Thinking About Waiting for Lower Mortgage Rates? Read This First.

Picture waiting a full year to buy a home, only to find that mortgage rates look about the same as they do today. It sounds frustrating, and right now it is a real possibility. A lot of buyers have put their plans on hold because they are sure a big drop in rates is just around the corner. Today's f

Buying a Home? Here's What You Should Know About Home Insurance Costs.

Most buyers walk into the process watching two numbers: the mortgage rate and the price of the home. Homeowners insurance rarely gets the same attention. That is a mistake, because insurance has quietly become one of the fastest moving costs of owning a home, and it can change what a buyer can actua

Priced Out? A Condo or Townhome Could Be Your Way In.

Home prices have plenty of buyers, especially first-time buyers, wondering if anything on the market actually fits their budget. The instinct is to keep waiting, keep saving, or keep searching for a single-family home that may not show up anytime soon. But narrowing the search to single-family homes

Student Loans Are Back in the News. Don't Let It Put Your Homeownership Plans on Hold.

Student loan headlines have been hard to miss lately, and if you carry that debt, the question is a fair one: does it rule out buying a home right now? The short answer is no. Having student loans doesn't automatically disqualify a borrower from a mortgage, but it does change how a lender reads the