Blog

Apr 30, 2020
Couple using a computer

Thanks to the coronavirus pandemic and its related stay-at-home orders, almost everything is going virtual: business meetings, holiday celebrations, even home buying. Buyers now rely on what they can see on-screen as much or more than what their real estate agents tell them. If your home is on the market during these uncertain times, consider […]

Apr 28, 2020
Two couples looking at a house
Despite the significant age difference, a recent survey from the National Association of Realtors shows that Millennials are breaking with past home-buying trends and aligning their preferences with their grandparents’ generation. This development could alter your house-hunting approach, no matter the year you were born.  If you’ve been shopping for a home, but have yet […]
Apr 23, 2020
Family sitting on front steps of a house
Home affordability may be a problem for some Gen X’ers and Millennials. These two generations in particular are facing an added responsibility: their children are young and still living at home, or just returning from college, while their parents are aging quickly and in need of medical attention. But homeownership doesn’t have to be out […]
Apr 21, 2020
Split screen of two older couples, one looking at papers and the other talking
Reverse mortgages are often stigmatized as a last resort financial option for retirees. This couldn’t be farther from reality. These types of loans could be a proactive way to explore your retirement plans—one in which you’re able to use home equity as an emergency lifeline for cash in your daily life, especially during periods of […]
Apr 16, 2020
A small house next to a huge house. Maybe a graph that shows interest rates going down is superimposed in the blue sky above them.
The answer might not surprise you: it all depends on whether your budget can stretch beyond making a larger down payment. While falling interest rates allow for added purchasing power, it remains critical that you understand the true cost of any home—that’s especially the case if the property you’re now eying is a greater financial […]
Apr 14, 2020
Woman with laptop
Recent social distancing efforts have given millions of Americans their first experience with the growing trend of working remotely. The coronavirus pandemic, and an eagerness to avoid similar outbreaks in the future, are likely to create even more opportunities to work from home most of the time, if not entirely. As advances in technology and […]
Apr 9, 2020
three people going over a document

Amid the COVID-19 Pandemic, emergency rate cuts by the Federal Reserve have brought the federal funds rate to nearly zero. While not directly influenced by those cuts, mortgage rates for home buyers have followed a similar, downward trend and hover near historic lows.  As applications for new mortgages and refinancing grow in response, homeowners with […]

Apr 7, 2020
Fed building with a down percentage arrow icon
Since early March, the Federal Reserve has made two emergency rate cuts to the federal funds rate. The moves came in response to the coronavirus pandemic and its potential to dramatically slow economic growth in the United States and abroad. The action brings the borrowing rate to between 0 and .25 percent.  But with social […]
Apr 2, 2020
hands being washed
As local, state, and federal officials work to slow the spread of Coronavirus in the United States, the necessary response can differ significantly depending on your circumstances. And while the overall risk to most Americans continues to be low, certain precautions are consistently recommended to protect yourself, and others, against COVID-19 and other communicable diseases. […]
Mar 31, 2020
Couple on couch
Imagine walking into your dream home unprepared to make an offer. Because you haven’t worked with a loan originator yet, you may not know if you can afford it. You realize someone else might be more prepared than you and could land your dream home before you even talk to a lender.  You could avoid […]
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