03
Jun
By Jim Hasek
Home Mortgage Tips,

4 Financial Benefits of Home Ownership

Home ownership may be one of the most familiar goals of adulthood, but there's more than one reason why so many people flock towards this type of investment and leave the rental market behind. If you're trying to decide if you should make the big plunge towards buying, here are some benefits of saving up for a down payment and finding the right place to settle in. It's More Economical Many people eschew home ownership simply because it can be hard to wrangle together the funds for a down payment. However, while a monthly rental is money you'll never see…
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24
May
By Jim Hasek
Home Mortgage Tips, ,

Need to Discuss – How to Refinance Your Adjustable-rate Mortgage with Better Terms

An adjustable-rate mortgage was once a great mortgage product, at a time when home buyers wanted to avoid locking in high interest rates. But with historically low interest rates now available to millions of buyers and rates expected to rise in 2017, lots of mortgage holders are trying to find a deal and negotiate better terms before rates go up. One great way to save on mortgage costs is to refinance your adjustable-rate mortgage. So how can you make a mortgage refinance work for you? Here are a few tactics you can use to get better terms through a refinance…
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19
May
By Jim Hasek
Home Mortgage Tips,

How Are Mortgage Rates Determined?

If you've been paying attention to the mortgage rate news, you may be wondering exactly how it is banks decide what mortgage rates to offer. Do they just pick a number at random? Mortgage rates may seem somewhat arbitrary, but there's actually something of a science to them. So how does your bank or lender determine what your interest rate will be? Here are just some of the factors that go into the equation. Rates Always Account For Inflation First and foremost, every mortgage interest rate needs to account for inflation. Inflation is the average annual change in purchasing power…
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12
May
By Jim Hasek
Home Mortgage Tips, ,

5 Uncommon Mortgage Terms You Need to Know

When it comes to finding a new home, there are lots of complex ratios, terms, and contracts that you'll encounter - and at times, it'll feel like you're trying to navigate a minefield. Here are five mortgage terms you may not encounter regularly that you'll need to know when buying a home. Escrow: Money Held In Trust To Pay Taxes An escrow account is a bank account that your lender maintains on your behalf. When you close your mortgage, you'll need to deposit a certain percent of your annual property taxes into the escrow account, which your lender will hold…
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11
May
By Jim Hasek
Home Mortgage Tips,

How to Smartly Leverage Your Home Equity

So you've been a homeowner for some time. You've been faithfully paying off your mortgage for years, and you have a fair bit of equity built up in your home – and that makes you proud. But now, you're wondering what good equity is if you're not using it. How do you actually use home equity? And how do you leverage it to get a high return for low risk? Here are just a few options you may want to consider if you're looking for something to do with your equity. Use A Home Equity Loan Or HELOC To Pay…
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06
May
By Jim Hasek
Around The Home, ,

A Quick and Easy Guide to Hiring the Best Contractor for Your Pre-Sale Home Renovations

If you're planning to complete some renovations on your home before putting it on the market, you may be unsure of the best way to go about finding the right contractor for the job. While there are probably many contractors available who can do your renovations right, here's how you can get to the bottom of who will work the best for you. Make A Few Phone Calls Once you've done some research and determined a short list of prospective contractors, you'll want to call each contractor to determine that they can complete your project in good time and are…
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