A record 19.1% of buyers are searching outside their home market. Moving somewhere cheaper can work, but the math is more specific than most people realize. Here’s what to actually compare before you relocate for affordability.
Builders are packaging $15,000–$60,000 in rate buydowns and incentives, giving new construction buyers rates roughly half a point below resale. Here’s what the incentives actually cost, why resale sellers struggle to compete, and how buyers can run the real comparison before signing anything.
Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac now let lenders choose between Classic FICO, VantageScore 4.0, and FICO 10T. Here is what that actually means for borrowers, explained by someone who watched the original FICO thresholds get built from real loan performance data at Bank of America.
Rates moved last week and the Fed had nothing to do with it. The U.S.-Iran conflict repriced mortgage-backed securities in real time. Here is what 37 years in lending tells you to do when geopolitics drives your rate quote.
More than a dozen states are fighting to cut, cap, or eliminate property taxes in what’s being called the biggest backlash since Prop 13. Here’s what’s actually likely to pass, what homeowners can do right now, and what buyers need to know before they rely on any tax estimate.
First-time buyers now make up just 24% of all home purchases – the lowest share since 1981 – and the median age has climbed to 38. But the down payment problem isn’t new, and most buyers have more options than they realize. Here’s what they’re missing.
Sellers are giving ground in nearly half of all home sales. Here’s how to use that leverage the right way – and what a seller concession actually does for your bottom line.
Generic mortgage calculators are missing hundreds of dollars a month in taxes and insurance – and it’s sending buyers into the wrong price range. Here’s what your real all-in payment actually looks like.
We tested the top 5 mortgage calculator websites against two verified lender quotes for the same scenario. The results show which tools actually prepare homebuyers — and which ones leave them $15,000 short.
A 37-year mortgage banker explains the gap between what lenders approve and what you can really afford, with a simple framework and the math behind both numbers.