Is a 15-year or a 30-year mortgage better?

Can your self-employed tax return hurt your pre-approval for a mortgage?

Credit matters. But perfect credit isn't a prerequisite for homeownership.

"Can I just pay something upfront to get a lower rate?" Yes. It's called paying discount points—or "buying down" your interest rate. But just because you can buy a lower rate doesn't necessarily mean you should.

A HELOC—or Home Equity Line of Credit—allows you to borrow against a portion of the equity in your home. Unlike a traditional cash-out refinance, a HELOC is a separate loan or line of credit and allows you to retain your existing 1st mortgage, if you have one, and this is a 2nd mortgage in addition to what you already have.

The distinction between the two are particularly important for homeowners who already have an attractive rate on their primary mortgage.

What Is a Mortgage Rate Lock? And When Should You Lock Your Interest Rate?

Mortgage rates can change from day to day—and sometimes within the same day. A rate lock protects you from these market fluctuations while your loan moves toward closing, assuming the transaction and loan terms don't materially change. Most rate locks range from 15 to 60 days, and in some instances can be even longer.  

If you want the TLDR version, here it is:  a pre-qualification is a preliminary review with no verification of any information provided, and a pre-approval typically means that the lender has obtained documentation and ran the loan scenario through an underwriting approval algorithm or thoroughly reviewed the loan program guidelines.

Not necessarily. Waiting longer may help you build more equity in your current home, but it can also make the next home significantly more expensive, increase the size of your future mortgage, and extend your debt well into your desired retirement timeline.

The better question isn’t simply, “How much more equity can I build if I wait?” It’s: “What does waiting do to the my long-term financial plan?”

That depends. A better question is: What is the best use of my available cash?

The period between mortgage approval and closing is all about consistency.

The less you change, the smoother your closing will likely be.

PMI is often what allows people to buy a home years sooner than they otherwise could. And in most cases, it's temporary.

Before you spend years saving 20% just to avoid PMI, here's what you should know about how it works, what it costs, how to get rid of it—and why paying PMI might actually be the smarter financial decision.

Most buyers spend months saving for a down payment. Then they discover something else: closing costs.

Here's what closing costs actually include, how much they typically are, and how you can prepare before you start house hunting.

There are two main types of construction loans and they work somewhat differently. The structure you choose upfront can make a big difference later. A construction-to-permanent loan is designed to take you from land acquisition through construction all the way to your long-term mortgage (“end loan”) under one financing structure. Or, you can choose a land loan combined with a construction loan or construction line of credit, and then a refinance later.

One of the biggest myths in home buying is that you need 20% down. You don't. In fact, waiting years to save 20% could actually cost you more than buying sooner with less down. Here's what today's buyers need to know about down payments—and how to decide what's right for you.

From house hunting and appraisals to underwriting and closing, here's exactly what happens after you get pre-approved—and how to avoid the mistakes that can delay your loan.

Waiting to buy a home feels safe.
But waiting has a cost too.
Home prices, mortgage rates, and lost buying power can quietly change the math over time.
Here’s the real cost of waiting—and when waiting actually does make sense.

The mortgage rate you see online…probably isn’t the rate you’ll get. And that’s not necessarily a bad thing.
Mortgage rates are personalized based on credit, down payment, loan type, and more. Here’s how mortgage rates actually work—and why yours may be different.

You don’t need perfect credit to buy a home.
But your credit score can change your rate, payment, and options more than you think.