5 Steps Towards a Better Credit Score You Can Take Today

When it comes to finding the best mortgage, your credit score is a major determinant as to the kinds of rates and conditions you can get. Lenders quite understandably want to manage their risk. But for a number of potential homeowners, these practices and policies can be a barrier to home ownership. The good news? If your credit score isn't great, you can easily improve it and get better lending terms. Here are five steps you can take right now to give your credit a boost. Get Your Annual Credit Report And Dispute Errors Simply disputing errors on your credit…
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3 Tips and Tricks to Make Mortgage Pre-Qualification Easy

If you're planning to buy a home, you should know that the mortgage pre-qualification process is the first in a series of steps that eventually lead to home ownership. A pre-qualification is different from a pre-approval - the pre-qualification meeting is simply you and your lender hashing out how much you can afford to spend on a property. But once you've been pre-qualified, it makes the mortgage process easier. So how can you make the pre-qualification quick and painless so you can get on with your house hunt? Here's what you need to know. Get Your Debts In Order One…
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It Isn’t Always a Clear Road after Pre-approval: 4 Reasons Why Your Mortgage May Be Denied

So you've been pre-approved for a mortgage – great! You've taken the first step toward becoming a homeowner. But before you start picking out china patterns, you'll want to keep in mind that a pre-approval isn't the same thing as a mortgage agreement. There's still no guarantee that you'll actually get a mortgage. But why would a lender deny a mortgage after pre-approving a borrower? Here's what you need to know. Sudden Changes In Income Or Employment History A number of mortgages will require borrowers to have consistent employment for a certain length of time. If you apply for an…
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Video: What Is “Prime”?

What Is "Prime"? The Prime Lending Rate - sometimes just called "Prime"  - is the interest rate that banks charge each other for overnight loans. Some consumer rates - like ARMs - are set in relation to Prime.In the US, Prime is affected by the Federal Reserve lending rate to banks; historically, Prime is about 3 percent above the Fed rate.The video shows  an example. The Federal Reserve loans to Bank A at 1% Bank A loans to Bank B at 4% Both banks - A & B - will recalculate variable-rate loans like ARMs on that 4% Prime figure.…
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