Blog

07
Jan
By Jim Hasek
Around The Home, ,

Dealing with an Empty Nest? 5 Great Reasons to Downsize into a New Condo

There's a good chance if your children have recently moved out that your home is feeling a lot larger than it used to, and perhaps you're re-considering the extra space. If downsizing to a condo is on your mind and you're weighing the benefits of this kind of move, here are some that might make it worth the switch in size. A Little Extra Money With the additional money you should be making off the sale of your home, there's a good chance that downsizing may provide you with extra assets to sock away for retirement, travel or whatever your…
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06
Jan
By Jim Hasek
Home Buyer Tips, ,

5, 10, 20 Percent or More? How to Determine How Big of a Down Payment You Need

Whether or not you're new to real estate, there's little doubt that you've heard the term down payment as it relates to purchasing a home. There's a lot of different information out there in regards to how much this figure should be and it can be hard to determine exactly what the importance of this payment is. If you're trying to determine the ideal amount to put down, here are some things to consider. Explaining Down Payments And Why They're Important The down payment is probably one of the largest single payments you'll make for anything, and this is why…
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06
Jan
By Jim Hasek
Home Mortgage Tips, ,

Have You Been Denied for a Mortgage? Here Are 3 Reasons Why You’ll Want to Keep Trying

If you're in the market for a new home, you'll most likely need a mortgage in order to afford it. But for some home buyers, getting a mortgage isn't easy. Banks and other lenders are often hesitant to lend money to certain consumers, often for good reason. But sometimes, lenders' reasons for declining you aren't entirely valid. That's why, if you've been denied for a mortgage, you'll want to keep trying to get mortgage funds. Here are three factors that can influence the likelihood of approval on the second try. A Second Appraisal Might Change Your Circumstances Sometimes, a mortgage…
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05
Jan
By Jim Hasek
Home Mortgage Tips, ,

A Quick and Easy Guide to Using an Online Mortgage Calculator

If you're in the market for a new mortgage, using an online mortgage calculator is a great way to determine what kind of terms you can expect to see and how they'll affect your home purchase. Visualizing what a 3.9% interest rate looks like can be difficult, which is why a mortgage calculator is so useful - it shows you exactly what a certain mortgage will do to your finances. Here are just a few ways that you can use an online mortgage calculator to learn more about your mortgage needs and find the mortgage that is best for you.…
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04
Jan
By Jim Hasek
Market Outlook, ,

What’s Ahead For Mortgage Rates This Week – January 04, 2016

2015 said farewell with reports on Case Shiller home prices, pending home sales, and consumer confidence. The details: Case-Shiller Home Prices Post Double Digit Gains in October According to Case-Shiller's 20 City Home Price Index, Denver, Colorado, Portland, Oregon and San Francisco, California tied for the highest home price gains in October with year-over-year home price gains of 10.90 percent. Lowest annual price gains were posted by Chicago, Illinois at 1.30 percent followed by Washington, D.C with a year-over-year –reading of 1.70 percent. Home prices rose at their fastest rate since August 2014 according to Case-Shiller. Month-to-month home prices showed…
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31
Dec
By Jim Hasek
Home Buyer Tips, ,

Did You Know: Here’s Why Buying a New Home Grows Your Wealth Faster Than Renting

There can be many downsides to both renting and buying, depending on what side of the coin you are on, but if you're leaning towards purchasing a home it can have added benefits for your bank account that renting does not. While renting can certainly alleviate many of the costs that go along with property ownership, here's why purchasing a home can have positive monetary affects in the long run. The Good Impacts of Inflation While inflation is often seen as a dirty word, a real estate purchase can see the positive side of inflation with how your home purchase…
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