Discover The Magic Of Buying A House

Interest Rate Lock In  Ask Kate about your Interest Rate Lock In Agreement: Hi Kate, My partner and I are buying our first home. We are going through through a credit union....

Buying A Bank Foreclosure  Ask Kate about buying a bank foreclosure and PMI approval: Hi Kate, My fiance and I just recently put in an offer on a foreclosure house. It has been ...

Should I Buy A Home  Ask Kate: Should I Buy A Home Without Income? Hi Kate, My husband and I are hoping to be able to relocate soon. We both have good credit. Our concern ...

HomePath Financing  Regarding HomePath Financing, Federal Income Tax Credit, and FHA Home Loans: At the ripe age of 43, I embarked on a journey to improve my job station ...

HomePath Or FHA   Ask Kate: HomePath Or FHA - Which mortgage program is best for buying a house? Hi Kate, My wife and I are considering buying a house. I have been looking ...

Yield Spread Premium YSP  Ask Kate: Yield Spread Premium (YSP) - Why doesn't my mortgage broker give me a simple answer about interest rates and closing costs? Hello Kate, I'll ...

Mortgage Rate Locks Delayed  Regarding Mortgage rate locks delayed: Hi Kate, I have a contract on a home due to close September 30th. I am doing a USDA rural development loan. I ...

Homeowners Protection Act of 1998  Regarding the Homeowner's Protection Act of 1998: Hi Kate! I have been making additional mortgage payments to reduce my principal balance. Scheduled ...

Unlocking Mortgage Rate Locks  Regarding unlocking mortgage rate locks: I locked a rate last month at 5.5 percent and my credit score is 775. I see rates are now 5.0 percent. I have ...

Lock Or Float Interest Rate  Regarding Lock Or Float Interest Rate: Hi Kate, I live in California and am supposed to close on a condo at the end of November that is being constructed....

Renting Versus Buying A Home  Question regarding renting versus buying a home: Dear Kate, What are tax advantages of buying a rental property and renting it to my daughter versus ...

Buying A House And Locking Interest Rates  Regarding Buying A House And Locking Interest Rates: Recently we were buying a house. About a month ago, we met with our mortgage broker and had the ...

Buying A House The American Dream  Buying A House The American Dream: Buying a house, your very own house, is the American Dream. Yes, the housing market is really in the toilet right ...

Buying A House Selling Your House  Regarding Buying A House Selling Your House: I have a question about buying a house and especially about selling one. I recently got married to a man ...

Contact Kate - We Want To Buy Our First Home  Contact Kate - We Want To Buy Our First Home: I just moved here from Australia and have married a US Citizen. I have mortgage questions for Ask Kate!...

Private Money Lender  Ask Kate about private money lender legitimacy: Hi Kate, I was not able to qualify for a mortgage due to my credit score. I was referred to a private ...

Purchasing HUD Homes  Ask Kate about purchasing HUD homes using an FHA insured with repair escrow: Hi Kate, My FHA appraisal is only $1175 over $5000 limit for regular FHA ...

Yield Spread Premiums  Regarding Yield Spread Premiums - To Kate and the intended Home Buyer asking about paying a YSP (Yield Spread Premium), we both agree that the amount ...

Rate Lock and Mortgage   Ask Kate For Rate Lock and Mortgage Information: Hi Kate, I have a question about locking a mortgage rate. I paid a lock-in fee twice because we have ...

Mortgage Affordability  Ask Kate About Mortgage Affordability And Why Your Lender Might Not Give A Hoot: Kate, A lender told my fiance that he can purchase a $150,000 investment ...

IRS Payment Plan  Ask Kate About IRS Payment Plan and FHA Mortgage: Hi Kate, My husband and I want to purchase a home. Unfortunately a lien has been placed on my husband....

Buying A Foreclosure Home  Hi Kate, I am buying a foreclosure home. Is this a good idea? What should I be watching for? Will the bank guarantee the house since the property is bank ...

What type of loan do you suggest?  There are many types of loans. Which do you think is best?

What is the best interest rate?  How do I know what interest rate to use? What if it goes lower?

Buying A Foreclosure Home  Ask Kate: Buying A Foreclosure Home Hi Kate - Great site! I am looking to upgrade our current home and purchase a newer home. I am looking at a foreclosure....

FHA Appraisals  Regarding Overcoming FHA Appraisals: Dear Kate, I am trying to buy a foreclosure and I need to use a FHA loan because of down payment requirements. I ...

Debt Relief Programs  Ask Kate: Debt Relief Programs And Buying A House Hi Kate, I am interested in buying a home, but feel my credit is poor. I was laid off my job a few ...

Mortgage Approval For PMI  Regarding Mortgage Approval For PMI - Will I Be Approved: Dear Kate, I have been approved for a conventional loan, borrowing 95 percent and putting ...

Reducing Debt Saving Money  Ask Kate: Reducing Debt or Saving Money - Is it better to pay off my debts or keep my savings? Kate, Right now, I have about $13,000 in credit card debt ...

Construction Loan Information  Ask Kate: Construction Loan Information - What are the pros and cons? Hi Kate, Thank you for your valuable service to people like me, who have no knowledge ...

First Time Home Buyers Loan  Ask Kate: First Time Home Buyer's Loan - Is this how a mortgage rate lock works? Kate, I am in the process of buying my first home. The lender which ...

How Do I Cancel Private Mortgage Insurance  Ask Kate: How Do I Cancel Private Mortgage Insurance? Is PMI based on original loan appraisal value or lower refinanced? I took out a mortgage on the ...

APR Explained  APR Explained - What is the difference between the locked mortgage rate and effective APR: Hi Kate, I have a real estate sales contract due to close ...

FHA End Loan  Ask Kate: Who Needs an FHA End Loan? We are looking to apply for an FHA end loan. Home cost is $225k, we have $80k but do not want to deplete our savings ...

How To Find Best Mortgage Lenders  Ask Kate: How to find best mortgage lenders I am buying a vacation condo for $235,000 and am putting 25% down. My credit score is about 700. So where ...

Mortgage Loan Approvals  Regarding time frames for mortgage loan approvals : How long is reasonable to wait for a decision on being offered a mortgage? I am currently into third ...

Investor Guide To Buying A Home  Regarding an investor guide to buying a home : Can I purchase investment properties and rent them out without being employed? I have the down payments,...

FHA Mortgage Limits  Frustrated over FHA mortgage limits: Hi Kate, My wife and I are first time home buyers and were pre-approved for an FHA mortgage through a nationwide ...

Construction Loan Information  Regarding construction loan information: Hi Kate, If you receive a construction loan and have several obstacles that you are facing when the loan matures ...

Buying Houses Unemployed Investor  Regarding buying houses as an unemployed investor : I was recently laid off from my job. I was making a considerable income and getting ready for my first ...

First Time Home Buyer Tips  Regarding first time home buyer tips: My wife and I are trying to purchase our first home. It was her parents' home and was offered to us at a great ...

Where To Get PMI Approvals  Regarding where to get PMI approvals: A large national bank just came out with a new conforming loan with 5 percent down but the catch is you have to ...

Mortgage For Buying A Second Home  Ask Kate about a mortgage for buying a second home: Kate, can I get a second residential mortgage to buy a second house while having a first home on ...

Buying A House Without Income  Regarding buying a house without income: Okay Kate, I actually have several questions, but first I need to explain my situation. I come from a fairly ...

Buying A House With Water Test Requirement  Regarding buying a house with water test requirement: Last minute request for water test, after closing was scheduled. Now being postponed again. We ...

Mortgage Loan Pre Approval  Regarding mortgage loan pre approval: Hi Kate, I am a confused buyer in the middle of a short sale which has been dragging since April. My Realtor assures ...

Private Mortgage Financing Questions  Private mortgage financing questions: Dear Kate, My partner and I are looking into purchasing a home in nearby Maryland, with private financing from ...

FHA Loan Guidelines For Condos  Question about FHA loan guidelines for condos: Hi Kate, We're looking at a condo community, but have suddenly been told that we cannot use an FHA loan ...

Self Employed Mortgage  Regarding a self employed mortgage: Kate, I have a question about self employed versus being an employee of a corporation that you own. In applying ...

First Time Home Buyer Tips  Regarding first time home buyer tips: My wife and I live in San Jose, California. My wife had bought a home before our marriage and now price of the ...

Home Appraisal Tips  Home appraisal tips: We are building a house, and in fact were supposed to close on the house last Friday. We got a call from the Mortgage broker saying ...

Mortgage Insurance Companies  Ask Kate about Mortgage Insurance Companies: We got mortgage approval through our bank over 4 weeks ago, got the house inspected and appraised, and have ...

Mortgage Interest Deductions  Who gets the mortgage interest deductions? We just bought our first house and our parents are our private mortgage financing. We put down a 20% down ...

Building A House  Regarding Building A House: Hi Kate, I am interested in building a house but prefer to keep my current home too. It has no mortgage and the market value ...

Buying A Home In Foreclosure  Hello Kate, I am interested in buying a home in foreclosure . The purchase would be a second home in another state for an investment and vacation home....

Define Mortgage Approval  Kate, Can you please define mortgage approval ? I was all set to close on a deal of a house but to my surprise I was denied because there were not enough ...

A Down Payment Dilemma  Dear Kate, I am a home buyer with a down payment dilemma . I have an exceptional 800 credit score with a long history of excellent credit, no credit card ...

Mortgage For Rural Property on 38 Acres  Kate, I need a mortgage for rural property on 38 acres . In fact, I have a property purchase agreement for a house in my Father's estate with a $40,000 ...

Finding A Way To Buy A Home  Regarding Finding A Way To Buy A Home: I need to buy a home. I have recently separated from my husband. While we were together, I was a stay at home ...

FHA Home Loan Appraisal Requirements  FHA Home Loan Appraisal Requirements Kate, We close on a house in a week and the FHA home loan lender tacked on $4600 for lender required repairs. We ...

Checklist For Buying A Home And Refinancing  I am looking for a checklist for buying a home and refinancing . What paper work would I need to get started for a home mortgage? Signed, Planning Ahead
...

Buying A House And Private Mortgage Insurance  Ask Kate about Buying A House And Private Mortgage Insurance: Last time buying a house, I took a 100% mortgage loan with a major mortgage lender. Because ...

First Time Home Buyer Mortgage Advice  Hi Kate, I have some first time home buyer mortgage advice for your Readers. I started to think about the first house we bought and how was I really ...

Timing Mortgage Rate Lock   Ask Kate: Timing Mortgage Rate Lock I am asking about the timing of a mortgage rate lock because I am set to close in about two weeks on a new home. I ...

Buying A House From Family  Regarding Buying A House From Family: Hi Kate, Will it be difficult for my niece to get a mortgage if I sell her the family homestead for a price significantly ...

Buying A House On Acreage  Regarding Buying A House On Acreage: Hi Kate, If I want to purchase a home with 16 acres included, how is mortgage criteria different from just buying ...

Buying A House Without Coborrower  Regarding Buying A House Without Coborrower: Dear Kate, I am buying a house and am a first time home buyer at the age of 27. I have been at my full ...

Contact Kate VA Home Loan  Contact Kate regarding a VA home loan: Hi Kate, I have two questions about a VA home loan. First, I took a VA loan nearly 20 years ago. I understand ...

Buying A House With Family  Regarding Buying A House With Family: My husband and I are interested in buying a house with his grandparents. The home has a large garage with a second ...

Ask Kate About Buying A House  Regarding Ask Kate About Buying A House: Hi Kate, In 2004 I sold a house in a suburb of a large metropolis that I had lived in for 30 years. I moved ...

Buying A House Fact Or Opinion  Regarding Buying A House Fact Or Opinion : I am contemplating buying a house. Is purchasing a 2 bedroom townhouse in North Carolina a smart idea? I was ...

Staying Put Not Buying A House  Here's why this reader is staying put and NOT buying a house right now. See if you relate to her experience... I live in an old house, in a transitional ...

Home Buyer Inspection Good Idea  Home Buyer Inspection - A Good Idea: A home buyer inspection is definitely not throwing away money in most cases. When you are buying an older home ...

Buying A House Feeling Strung Along  Regarding Buying A House Feeling Strung Along: Just recently, my wife and I went on a bit of journey purchasing our second home. Much like everyone ...

Test Drive With Home Buyer Inspection  Regarding Test Drive With Home Buyer Inspection: Having recently purchased an old home, an 1840’s Victorian, I can promise that a pre-purchase home buyer ...

Home Inspector Worth Weight In Gold  Regarding Home Inspector Worth Weight In Gold: When you first realize how expensive the home buyer inspection is, the temptation comes to forgo hiring ...

Home Buyer Inspection  Having a home buyer inspection is a very intelligent thing to do when buying a house. Since a home is a large investment, often using a large chunk of ...

Pre Approval For Buying A House  Regarding Pre Approval For Buying A House: I am looking into buying a house. I'm a 48 year male on disability. I receive $1850 monthly from SSI. My wife ...

Buying A House In Tough Economic Times  Buying A House In Tough Economic Times: I wouldn't let hard times deter me from buying a house. There will always be something in our circumstances that ...

Unbiased Home Buyer Inspection  Regarding Unbiased Home Buyer Inspection: This is Kate's sidebar to this letter. Please note Buyer Beware does not necessarily reflect this website'...

Buying A House Right Now  Buying a house right now is what we like to do. My husband and I own a small 2 bedroom, 1 bath home. We have run out of room because this house has only ...

Economic Uncertainy Equals No More Mortgage  Economic Uncertainy Equals No More Mortgage See why this home owner prefers to forgo buying a house: Hi Kate, I currently own my home mortgage free....

Buying A House for Rental Units  Regarding Buying A House for Rental Units: Are mortgage rates higher if I'm buying a house for rental units that's not intended to be a personal residence?...

Buying a House Selling a House Choosing a Real Estate Agent  Regarding buying a house, selling a house and choosing the right real estate agent: Hi Kate, When we sold our home in Tennessee two years ago, we had ...

Mortgage Co-signers For Buying A House  Mortgage Co-signers For Buying A House: I am currently looking into buying a house. I am single and have spoken with a friend about co-signing the mortgage ...

How to Pick a Real Estate Agent When Buying a House  Regarding How to Pick a Real Estate Agent When Buying a House: Kate, I found a good way to choose a real estate agent when buying a house. I have worked ...

Best Mortgage Advice How I Picked A Realtor  Regarding best mortgage advice for how I picked a Realtor: Dear Kate, My best mortgage advice for home owners selling a home is this. I know quite a ...

Real Estate Agent Referrals When Buying a House  Real Estate Agent Referrals When Buying a House: Regarding When I was buying a house I chose my real estate agent by getting referrals from my friends....

Finance 20 Acres With Mobile Home  Ask Kate: Finance 20 Acres With Mobile Home I am looking to finance 20 acres with a mobile home on it. No one wants to loan on a mobile home that is ...