Imagine this: Your search for a home is over, and you’re ready to embark on your home buying adventure. You’re preapproved (or approved) for a mortgage loan, and you’ve got a purchase agreement in your eager hands. You put the contract down long enough to calculate the final cost of buying the home – and

You’ve saved the money, and you’ve found a house. And now it’s finally happening for you. As part of the exciting process of buying your first home, you apply to the bank for mortgage preapproval. In evaluating your request, the lender tells you they need to figure out if you can afford the monthly costs

You’re ready to buy a home. You’ve put in an offer and the seller has accepted it. Congrats! Now, you’ll be expected to pay a small sum of money upfront to: Show the seller that you’re serious about buying their home Make it worthwhile for the seller to take their home off the market  Provide

Buying a home can seem easy enough, right? You find the home you want, you make an offer, get a mortgage. And voilà! The house is yours.  If only it were that simple.  There are way more steps involved in the home buying process – and some of those steps can feel challenging.  Once you

A home purchase is a big investment, and it’s an investment many people are eager to make. That’s probably because they’re aware of the many benefits that come with homeownership, like building equity, tax advantages and improving their credit history.  However, for some of us, a good credit score is the thing that’s holding many

But when it comes to getting a conventional mortgage, new isn’t always better. That is, when it comes to starting a new job during the process.  In fact, it can potentially complicate the process.  When you apply for a mortgage, the lender wants to see your recent job history because it lets them assess your

Let’s be real, past generations of home buyers had an easier time coming up with down payments and closing costs. And that was great for them, but times have changed.  For most home buyers today – especially people trying to buy their first home – student loan debt, credit card debt and TWO recessions are

Whether it’s a bad first date, an awkward family dinner or a client meeting that goes on forever, life is full of situations that may require a smart exit strategy. The best exit strategies are as drama-free as possible and can reduce or virtually eliminate any hard feelings. Home buying can be a lot like