Minorities get higher rates. They add that the fact minorities are more likely to borrow from institutions specializing in high-priced loans could mean they are being steered to such lenders or that some lenders are unwilling or unable to serve minority neighborhoods. What they describe is called redlining. It is illegal. HUD (correctly!) really gets …
Continue reading “The Consequences of Not Shopping Multiple Lenders”
I am an adamant believer in the Non-exclusive Buyer’s Agency Agreement. In practical terms, as opposed to the Exclusive Buyer’s Agency Agreement, it is so much to the advantage of the consumer that it isn’t funny, and it doesn’t usually hurt good agents. On the other hand, the proponents have one argument going for them …
Okay, I did an article called Why Renting Really Is For Suckers (And What To Do About It). Fairness demands that I do a companion article on situations where buying is not a good idea. There actually are some. First off, the math just plain works against it for less than about three years. If …
I just moved into a rental house with an option to buy. I figure I can probably save up around $40-45k for a down payment in three years. how should i save? The Roth IRA tax loophole for first time home buyers maxes out at $10k and takes 5 years anyway. It sounds dumb, but …
Continue reading “What is the Best Way To Save For A Down Payment?”
Every so often, someone who thinks they’re a wit sends me a copy of The Rules For Relationships According To Women. Unlike those rules, which might have been funny around the time Nefertiti was a debutante, these rules are real and they are not based upon caprice. Very recently, I was walking through a grocery …
We have several rental properties that we own (more than 10). When we were younger, before we got married, we both moved around a lot and bought houses, moved, stayed a year or so and did it again. I of course don’t have to mention why we did this (no money down, low fixed rates, …
If a home for sale has a refrigerator included on the listing report, and the buyer’s agent does not write that it goes to the seller in a contract, is the buyer actually entitled to the refrigerator. I am actually going through this right now. The listing does not matter. What does the purchase contract …
One of the things I’m seeing a lot of these days is blanket advice on bridge loans. A bridge loan is a loan that you take out with the explicit intention of having it be short term. The most common situation is a loan against property A, which you own but plan to sell, so …
Thanks again for the terrific posts. I’ve learned more about mortgages in the past two months than I ever dreamed I might. I am looking to buy my first home soon, and have myself in a good credit position to do so. My credit score is over 800 and I have no back-end debt – …
Most people tend to shop for a mortgage based upon the payment. They figure the lowest payment will be the cheapest loan. This is the way most people make banks rich. Because they are looking for the loan with the lowest rate and the lowest payment, they choose the loan with two or three points …
Continue reading “Payment, Interest Rate and Up Front Costs: Choosing a loan intelligently”
