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Are you preparing to buy a home or sell the one you’re in? If so, the home appraisal process will be incredibly important. If you’re selling your home, a professional appraisal can help you set a fair, realistic listing price. If you’re buying a home, your lender will require a professional appraisal to ensure it…
When it comes to buying a car, way too many Americans are likely to just get a loan from a dealer. And that’s a very bad idea. Really, it’s best if you don’t finance your car at all. Paying cash will net you a better deal. And you’ll skip paying interest on financing. With that…
When buying a home, you may think that your only option is a 30-year, fixed-rate mortgage. But there are plenty of options out there. Here’s a basic overview of 16 types of mortgages, some common and some less so. Fixed-Rate Mortgage Fixed-rate mortgages are the most popular option. Set interest rates mean predictable monthly payments….
There are various ways how to get rid of PMI, a.k.a., private mortgage insurance. A reader posted this question on Facebook: The writer of the Facebook question is pointing toward one of several possibilities for getting rid of PMI. But before we get into that, what is PMI? What is PMI and How Does it…
When it comes to mortgages and credit scores, there are two really important questions to ask: What credit score do I need to qualify for a mortgage? What credit score do I need to get the lowest interest rate on a mortgage? These different, but related, questions are important if you are looking to buy…
In all the little details of parenting, one thing you may not have had to ask is how do I check my child’s credit report? After all, why would you? They’ve never used a credit card before, right? That may be true. But that doesn’t mean someone else hasn’t used your child’s credit. You may…
There’s something of a bubble taking place in the auto loan finance market. How I know this is happening: lenders and dealers are offering 100% auto loans. During the heyday of the mortgage bubble, the mortgage industry had the same product, but it was generally referred to as “zero down. It’s virtually the same thing,…
Late payments can happen to the best of us. Sometimes we pay a bill late due to oversight. Other times a shortage of cash is the culprit. How late your payments are and how often they occur affect your credit score. How perfect your score is otherwise, and a host of other factors also play…
Your credit scores are never more important than when you are about to buy a home. That pesky 3-digit number can lower or raise your interest payments by tens of thousands of dollars over the life of a mortgage. So it was no surprise when a reader named Kelly sent me the following email: Great…
