A majority of Americans are confident in their most recent big financial decision, such as picking a credit card, buying a home or car or refinancing a mortgage, and as many as 59 percent say they deserve an “A” or a “B” when it comes to their personal financial knowledge, according to a recent survey by the National Foundation for …
Moving brings exciting possibilities of a different neighborhood, fresh spaces to decorate and new family traditions to be made. But it also means leaving behind people and places you love. While some sentimental items can be taken to your new place, many memories just aren’t transportable. That’s why it’s even more important to protect those goods that can make the …
We are always thrilled to hear when folks make the jump to home ownership. And it’s important for prospective homeowners to know about all the resources available to them to help the experience go as smoothly as possible, especially when it comes to financing. Earlier this year, the U.S. Consumer Finance Protection Bureau (consumerfinance.gov) released a report with some revealing …
In an attempt to bolster the buying experience for first-time buyers, Fannie Mae recently announced the HomePath®Ready Buyer™program, qualifying first-time homebuyers to receive up to three percent of the purchase price in closing cost assistance toward the purchase of a HomePath property, upon completion of an online homebuyer education course. On a $150,000 home, this could result in up to …
Average fixed mortgage rates moved lower this week following a weaker than expected jobs report in March, according to Freddie Mac’s Primary Mortgage Market Survey® (PMMS®). The 30-year fixed-rate mortgage (FRM) averaged 3.66 percent, down from 3.70 percent the previous week. The 15-year FRM averaged 2.93 percent, down from 2.98 percent the previous week.
Nearly 10 percent of U.S. residents are dissatisfied with their current housing, neighborhood, local safety or public services to the point that they want to move, according to a recently released U.S. Census Bureau report, Desire to Move and Residential Mobility: 2010-2011. However, only 18.3 percent of the 11.2 million householders who wanted to move actually did so between 2010 …
Mortgage applications for new home purchases increased by 12 percent relative to the previous month, according to the recently released Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA) Builder Application Survey (BAS) data for February 2015. “An increase in mortgage applications to builders in February over strong January numbers bodes well for new home purchases this year,” says Lynn Fisher, MBA’s Vice President of …
A recently released TransUnion survey shed light on consumer confusion when it comes to credit scores. In fact, nearly half of all consumers falsely identified rental (45 percent) and cell phone (47 percent) payments as those that directly affect their score; however, these are not regularly reported to credit bureaus.
Owning a home for the first time is exciting, but that excitement can fade quickly if faced with extensive (and expensive) damage. New homeowners often inadvertently cause damage that can cost thousands of dollars or more in repairs. The Home Book authors David MacLellan, George Wolfson and Douglas Hansen recommend steering clear of these common first-time homeowner mistakes.
