No matter what point you’re at in life, it’s a necessity to have good credit. It’s especially vital if you’re thinking of buying a home, but there are many other reasons as well. Some employers even look up your credit score before they will extend you an offer of employment. Fortunately, it doesn’t have to […]
Whether you’re buying or selling a home in Tampa Bay, here’s what you need to know about who pays a real estate agent’s commission. Who Pays a Real Estate Commission? In the vast majority of cases, the seller ends up paying a real estate agent’s commission. That means buyers get a free ride – the […]
If you’re buying a home for sale in Riverview and you’re like most people, you’re going to need a mortgage loan to purchase. However, you have to understand what your house payments will be like – and the first thing to know is what PITI stands for. What is PITI? PITI is an acronym that […]
If you’re buying a home for sale in Riverview, it’s time to get familiar with lending terms – and one of them is debt-to-income ratio, or DTI. What is DTI? Debt-to-income ratio is a factor that lenders use to determine whether you’re likely to have enough money to pay them back for a mortgage loan. […]
If you’re buying a home for sale in Riverview and using a loan to do it, you may have to learn about private mortgage insurance, or PMI. What is PMI? Private mortgage insurance (PMI for short) is a type of insurance that protects your lender in the event that you don’t make your monthly mortgage […]
If you’re buying a home for sale in Riverview and will have to pay private mortgage insurance, or PMI, you’re probably wondering how long you’ll have to make these extra payments. How Long Do You Have to Pay PMI? For a conventional loan, you won’t have to pay PMI for the full length of the […]
If you’re like most people buying a home for sale in Tampa Bay, you know that your credit score affects the interest rate you’ll be able to get on a mortgage loan. But how serious is it, and how do credit scoring agenices even figure out what your credit score is? How Seriously Do Lenders […]
If you’re like most people buying a home for sale in Tampa Bay, you know that it’s important to have a decent credit score – but how good does your credit have to be to buy a house? What is a Good Credit Score? Most credit scores fall between 350 and 850, with 350 being […]
Sometimes, as you search for Tampa Bay homes for sale, you’ll come across foreclosures. But why do some sellers go into foreclosure, and should you buy one? Why Some Sellers Go Into Foreclosure Sellers go into what’s called foreclosure if they stop making payments on their homes. Unfortunately, it happens more often than you think […]
When you’re buying a home, you will probably encounter the term “loan contingency.” But what is a loan contingency, and why does it matter to you as the buyer? What is a Loan Contingency? Most real estate purchase contracts contain a loan contingency, which allows the buyer a certain number of days in which to […]