If you’re a first-time buyer, the idea of picking a mortgage can be daunting to say the least. With many different types offered, alongside some pretty scary looking numbers, you may not have a clue where to start. Never fear, because things are much simpler than they may seem. Once the jargon has been explained…
Last year, my husband and I looked into the possibility of purchasing a rental home. It seemed like a good time to buy real estate, and we could swing the down payment on a small home in our area. However, despite the fact that we were comfortable with the idea of being landlords and everything…
One of the leading causes of the great recession was the burst of the housing bubble. From around 2001 until 2006 housing prices climbed rapidly. Banks were not as tightly regulated and they were handing out loans to many people who really could not afford the payments. These people were buying houses that had inflated…
The 30-year fixed rate mortgage has long been the standard loan term for homebuyers, and for many good reasons. A 30-year loan helps to keep monthly mortgage payments lower, keeping home ownership (and larger homes) within reach of the average homebuyer. And for years, the slight interest rate improvement offered by the 15-year mortgage was…
My best friend, Josh, bought his first home in the summer of 2009. He got a great deal and a low interest rate… and a year after he bought it, he got a pink slip at work. Suddenly, Josh’s big, new house felt like a big, new burden. While the 2,500 square feet had felt…
From Donald Trump to the Donald Bren, some of the world’s richest people have made their fortunes from real estate investments. Land is one of the most scarce commodities on the planet. There are synthetic substitutes for many metals and alternatives to petrol and coal, but land resources are limited. In an over-crowded world, property…
If the home you’re living in is harder to afford than when you bought it (either because of a job-loss, lower salary, greater expenses, etc.), you might be considering downsizing. Downsizing seems to be one of those common pieces of advice you hear when you’re trying to save money. It makes sense. Your house is…