Personal Finance Advice and Commentary

During tax season, many first-time homebuyers turn to their tax refunds as a down payment option. Is this a smart move?

Pulling out of a real-estate deal is financially risky business.

U.S. foreclosure filings are down 5 percent, according to RealtyTrac’s latest survey. Find out where they are highest, and read today’s other hot stories!

Should homebuyers be required to make a down payment of at least 20 percent of a home’s purchase price to qualify for a mortgage? That’s a question some Bankrate readers tackled when presented with the prospect of such a requirement on certain loans to be known as “qualified residential mortgages,” or QRMs. Here’s what the readers