Shopping for a mortgage feels like learning an entirely new language of terms and acronyms. From LTVs to DTIs (front end and back end), cash reserves to credit scoring models, it’s overwhelming. So when your loan officer asks if you’d…
Buying your first home, and not sure what all the lender lingo means? Keep a glossary handy when you shop for a mortgage because the terminology gets confusing quickly. And that starts with a basic distinction: whether you want a…
Mortgage lenders earn thousands of dollars every time they close a loan. Although they earn that money in many different ways, one is by charging borrowers upfront fees called points. Don’t want to pay points among your closing costs? And…
Lenders operate on risk. The lower their risk, the less they charge in interest and fees. And one way they analyze risk is by looking at your financial stability. Enter: seasoning requirements. Lenders include these time requirements to make sure…
No matter how much they dislike debt, most people achieve home ownership with the help of a mortgage. But while you might need a loan to get your foot in the home ownership door, that doesn’t mean you’re stuck with…
Applying for a mortgage? Keep your stress ball handy. Aside from collecting your income and asset documentation and pulling your credit report — and a dozen other data points — lenders also require an appraisal of the property you want…
An 8% rental property mortgage may have seemed like a great deal 15 years ago. But rates have dropped like a rock, and your investment property’s kitchen and bathroom have seen better days. Should you sell and start over? Not…
On a $400,000 mortgage, the difference between a 4% and a 5% interest rate comes out to almost $240 per month. That’s over $2,800 per year. You could do a lot with that kind of money. And claiming it could…
The mortgage industry is rife with jargon and acronyms, from LTV to DTI ratios. One term you’ll hear sooner or later is “conventional mortgage loan.” It sounds boring, but it couldn’t be more important. Unless you’re a veteran, live in…
In a contract for deed transaction, the buyer skips the traditional mortgage lender and works out a deal directly with the seller. I’ve done a contract for deed deal as the seller, and it has worked out well for both…
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