Q: Should I stretch my budget to buy a house? I'm thinking about buying a first house but I'd have to really stretch my budget to afford it. And, to complicate things, I don't plan to stay in this first house more than for five years. Is it worth stretching my budget to buy if I'm [...]
The FHA mortgage insurance reduction of 0.25% would have saved 2 million borrowers an estimated $900 per year, according to documentation written by the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). For homes costing $185,000, the typical borrower would save $500. While $500 in savings doesn't sound like a lot, when you're a first-time buyer [...]
Q: I’m thinking of starting a home remodeling business with one of my close friends. He knows the most about the home remodeling business because he has done it in the past and was successful with it. The only difference now is he doesn't have the capital and has a low credit score due to [...]
Will Donald Trump affect the housing market in 2017? That's the question on the mind of every Realtor, mortgage lender, home inspector, contractor and housing industry observer. The answer probably won't be known until well after the inauguration - mostly because Trump hasn't been clear about where his priorities or loyalties lie when it comes [...]
I received this email from a long-time reader of my nationally-syndicated column, which she reads in the Columbus dispatch every Sunday. I think it's a question a lot of readers have, so I'm answering it here. Q: I have a question for you. Since Donald Trump won the election and became president-elect, I hear a [...]
The holiday shopping season is upon us, and it’s the time of year when your budget (and your pantry) is most strained. But you can limit the damage by building a Black Friday/holiday shopping budget plan. You’ll need to keep your gift list tight and decide in advance how much you’ll spend on each person. [...]
Rising interest rates are on the horizon, according to Federal Reserve Chair Janet Yellen. And, it doesn't look at though Donald Trump's election will change the interest rate forecast. In Congressional testimony, Yellen said that the Federal Reserve plans an interest rate increase "relatively soon." But, mortgage interest rates are already rising sharply. According to [...]
A mild fall is one thing, but if you don't prep your home for winter, you could be putting your home value at risk. Prepping your home for winter means more than just digging out the shovels and filling a bucket with salt. A cold winter season can cause damage to your home and property, which translates [...]
Even though you haven’t set the Thanksgiving table, some consumers are already stressing about how much money they’ll spend this holiday season. According to a new survey from Experian, holiday spending is expected to go through the roof – along with consumers’ financial stress levels. The survey found that most stress comes from unexpected expenses consumers [...]
If you’ve ever thought about starting a home-based business, you know what an attractive idea it is. Plenty of profitable companies start out this way, but it’s not as simple as just having a great product or service. Even if you’re only using your home (or maybe even the garage) to launch the company, you’ll [...]
