| Deciding
to take the plunge
Should
you buy or keep renting? -- Not easy to answer. Emotions, family and personal
considerations always come into play. Interactive
quiz: Are you ready for a mortgage? -- Before you buy, check your understanding
on how mortgages work with this quiz. Understanding
credit -- How your credit score impacts your home-buying ability and how you
can improve it. Are
you a candidate for pre-purchase counseling? -- Pre-purchase counseling for
inexperienced home buyers is now widely available.
How
much house can you afford? -- Let us help you do the math by figuring your
housing expenses against your income. Home
buying 101 -- Escrow? Jumbo loan? PMI? Before your head is swimming with these
house-buying terms, get a quick vocabulary lesson in some real estate and mortgage
terms. There's a first time for
everything
First-time
home buyer programs -- Here's why the best place to get a mortgage might be
your state capital rather than the local mortgage broker's office.
Tax
breaks for the first-time buyers -- As a homeowner, you'll now have an added
dimension to your taxes. Tips
for the first time buyer -- You may be a rookie, but you don't have to act
that way. Good and bad news about
good-faith estimates Ins
and outs of good-faith estimates -- These listings of all your closing costs
can vary widely, so it's a good idea to shop around. When
good-faith estimates go bad -- Sometimes called "guesstimates,"
they can cause sticker shock at closing. Ready,
set, go!
Key
decision: New or existing home? -- Each approach has both pros and cons. Go
FSBO or use an agent? -- Can you avoid using a real estate agent? Yes, but
it might not be a good idea. The
truth about buying foreclosures -- With interest rates down and stocks tanking,
real estate in foreclosure looks attractive as an investment, says author Elaine
Zimmerman. Can
you really buy with no money down? -- A variety of programs make it possible
to move in without cash up front. 10
biggest mistakes home buyers make -- A veteran home builder gives some tips
on what NOT to do when buying a home.
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