Home Buying Process

How to Prepare to Buy Your First Home in 2022

In this post, I will cover everything you need to know about buying your first home including how to prepare to buy your first home in 2022. My book - My First Home was a #1 best-seller on Amazon.com and I have personally helped hundreds of First Time Home Buyers prepare to buy their first home. First Step - Choose the Right Loan Officer/Lender The first step of preparing to buy your first home in 2022 is to find the right loan officer and lending company. You should look for a Loan Officer…continue reading →

What is Mortgage Insurance? How Does it Work?

Mortgage insurance is essentially financial protection for the lender. If the borrower defaults on payments or cannot make the payments outlined in their contract with the lender, then mortgage insurance can protect them.  How Does it Work?  Mortgage Insurance can function differently depending on the agreement you have in place. Either it functions as a regular premium payment, or a lump-sum payment made when the lender signs the mortgage agreement. Some borrowers do not have a choice and are made to purchase PMI if they have greater than an 80% loan-to-value ratio. However,…continue reading →

How to Qualify for a Mortgage with an IRS Repayment Plan in 2021

  Whether you filed your completed taxes this April or an extension, you should already know your tax liability for the past year. If, despite your withholding or quarterly payments, you owe more than you can pay all at once, don’t panic. It’s not the end of the world even if you’re planning on applying for a mortgage right now. It’s always been possible to obtain a mortgage while you’re on a repayment plan for past tax liability by getting an FHA mortgage. FHA loans, insured by the Federal Government, require borrowers to…continue reading →

Freddie Mac Announces CHOICERenovation Loan to Finance Home Renovations

With the Remodeling market size expected to touch a massive $269 billion by 2025, it was time for Freddie Mac to jump into the Renovation loan marketplace. Especially given that the Federal Housing Administration and Fannie Mae have this kind of loan in place for, what, years now. Freddie Mac’s CHOICERenovation mortgage offers borrowers the opportunity to purchase a fixer-upper and get it remodeled with a single loan, thus cutting out the need for a cash-out refinance. Borrowers can also procure the loan for their existing homes for improving their properties. The CHOICERenovation…continue reading →

Top 10 Real Estate Markets for First Time Home Buyers

Home prices have completely stabilized and the shortage in housing supply is fast becoming a thing of past. Great news then for potential homebuyers who have come right into the mix! Only time will tell whether we are nearing the tail-end of the present cycle but from the looks of it, the market is certainly becoming a lot more receptive for new buyers; not only in terms of median values but also in terms of asking price quoted by sellers. Starter homes were definitely cramped in the recent past but the situation has…continue reading →

The Complete Guide to Qualifying for the HomeReady Program

Haven't saved quite enough money for a down payment on a home? How about zero money of your own saved, but your family will gift you money towards a down payment? Or maybe there's no possibility of receiving a gift of money from anyone in your family - but you still want to buy a house. Is there any hope? You'll be happy to know there are more paths to homeownership now than ever before. You might qualify for the Freddie Mac Home Possible, or Home Possible Advantage mortgage programs we talked about…continue reading →

The Complete Guide to Qualifying for the Home Possible Program

Saving to buy a home while you watch prices and interest rates increase feels like an impossible goal. You checked into FHA loans and learned it only requires 3 ½% of the purchase price as a down payment. But then you learned about the high, and permanent, mortgage insurance premiums. No thanks. Well, don't give up on your dream of homeownership! Consider these loans offered by Freddie Mac: the Home Possible loan requiring a minimum of 5% (of the purchase price) down payment and the Home Possible Advantage, allowing a minimum of 3%…continue reading →

The Best Things to Do Now to Get Your Finances Mortgage Ready

Somethings in life take a little preparation. Like going on a first date, decorating for the holidays, and applying for a mortgage. Imagine the outcome if you did zero prep work for the first two occasions? So why do so many people miss the obvious fact that applying for a mortgage has its own set of behind-the-scenes preparations? Yes, you could find a house and connect to a mortgage company on the spur of the moment act of bravado. But are you sure about what the lender will tell you? Do you already…continue reading →

11 Tips For Millennial First Time Buyers. My #CreditChat with @Experian

I was recently invited by Experian to attend their #CreditChat on Twitter to answers some of the top burning questions for the Millenial First Time Home Buyers. Here are the 11 questions and my answers. Q1: What are some important things millennials should keep in mind before they begin the homebuying process? A1: If you think your job is extremely mobile and/or your income uncertain, you shouldn't be buying a home yet.  If renting offers the flexibility like dating, home buying requires the commitment of being married. So, home buying is as much a…continue reading →

Here’s What You Need to Know About a Condo Loan

On the surface, everything looks the same when you apply for a mortgage to purchase a condominium. You get pre-approved for the mortgage before you ever make an offer on a home so you know your purchase price range and maximum mortgage amount. Once you have an accepted offer, you take all the steps to comply with your purchase agreement like making your initial deposit into escrow, locking in your interest rate and paying for the appraisal. Although you know your new home comes with a monthly Homeowners Association dues payment, that's got…continue reading →