How To Buy a Home Without a 20% Down Payment
By Nichole Odijk DeMario Nov 29, 2023 (Getty Images) One of the first things you’ll hear when you start considering homeownership is that even with a mortgage, you’ll need a hefty chunk of change upfront. Most financial planners recommend putting down a 20% down payment. On the current national median [...]
Will the Housing Market Roar Back in 2024? Our Fearless Predictions for the Year Ahead
By Clare Trapasso Nov 29, 2023 (Illustration by Realtor.com; Source: Getty Images) The past year has been a particularly brutal one for the housing market. Buyers can’t afford to buy, sellers don’t want to sell, mortgage rates are at 20-year highs, and there are extremely few [...]
How Long Does It Take To Buy a House?
By Cathie Ericson Nov 27, 2023 (Illustration by Realtor.com; Source: Getty Images) Table of contents: Step 1: Getting mortgage pre-approval Step 2: Finding the right home Step 3: Closing the deal How long does it take to buy a house? While estimating a timeline for homebuying will depend [...]
What Is a FICO Score and How Is It Determined?
By Angela Colley Nov 21, 2023 (cnythzl/iStock) Successfully buying a home hinges on a bunch of numbers, from home prices to mortgage rates. And there’s a lesser-known figure that can make all the difference when realizing your homeownership dreams: your FICO score. Whenever you want to [...]
How to Get Rid of PMI: Tips to Ditch Private Mortgage Insurance Fast
By Julie Ryan Evans Nov 15, 2023 (Getty Images) Most people with private mortgage insurance want to know how to get rid of it. And for good reason: PMI tacks on a substantial extra fee to your already massive mortgage payments. Lenders traditionally require PMI for borrowers who put down less than 20% on a [...]
What Is an Origination Fee, and How Much Does It Cost?
By Margaret Heidenry Nov 13, 2023 (Juanmonino/iStock) In the seemingly never-ending mortgage lexicon of home buying and selling, one term in particular stands out as a source of confusion: the origination fee. What is an origination fee? It’s something every homeowner needs to understand. And the good news is that it’s not [...]
