Personal Finance and Home Buying Education
Paying Off Debt? 5 Tips to Help You Make More Progress
Paying off debt is never easy, but it can be done. Plus, the feeling of relief when you’ve finally paid down your balances is like no other. With that in mind, if you are serious about getting your finances under…
Read More
26 Real Estate and Mortgage Terms from A – Z
The home buying process is filled with all kinds of jargon and industry-specific real estate and mortgage terms. You’ll encounter acronyms like “APR,” “DTI,” and “LTV,” and new phrases like “escrow account” and “fixed-rate” can add confusion, too. Need help…
Read More
2020 Home Tax Deductions and What New Homeowners Need to Know
If you’re one of the millions of Americans who dread tax season, you may just be in luck — at least if you bought or sold a home in the last year. Homeowners can usually qualify for a number of…
Read More
Tips for Teaching Your Teenager About Managing Money and Personal Finance
Your teen might learn how to solve linear equations in high school math, but personal finance? Probably not. That’s on your shoulders, and unless you’re a certified financial planner or another kind of financial pro, it probably seems pretty intimidating. …
Read More
Escrow and the Role It Plays in the Home Buying Process
If you’re buying a home, you’ve probably heard your real estate agent mention the term “escrow.” However, you may be wondering, “What is escrow — and what role does it play in the home buying process?” In that case, you’re…
Read More
8 Ways Parents Can Pay for College
Let’s face it: college is expensive. According to the National Center for Education Statistics, four years at a public university clocks in at just under $69,000, while at a private school, it edges upward of $178,000 by the time graduation…
Read More
Freddie and Fannie Who?! 13 Mortgage Terms You’ve Heard and May Not Understand
The mortgage process can be pretty overwhelming — especially if it’s your first time around the block. In fact, according to a recent study from credit bureau TransUnion, a whopping 34% of first-time homebuyers aren’t familiar with a single mortgage…
Read More
4 Reasons to Do an Annual Mortgage Checkup
You get an annual physical. You see the dentist once or twice a year. You sit down with your accountant yearly, too. Shouldn’t you check in on your mortgage just as often? Your mortgage might clock in at hundreds of…
Read More
How Traditional Real Estate Commissions Have Changed (And What That Means for Buyers)
Though real estate agents have traditionally claimed between 2 and 3% of a home’s sale price, many of today’s pros are challenging this status quo, instead offering flat-fees, reduced commissions, and even commission rebates to homebuyers and sellers alike. The…
Read More
9 College Scholarships with Quick and Easy Applications
College is expensive. The average cost of public college is nearly $10,000 per year for in-state residents and more than twice that for out-of-state residents. Add that up over four years and you’ve got a pretty hefty sum of money…
Read More