What Does it Mean When the Fed Raises Rates?
Will the Fed Raise Rates? Yes, and no. On Wednesday, March 16, the Fed will take an economic action that hasn’t been seen in years when they, as expected, raise the Fed funds rate. The targeted funds rate has been set at 0-.25% for years, and next week, this is expected to change. With…
Read MoreThe Bright Side of Real Estate
The real estate market is getting a lot of negative press at the moment. From some “experts” calling for a housing crash (the same ones who have been calling for a dip for over 5 years now…maybe eventually they’ll be right after another 10%+ jump in home prices this year!), to headlines about bidding wars,…
Read MoreWhy Would You Put 20% Down? Avoid PMI with Less!
Why Would You Put 20% Down? Avoid PMI with Less! In today’s world, PMI is considered a bad word in mortgage financing and home buying, and for good reason. After all, PMI doesn’t protect a borrower, it protects a lender, and in markets like we’ve recently seen, most of which are appreciating at a…
Read More2022 Market Forecast
We hope you enjoy our real estate and mortgage market forecast for 2022!
Read MoreShould I Pay Points?
Should I Pay Points? When getting a mortgage, one of the most important things to pay attention to is the cost of the loan being applied for. There are certain loan fees customers can shop for that may be drastically different from one lender to another (for example, origination/discount points, and lender fees) and some fees…
Read MoreWhy Are Credit Scores Different?
Why Are Credit Scores Different? If you’ve shopped around for any kind of loan, one of the things you likely noticed is that the credit score a lender pulls seems to be different, sometimes by quite a wide margin, from what you see when tracking your own credit scores. What gives? It comes down…
Read MoreHousing Affordability – the Market Looks Good!
Housing Affordability In today’s world of competitive markets, short inventory, and rising purchase prices, things are tough for home buyers (and believe it or not, sellers too!). With steeply rising prices and bidding wars becoming the norm, it seems the market is unaffordable, and many people are having their hopes dashed by competition and…
Read MoreHow to Win a Bidding War in Today’s Competitive Market
Winning a Bidding War in Today’s Tough Buyer’s Market From a production and lead generation standpoint, the majority of 2021 has been attempting to navigate the housing market to find creative, outside-the-box ways for buyer’s to compete in today’s marketplace. With demand competition far exceeding available housing supply, it’s not uncommon for homes to…
Read MoreThe Biden First Time Buyer Tax Credit – A Terrible Idea
The Biden Tax Credit – A Terrible Idea Note: This is a non-partisan opinion on a proposal by the current President. It is intended to be a 100% apolitical take on policy based on market analysis and data. The President of the United States has proposed a tax credit for first time homebuyers up…
Read MoreHow Down Payment Assistance Mortgage Programs Help Buyers In Expensive Markets
With home prices on the rise since the market crash of 2010, many markets have put home ownership seemingly out of reach for would be home buyers. While home prices in many markets have risen 5-10% in recent years, income increases have, in general, not kept up. In fact, most incomes have only climbed 2-3%…
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