Pros and Cons of Buying a Fixer-Upper

With increased borrowing costs, many buyers are seeing their options limited, and you might be considering buying a fixer-upper. We’ve all seen the home make-over shows with amazing before and afters, but is it right for you? Here are a few things to consider: 1. Know Your Limits How much of the work can you do. How much time do you have to put into renovations. Are you prepared to live in a work zone for a while 2. Work Out Costs In Advance Have a contractor walk through the inspection with you and get a written estimate for work he would do. If you are doing the work yourself price the costs of supplies, either way add 15% to the costs because surprises are likely. 3. Check Permitting Costs…
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5 Strategies For Making Your Down Payment

For many people buying a home is the American dream but saving for the down payment might not be. Here are some tips and strategies to make your down payment. 1. First-time home buyer programs. There are a number of first time home buyer programs such as FHA, VA and USDA loans that have lower down payment requirements than conventional loans. 2. Old fashioned monthly savings - this takes longer but make a monthly budget of your spending – see where you can cut back and see how much you can save monthly - then commit to saving towards your down payment each month. 3. Tax Return – with tax season here, if you are getting a refund, try setting it aside towards your down payment. 4. Get side gig…
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Costs Drop For Some Buyers

With recent market volatility we have good news for some new home buyers. Starting in March, those who are receiving FHA financing and paying mortgage insurance will see the monthly fee reduced from 0.85% to 0.55%. This is expected to affect 850,000 borrowers this year and result in an average savings of $800 annually. The savings will vary based on the loan amount, for example a person with a $500,000 FHA loan would save $1,500 annually. If you are in the market for a new home, fill out our quick home qualifier on our website and we can help determine what loan best fits your needs and let you know how much you can pre-qualify for.
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