Linda Bell is a Bankrate senior insights analyst, producing content on homeownership, home affordability, mortgages, home equity, and more. Before joining Bankrate in 2024, she spent more than 20 years as a business and personal finance reporter and writer at organizations including Bloomberg, Fox Business and NerdWallet.
During the housing boom and bust of the 2000s, Linda appeared on hundreds of local television and radio stations, providing insight on the stock market and housing industry. At NerdWallet, her focus was homeownership and mortgages, including the homebuying process, home affordability, and mortgage management.
Linda is deeply committed to advocating for equal homeownership opportunities for everyone. Her investigative radio series “Minorities and the Housing Market” won numerous awards from the National Association of Real Estate Editors and the New York Association of Black Journalists.
Linda graduated from New York University with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Print Journalism and English Literature.
I didn’t grow up with formal money lessons, but I learned a lot just by watching my parents be frugal. That stuck with me. Buying a home, for example, requires knowledge some of us weren't taught at home or in school: how to build and manage credit, budget for hidden costs, compare mortgage options, understand interest rates, plan for property taxes, and so much more. Don't be discouraged if you're learning as you go.
While you may have your heart set on buying a home, homeownership is not the right choice for everyone. It is important to weigh the pros and cons before making what will likely be the biggest purchase of your life.
— Linda Bell
A mixed performance for home equity rates this week, holding near their lowest levels in about three years. The $30,000 home equity line of credit rose one basis point to 7.32%, according to Bankrate’s [...]
Home equity and HELOC rates dropped to their lowest levels in three years.
Home equity and HELOC rates rose slightly but are holding close to three-year lows.
HELOC and home equity rates have dropped to levels not seen in three years.
It’s like applying for a mortgage. Only a tad tougher.
If you’re looking at HE loans or have a variable-rate line of credit, pay attention to the Fed.
Sixty percent of Americans under age 65 — that’s about 164.7 million people — receive their health insurance through their employer, according to a Kaiser Family Foundation analysis. That means losing [...]
They could be an uncoventional borrower’s best shot for tapping their home’s value.
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