Rent-to-own is exactly what it sounds like – you rent a home with a contract that allows you to eventually buy it. There are benefits and disadvantages to rent-to-own, and whether it’s a good idea ...

“It's tough to overstate the importance of credit scores to a mortgage loan application -- they're one of the top things lenders consider,” Tabitha Mazzara, director of operations at mortgage lender MBANC, said. A credit ...

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development instituted the Good Neighbor Next Door (GNND) sales program in 2010. The idea remains the same a decade later: spark community revitalization by offering a 50% discount ...

In today’s ultra-competitive housing market, a number of startup companies are addressing new realities in home buying with a strategy based on an age-old truth – Cash is king. For first-time home buyers. For existing ...

The belief that you need a 20% down payment to secure a mortgage on a home is largely a misconception. At one point it was true, but these days not so much. Before 1956, when ...

For first-time homebuyers, the second most important factor (behind location) is:             (A) Number of bathrooms.             (B) Composition of the kitchen counters.             (C) Storage space.             (D) Terms of the mortgage. If you ...

If home is where the heart is, it’s also where wealth building frequently happens in America. That’s not a coincidence. “Homeownership has historically helped families create a legacy and build long-term wealth,” said AJ Barkley, ...

What started as a housing squeeze 30 years ago is now a full-blown crisis in Seattle and the San Francisco Bay Area. The median home price in San Francisco increased 90% between April 2009 and ...

If you turned on the news at any point last year, you've heard the housing market was wild in 2021, but what will it bring in 2022? Home prices grew fast to start 2021 and ...

First-time home buyers are often young and financially stressed, struggling with student loan debts, car payments and the costs of raising young children. Even for couples with two incomes, the task of saving for a ...

Would you believe me if I told you that one year from today you could be unlocking the door to your first home? As they say, the proof is in the pudding and we’ve got ...

You don’t have to be married to live out the American dream of owning a home. Co-buying is a way for unmarried individuals to get out of the cycle of renting and begin building equity ...

A young Nashville teacher I know, let’s call her Mary, is changing the world. Mary is good at her job. She’s financially independent. She has long-term career plans, and is working nights and weekends toward ...

Nearly a third of homes sales go to first-time buyers, a group as enthusiastic as it is inexperienced and whose dreams are as big as its bank accounts are small. There were 2.1 million first-time ...

Few things are more exciting, or terrifying, than buying your first house. You’re joining forces with a spouse or partner, or bravely going alone, on one of life’s great adventures and biggest investments. “The ache ...

Mortgages remain one of the most complained about financial products, according to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. Mortgage provider complaints fall into four main categories: Complaints about the foreclosure and loan modification. Consumers complain that the loan ...

Fannie Mae's new program, HomeReady, will help middle and low income Americans achieve their dream of homeownership. HomeReady will consider income provided by extended family members and non-family members as qualifiers for a mortgage. Additionally, ...

With the growth in online rent-by-the-night and week services like Airbnb, many residential homes are becoming party homes. Nobody wants to live next to a party house. The effect on neighbors and property values can ...

New mortgage rules are in place that should make it easier for home buyers to compare lending terms. Learn more about the forms and their purposes here. New Mortgage rules and How to Make the Most ...