With the current state of the real estate market, remodeling or completing renovations on your home is a great way to begin putting value back into your property. However, it is a big investment and when you are hiring a contractor to complete the work, you need to be certain that they are reputable and [...]

Mortgage rates worsened this morning, led in part by “positive” data from the the National Association of Home Builders/Wells Fargo sentiment index. The index climbed to 15 this month from 13 in June, which was higher than forecast. While the index is still at very low levels, positive surprises such as this one carry more [...]

As part of the economic stimulus package in 2008, temporary loan limits were enacted to help homeowners in high-cost areas that were unable to get loans for more than $417,000 under the standard conforming loan limits regardless of their payment history, credit and income. Homeowners in areas such San Francisco, New York and Los Angeles [...]

Whether you’re applying for a mortgage for the first time or are looking at purchasing a new home and will be increasing your mortgage amount, it’s essential to understand how much you can afford. You may think that any number that fits within your monthly budget is comfortable and sustainable, but your mortgage lender may [...]

Mortgage rates continued lower last week fueled by concerns regarding employment and statements made in the June Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) minutes regarding market weakness. The consensus among the majority of the recently released market data and the FOMC minutes is that the overall recovery is still a work in progress and the levels [...]

The University of Michigan’s / Thomson Reuters widely-watched consumer confidence index shows consumer confidence moving lower driven by lack of confidence in government economic policies and increasing pessimism over unemployment, home prices and falling income. The index fell  7.7 points to 63.8, its biggest decline since March with the index falling to 76.3 from 82.0, [...]

The Federal Reserve released notes from the June 21-22 Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) meeting on Tuesday, shedding light on the FOMC’s current observations of the market and how it will be adjusting its activities moving forward. This release of minutes is one of eight releases the Fed meets, following each of the eight Fed [...]

When you purchase a home for the first time, there are some expenses to keep in mind that you may not be aware of that you are responsible for when you close on your home.  Closing costs typically total 1.5% to 2.5% of the purchase price of a home. The recurring closing costs outlined below [...]

The Bureau of Labor Statistics released unexptected  employment data this morning in the form of the “Jobs Report” resulting in a decrease in mortgage rates. Mortgage rates are senstiive to the jobs report because jobs are what provide the income that is spent to power the economy. The data released showed that Nonfarm payroll employment [...]

You’re ready to make that big step into home ownership, which can be exciting, but if you’ve never gone through the process? It’s easy to get overwhelmed but when you have a better understanding of what to expect from the process of obtaining a mortgage, you will feel much more confident about every decision you [...]