What is the benefit of down payment assistance? DPA is one of the best tools homeowners have in today’s market to make homeownership more affordable. These programs provide a possible solution to help homebuyers who need financial support. With a shortage of affordable housing across the country, these programs are more important than ever to …
What is a home appraisal?
What is a home appraisal? A home appraisal is an objective opinion of the home’s value performed by a licensed professional. Since the appraisal is related to the home value and loan amount, it can impact your loan’s down payment and interest rate. An appraisal that comes in too low can cause the transaction to …
What is mortgage insurance?
What is mortgage insurance? Mortgage insurance, or MI, gives eligible homebuyers the flexibility of making a smaller down payment by lowering the risk to the lender originating the loan. Without mortgage insurance protection, lenders normally require a borrower to make a down payment of at least 20% of the home’s sales price. Many first-time homebuyers …
What are the steps in the homebuying process?
What are the steps in the homebuying process? If you are one of many first-time homebuyers taking the leap this spring, you need to know the essentials before beginning the homebuying process. Steps in the homebuying process 1. Are you financially prepared to buy a home? The most important thing to know is if you …
Top 7 options for closing cost assistance
How to beat the closing cost doldrums Are you in the final stretch of buying your first home, only to be surprised by unexpected closing costs? If you’ve been diligently saving for your down payment, additional expenses like closing costs can take a big bite out of your budget. Imagine you’ve managed to set aside …
How to use a bridge loan to buy a home
How to use a bridge loan to buy a home A bridge loan is a financing option that allows you to use the equity of your current home as a source of funding for a new home. A bridge loan is a short-term loan used as a financial bridge between selling your current home and …
