Dreamstime.com) Q: I recently paid off my mortgage and received a certificate of satisfaction from my lender […]

Let’s say you’re ready to buy your first home — but your bank account isn’t. If you don’t have the down payment money, loved ones are allowed to help. What a great holiday gift, right? But you’ll need what’s known as a “mortgage gift letter.” What’s a mortgage gift letter? If you […]