03
Feb
By Jim Hasek
Home Mortgage Tips, ,

Do You Need Mortgage Insurance Even if It’s Not Required by Your Lender? Let’s Take a Look

Finding a proper mortgage loan and understanding the processing procedures behind the loan is the basis of good research. The down payment on a mortgage loan is typically significant when dealing with mortgage insurance. Most loan applications with less than 20% down payment are required to include mortgage insurance with the loan. However, mortgage insurance may still be required even if it's not typically required by your lender. Underwriting Requirements Most home mortgage applications undergo a strict set of standards for approval. These standards are known as underwriting and make up the bulk of time spent on a mortgage application.…
Read More
02
Feb
By Jim Hasek
Market Outlook, ,

What’s Ahead For Mortgage Rates This Week – Feburary 2, 2015

Last week's economic reports included Case-Shiller 10 and 20-City Home Price Index reports for November along with new and pending home sales for December. Freddie Mac reported on average mortgage rates and new jobless claims dipped unexpectedly. The details: Case-Shiller: Home Price Growth Slower in November Case-Shiller's 20-City Home Price Index for November indicated that home prices continue to slow across the nation. Seasonally-adjusted annual home price growth slowed to 4.30 percent from October's reading of 4.50 percent. Slowing momentum in year-over-year home price growth placed downward pressure on month-to-month readings. Several cities, including Atlanta, Georgia, Boston Massachusetts and Cleveland…
Read More
30
Jan
By Jim Hasek
Around The Home, ,

Homeowner’s Insurance: What’s Covered, What Isn’t and Why You Might Need It

Homeowner's insurance is an incredibly valuable and beneficial policy for homeowners to have, but it is necessary to understand what traditional policies do and do not cover. Once you familiarize yourself with the intricacies of various plans you will be better educated to make the proper decision when selecting your desired level of coverage. What's Covered In Homeowner's Insurance? The majority of homeowner's insurance plans will cover dwelling and other structure protection, personal property protection, natural disaster protection, and bodily injury liability protection. Dwelling and other structure protection plans cover damage to your home and other structures that are directly…
Read More
29
Jan
By Jim Hasek
Home Buyer Tips, ,

Buying a New Home in the City? The Pros and Cons of Buying a Home on a Busy Street

Finding the perfect property is an exciting feeling, but its relative location can leave a lot of room for worry. Buying a home in the city is a venture that comes with an entire assortment of advantages and disadvantages. While the location might be close in proximity to businesses, services, and other people, it's easy to worry about the other aspects of city living. What are the great and not-so-great facets of living on a busy street? Pro: Access to Businesses and Schools The chances are high that anyone living in a busy area is within walking distance of any…
Read More
28
Jan
By Jim Hasek
Housing Market, ,

Case-Shiller: Home Price Growth Slower in November

Case-Shiller Home Price Index reports for November indicate that home price growth continues to slow. The 20-City Home Price Index dropped by 0.20 percent to November's reading of 4.30 percent year-over-year.  The five cities with highest year-over-year home price growth rates in November were: San Francisco, California 8.90% Miami, Florida 8.60% Las Vegas, Nevada and Dallas, Texas 7.70% Denver, Colorado 7.50% The five cities with the lowest year-over-year growth in home prices were: Cleveland, Ohio 0.60% Washington, DC 1.90% New York, New York and Minneapolis, Minnesota 1.50% Chicago, Illinois 2.00% There were no instances of year-over-year depreciation in home prices…
Read More
27
Jan
By Jim Hasek
Home Mortgage Tips, ,

Three iPhone and Android Apps That Make Managing Your Mortgage Payments Quick and Easy

Your mortgage payment may be among the largest payments you make every month. While certainly an important part of your budget, this payment is also critical to helping you build equity in your home because it attributes to mortgage principal reduction. Managing your mortgage payments can be challenging, but there are some incredible apps available for use with Android or iPhone smartphones that can simplify your mortgage management tasks. Mortgage Mentor This app is available for both iPhones and Android devices, and is designed to be compatible with all types of mortgages. It can calculate PMI for adjustable rate and…
Read More