Spring is almost here, and the National Association of Home Builders Housing Market Index (NAHB HMI) thawed slightly in March. The current reading of 47 is one point higher than for February, but still indicates pessimism among a majority of builders surveyed. Analysts expected a March reading of 50. The gauge of builder confidence stayed near its lowest level since May. March's NAHB HMI reading remained below the benchmark reading of 50, which indicates that an equal number of builders are … [Read more...]
4 Important Questions To Ask Before Refinancing Your Mortgage
So you are thinking of refinancing? Well you are in luck because I have 4 quick and important questions you should ask yourself before doing so. 1) Do I Have Enough Equity To Get A Mortgage? To get a conventional loan, you will usually need to have at least 20 percent equity. This means that your house will have to be worth at least $250,000 to get a $200,000 loan. If you have less equity, you could end up having to pay for private mortgage insurance, which can easily add $100 or more to your … [Read more...]
Understanding Why You Don’t Need To Pay Off Your Mortgage Early
For those of us who have a mortgage, we know very well how stressful it can sometimes be to make the monthly payment on time. And then for some of us, late payments are inevitable. In fact, in 2013, from October to December, a whopping 3.85 percent of homeowners were behind on their mortgage payments. And while this percentage may seem a bit high, it's actually quite lower than it was earlier in the year of 2013, when more than five percent of homeowners were failing to make mortgage payments on … [Read more...]
