Everyone wants to move into the perfect house. In reality, your dream home may not be a finished product when you buy it. While many mortgages won’t pay for improvements above the value of the existing home, here are two loan products that... (Read More)

Is it time for your son or daughter to leave the nest? Are you prepared to offer assistance so that your adult child can purchase his or her first home? If your adult child is unable to buy a home on his or her own, odds are Mom and Dad can help... (Read More)

You can’t change the square footage of your house without a major investment, but you can influence how big or small the rooms feel with little to no cost. Here are five tips to make your space appear as large as possible to buyers. Keep... (Read More)

If you have a mortgage insured by the Federal Housing Administration and are thinking about a refinance, there’s a great product for you. It’s called a streamline refinance, and as the name implies, it’s the quickest, simplest way to take... (Read More)

If your home is on the market as temperatures drop, it may be particularly vulnerable to the elements. It's never too late in the season to winterize your home. Follow these simple steps to ensure your house is safe from the cold — and ready to... (Read More)

Here’s a statistic that boggles the mind: about one third of home-buying veterans don’t know there’s a loan product designed just for them. After 70 years of success, you would think that every veteran and active-duty service member would... (Read More)

Deciphering loan lingo can present a challenge when you’re starting the loan application process. Between the products and requirements, it’s almost as if the lending industry has its own language. Should you go for a 203k, 203b, jumbo or... (Read More)

When asked what is the hardest part about buying a home, many first-timers cite the lack of a down payment or difficulty in saving for one. It doesn’t have to be so, however. When you apply for a mortgage, lenders may require that you have some... (Read More)

Did you miss this trend? A growing list of credit-card companies and other financial institutions have started providing consumers with their credit scores—for free. Yes, those scores shrouded in secrecy that lenders use to make key decisions... (Read More)