Overview

How To Buy Your First Home: A Step-By-Step Tutorial

 

Deciding When To Buy A Home

5 Real Estate Fears That Keep You From Buying

What home affordability numbers don’t tell you

Understanding The Case-Shiller Housing Index

Top Tips For First-Time Home Buyers

8 Signs Of A Real Estate Rebound

5 Reasons Why You Shouldn't Buy A House Right Now

A Prospective Homeowner Countdown

 

Getting A Mortgage

In mortgage hunt, talking to the right people matters

How much of a down payment do you need?

5 Steps To Scoring A Mortgage

6 Tips To Get Approved For A Mortgage

5 Risky Mortgage Types To Avoid

Self Employed? 5 Steps To Scoring A Mortgage

5 New Barriers To Getting A Mortgage

7 Low-Rate Mortgage Shams

Fixed Or Variable-Rate Mortgage: Which Is Better Now?

6 New Hurdles For Home Financing

What The New Mortgage Lending Rules Really Mean

Home buyer beware: Leaving one partner off the mortgage could be devastating

How mortgage amortization works

Only you can decide how much mortgage you can afford

What it means when your mortgage is sold

 

Alternatives To A Regular Mortgage

4 Alternatives To A Traditional Mortgage

Understanding FHA Home Loans

Know when an FHA loan is right for you

FHA requirements complicate fixer-upper purchases

Insuring Federal Housing Authority Mortgages

The Unique Advantages Of VA Mortgages

An Introduction To The FHA 203(k) Loan

Applying For An FHA 203(k) Loan

Green Mortgages Save Money And The Environment

The Ins And Outs Of Seller-Financing Real Estate Deals

Rent-To-Own Real Estate Full Of Pitfalls

USDA offers no-down-payment loans in rural areas

 

Improving Your Credit Score

The 5 Biggest Factors That Affect Your Credit

How To Establish A Credit History

10 Simple Ways To Improve Your Credit

Do You Understand Your Credit Score?

Extreme Credit Repair: Why It Doesn't Work

5 Extreme Ways To Raise Your Credit Score

Spring Cleaning For Your Credit Score

 

Choosing A Property Type

New Construction's Hidden Costs Can Burn Buyers

Homebuyer Tradeoffs: What Will You Have To Sacrifice?

Choosing Between The Suburbs And The City

The Pitfalls Of Buying A Foreclosure House

Purchasing A Short Sale Property

Should You Buy Property On Leased Land?

What is a short sale and how does it differ from a foreclosure?

 

House Shopping

10 Worst First-Time Homebuyer Mistakes

Top 8 House-Hunting Mistakes

Should You Buy A House At Auction?

The FHA's Minimum Property Standards

 

Homeowners Associations

3 homeowners association headaches

9 Things You Need To Know About Homeowners Associations

How To Form A Homeowners Association

 

Making An Offer

10 Tips For Getting A Fair Price On A Home

3 ways to determine the best home purchase price

 

Homeowners Insurance

Understanding Lender-Required Flood Insurance

Should you buy mortgage protection insurance?

Do You Need A Home Warranty?

When to avoid making a homeowners insurance claim

How you can control the cost of homeowners insurance

Force placed insurance could cost you big

Why you might have to buy flood insurance

 

The Closing Process

12 Steps To Closing A Real Estate Deal

Understanding The Escrow Process

A settlement statement helps you compare estimated, final costs

Expect to pay ‘per diem interest’ on most mortgages

7 Must-Have Real Estate Contract Conditions

10 Hurdles To Closing On A New Home

What is title insurance? Why do you need it?

Factors that influence a home’s appraisal value

Buying a home? Plan for a late closing

How to choose a home inspector

Do You Need A Home Inspection?

What to expect from a home inspection

Paring Down Moving Costs

A settlement company helps protect your interests at closing

 

Being A Homeowner

The Hidden Costs Of Home Ownership

Fees that could hit your home improvement budget

Sewer lines can be a hidden problem for homebuyers

3 ways home warranty companies avoid paying up

Managing unexpected home repair costs

It’s not always clear what home warranties cover

Avoid home-improvement financing’s no-interest catch

4 reasons not to pay off your mortgage early

 

Escrow Accounts/Impound Accounts

Understanding Mortgage Impound Accounts

Escrow balance too high? Ask for an analysis

What is an escrow account and why do you need it?

 

Property Taxes

Your Property Tax Assessment: What Does It Mean?

Factors that can cause your property tax to change

 

Private Mortgage Insurance

When your lender is required to cancel PMI

 

Refinancing

All-Time Low Mortgage Rates: Time To Refinance?

6 Questions To Ask Before You Refinance

Should You Refinance Your Mortgage When Interest Rates Drop?

4 Reasons Not To Refinance Your Home

Undo a bad refinance with the right of rescission

A cash-out refinance can cost you big

Who profits when you refinance?

Refinancing made (relatively) easy with FHA Streamline

How to spot a refinance offer that's too good to be true

Save money by refinancing into a shorter-term mortgage

 

Tapping Home Equity

How HELOCs Can Hurt You

It’s possible to get a fixed rate on a line of credit

 

Generating Income from Your Home

Advantages of renting out your extra bedroom

 

Selling Your Home

Playing Hardball When Selling Your Home

Selling Your House? Avoid These Mistakes

Savvy sellers never pay full real estate commission

Do-It-Yourself Projects To Boost Home Value

Home Improvements That Boost Resale Value

How To Stage Your Home For A Quick Sale

Short Sell Your Home To Avoid Foreclosure

Tax quirk could make your home more attractive to buyers

Why sellers should get a home inspection

How much are closing costs when you sell your home?