Discover The Magic Of Buying A House

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

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'...

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 ...

Renting Versus Buying A Home  What are tax advantages of buying a rental property and renting it to my daughter versus privately financing a mortgage for my daughter on this house instead?...

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 opportunity to lock our interest rate at 4.875 percent ...

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 now. But - you always need a place ...

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 who already owns a house. The house doesn't ...

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?

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....

Debt Relief Programs  Ask Kate: Debt Relief Programs - I need help buying a house. Hi Kate, I am interested in buying a home, but feel my credit is poor. I was laid off my ...

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 ...

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 ...

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 ...

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 ...

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,...

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 ...

Mortgage For Buying A Second Home  Regarding a mortgage for buying a second home: Can you get a second residential mortgage to buy a second house while having a first home on a residential ...

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

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. Now my Realtor ...

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 ...

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

First Time Home Buyer Tips  First time home buyer tips: My wife and I live in San Jose, CA. My wife had bought a home before our marriage and now price of the home is down by more ...

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 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  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 is around $60,000.00. I ...

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  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 comparable ...

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  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 equity ...

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 mother for four years. I am now having ...

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: 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 . I started to think about the first house we bought and how was I really going to afford it ...

Buying A House From Family  Buying a house at lower than market sales price: Hi Kate, Will it be difficult for my niece to get a mortgage if I sell her the family homestead for ...

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 a house on a one-half to three acre ...

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 time job now for 4 years. Prior to this job though ...

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 bedroom in an upstairs apartment they ...

Ask Kate About Buying A House  Buying a house but well-meaning friends making it harder than it has to be? Here's the solution... In 2004 I sold a house in a suburb of a large metropolis ...

Buying A House Fact Or Opinion  Question for Kate: I am contemplating buying a house . Is purchasing a 2 bedroom townhouse in North Carolina a smart idea? I was told that 2 bedrooms ...

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  A home buyer inspection is definitely not throwing away money in most cases. When you are buying an older home that obviously needs repairs, it gives ...

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 else buying a house , we searched and searched for ...

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 inspection is worth every penny. Having someone ...

Home Inspector Worth Weight In Gold  When you first realize how expensive the home buyer inspection is, the temptation comes to forego hiring a home inspector . I know we almost made this ...

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  I am looking into buying a house . I'm a 48 year male on disability. I receive $1850 monthly from SSI. My wife works and earns about $9000 a year. My ...

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 is less than ideal. If we wait for the ...

Unbiased Home Buyer Inspection  Dear Kate, A home buyer inspection can be very beneficial. Obtaining a paid professional’s opinion on an existing home can give a buyer that warm-fuzzy ...

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  See why this home owner prefers to forgo buying a house... Kate, I currently own my home mortgage free. Before the economic crisis, my wife and I ...

Buying A House for Rental Units  Are mortgage rates higher if I'm buying a house that's not intended to be a personal residence? I'm considering purchasing a condo as a rental investment....

Buying a House Selling a House Choosing a Real Estate Agent  Buying a house, selling a house and choosing the right real estate agent... When we sold our home in Tennessee two years ago, we had no doubt who we would ...

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 with me. He will not live in the ...

How to Pick a Real Estate Agent When Buying a House  I found a good way to choose a real estate agent when buying a house. I have worked with numerous real estate agents over the course of my adult life,...

Best Mortgage Advice How I Picked A Realtor  My best mortgage advice for home owners selling a home... I know quite a few Real Estate Agents -- but I was also well aware that a person's success and ...

Real Estate Agent Referrals When Buying a House  When I was buying a house ...I chose my real estate agent by getting referrals from my friends. I asked them how the person worked out for them and if ...