Smart Budgeting for First-Time Homebuyers The best thing to do if you’re thinking of a home purchase is to get in touch with someone who can guide you. For many people, the path to homeownership starts with a life change: a marriage, move, new baby or new job, for example. Then it’s a few innocent clicks on a real estate website, or circles around propert…

Winning a Homebuyer Bidding War Play your cards right when you really want the house. You’ve found it: The home of your dreams (cue the heavenly angel voices and “Happily Ever After” banner waving in the breeze). But reality can hit hard: Your dream home happens to occupy the same happy heart space within, oh, roughly 20 other homebuying challengers wh…

Women Taking (Home) Ownership 100 years of progress in homes and mortgages. American women may have won the right to vote in 1920 with the ratification of the 19th amendment to the U.S. Constitution, but it took another 54 years before they could claim independent access to credit, including home loans. When you consider the changing financial influenc…

Making Your Home Office Work It’s your new workplace. It looks like working from home is here to stay. With so many people performing their jobs successfully from home, many companies are open to continuing the trend. Employees are expressing a desire to stay at home, too, either full or part time. If you’ve been making do with the dining room table…

Avoid the Dirty Dozen to Keep Your Home Appraisal on Track. Don’t make these common mistakes. Whether you’re buying, refinancing, or selling a home, the appraisal plays an important role in your transaction. Appraisals aren’t required for some refinance loans, but most loans will need one. It’s the official determination of value, so you’ll want it to…