Mortgage Tips

This was the first category I created when this website was created in 2006.

And it’s really why I launched the site to begin with. To educate prospective home buyers and existing homeowners.

Simple guides and practical mortgage tips can help you better understand and prepare for the home loan process.

Same goes for answering mortgage questions and brushing up on the latest mortgage lingo.

Sometimes home buyers focus exclusively on the real estate piece while ignoring the home loan part.

This can result in some bad decisions when it comes to getting a mortgage. Or simply overpaying because of missteps (or a lack of shopping around!).

Learn how to get a mortgage, refinance an existing loan, and discover the many different loans programs available today.

You’re not financing a TV, or a car for that matter. It’s a big purchase and it deserves a lot more time and attention.

Arm yourself with knowledge early on and you’ll likely enjoy a better outcome.

Is Now a Good Time to Refinance My Home?

Mortgage Q&A: “Is now a good time to refinance my home?” If you’re one of the few people asking this question right now, the short… Read More »Is Now a Good Time to Refinance My Home?

In the spring of 2019, “Zillow Home Loans” was launched by its parent company Zillow. You probably know them best for their popular Zestimates, which… Read More »Zillow Home Loans Review: Best-in-Class Service Offered By a Household Name, But How Are the Rates?

Here’s an interesting question: “What mortgage has the best interest rate?” Before we dive in, “best” questions are always a bit difficult to answer universally.… Read More »What Mortgage Has the Best Interest Rate and Why?

It’s time to check out “Inspire Home Loans,” which is the lending partner of home builder Century Communities. They pride themselves on knowing how their… Read More »Inspire Home Loans Review: You Might Be Able to Snag Major Savings When Buying a New Home

It’s time to check out “Toll Brothers Mortgage,” which is a subsidiary of home builder Toll Brothers. Toll Brothers is one of the largest home… Read More »Toll Brothers Mortgage Review: The Builder’s Lender Is Hard to Beat

If you’ve got your eye on a Taylor Morrison home, you may have come across their affiliated lender “Taylor Morrison Home Funding.” As with many… Read More »Taylor Morrison Home Funding Review: Huge Mortgage Rate Buydowns Make Them Hard to Beat

While there has been some debate about the so-called mortgage rate lock-in effect, it appears to be a pretty legit force in the housing market… Read More »Low Mortgage Rates Are the #1 Reason Homeowners Aren’t Moving

In order to make homeownership more accessible, loanDepot has launched a new program called “accessZERO.” As the name suggests, it allows prospective home buyers to… Read More »loanDepot accessZERO: You Can Buy a Home with Zero Down Again

The fourth largest home builder in the country, NVR, also operates its own financing division called “NVR Mortgage.” This allows them to complete more of… Read More »NVR Mortgage Review: A One-Stop Shop for a New Home and a Loan

Today we’ll check out another home builder’s in-house mortgage lender, this time KB Home’s “KBHS Home Loans.” As the name suggests, they are the affiliated… Read More »KBHS Home Loans Review: Mortgage Rate Specials for Those Who Buy a KB Home