The Seesaw World of Mortgage Rates, Stocks and Bonds

If you’re like most people, you really don’t pay much attention to Wall Street on a daily basis. Sure, you’ll check your 401(k) when you statement comes in and peek at your IRA but in general, Wall Street is left for the so-called “experts” who buy and sell stocks every single day. But as you’re […]

Loan Processing: What Does it Really Mean?

Getting a home loan is indeed a process and a simple application will go through various stages before it finally funds. In the early stages, even before you’ve submitted your application, you speak primarily with your loan officer. Your loan officer will provide various loan options based upon your current situation and your goals. Your […]

Can I Really Skip Two Mortgage Payments by Refinancing

You may have heard this before. That when you refinance you get to skip two mortgage payments. In fact, it’s not uncommon to hear a lender actually promote this notion. If so, I think it’s a bit misleading. There’s no such thing as skipping mortgage payments during a refinance, the payments are made just in […]

Interest Rates and Trying to Time the Markets?

When you’re in the market for a new mortgage, whether it’s for a purchase or a refinance, you want to get the very best rate and terms as possible. Sometimes though the process can get a little too crowded with too much information. I often get asked the question, “What are rates going to do?” […]

FHA Cash Out Refinance Loans in 2020

The Federal Housing Administration’s home loan program is one of the three government-backed loans and is also the most popular. The other two government-backed loans are the VA and USDA programs. The FHA loan is also the favorite for first-time homebuyers. There are several reasons for this popularity but primarily the minimum down payment is […]

Four Tips to Generate Positive Cash Flow on Rentals

Real estate is one of the unique asset classes that appreciates over time while at the same time providing the owner a monthly dividend. Name any other investment that does the same. Active real estate investors seek out rental properties that point to long term appreciation while getting paid each month to own it, to […]

How Private Lending Works

Private lending is a necessary and legitimate function in the world of real estate. Without it, many successful projects would have never gotten off the ground. Unfortunately, not too many consumers are aware of private funds with the result being too many opportunities being left behind. In this article, I’ll explain how private lending works, […]

What’s a Two-Step Mortgage?

Here’s another loan program you might not have heard of before but could be an attractive option for you. It’s referred to by lenders as a “two-step” mortgage. It’s so called because the interest rate on the mortgage changes once at a predetermined point in the future. There’s the initial rate, or the first step, […]

How to Finance an Out-of-State Property

The time-tested mantra of “real estate is local” simply means that while homes are bought and sold every day, one market may be seeing higher valuations while in other areas, home values might be doing the opposite, for the very same type of properties. A four-bedroom 2 ½ bath in one neighborhood might be going […]

What The New Loan Limits Mean for Jumbo Loans

Mortgage loan limits for conforming loans will take effect on January 1 of next year. For 2020, the conforming loan limit for a single family home will be $510,400, up from $484,350 in 2019. Higher limits will also apply to a duplex, triplex and fourplex. What, exactly is a conforming loan? Conforming Loan Explained A […]