Are you, or someone you know, thinking of buying a home sometime soon? If so, before you start looking for a home, here is the first thing you need to do: Get Pre-Approved with a Qualified Lender […] Read more »
CalSTRS 80/17 Home Loan
Were you one of the many teachers who took advantage of the wonderful CalSTRS 80/17 Home Loan Program that was available a number of years ago? If so… and you haven’t already refinanced out of […] Read more »
FHA Streamline Refinance
Do you currently have an FHA Loan? Did you acquire the loan before January 26, 2015? If so, then you’re gonna want to read on. Back in January, the Federal Housing Administration (FHA) lowered the annual […] Read more »
How Inquiries Affect Your Credit Score
Every once in a while, I get the question: How do loan inquiries impact my credit score? The good news is that there are new laws that allow consumers to rate shop for credit cards and other type of […] Read more »
Credit Score – Part 2 of 2
In my last article I discussed a bit about credit scores and the five factors that make up our score (to read my last article click here). In this article, I’m going to provide a short list of […] Read more »
Credit Score – Part 1 of 2
The purpose of my next 2 articles is to hopefully provide a brief, but useful, guide to how the infamous credit scoring system works. As you may or may not know, the credit scoring model […] Read more »
California Foreclosure & Short Sale Warning!
At the beginning of the year, I wrote about how The Mortgage Forgiveness Debt Relief Act had been extended to the end of 2013. In short, the Act states that homeowners who sell their primary residence in a […] Read more »
Mortgage Insurance Tax Deduction Extended to 2013
Written on January 10, 2013. To help boost the distressed housing market, Congress created a tax deduction for private mortgage insurance back in 2007. The tax break has since been extended through 2013, for mortgages […] Read more »
The Mortgage Forgiveness Debt Relief Act Extended
On January 3rd, 2013 President Obama signed the American Taxpayer Relief Act of 2012. One of the many items within the bill is the “Extension of Exclusion from Gross Income of Discharge of Qualified Principal Residence […] Read more »
Understanding the 3.8% Real Estate Tax
Written on December 10, 2012. You may or may not have heard, but included in the new health care bill is a 3.8% tax on some real estate transactions beginning January 1, 2013. There have been […] Read more »