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Linda Bell

Writer & Home Lending Expert, Certified HELOC Specialist
  • 26
    Years of experience
Ribbon Icon EXPERTISE
  • Home affordability
  • First-time homebuying
  • Housing market
  • Personal finance
Education Icon EDUCATION
  • Bachelor of Arts, Print Journalism and English Literature, New York University
  • Continuing education: Certified HELOC Specialist (NAMU)
  • NMLS Mortgage Loan Originator education
  • MLO SAFE Test

About the author

Linda Bell is a senior writer on Bankrate's Home Lending team, producing content around HELOCs, financing home renovations, home equity loans 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.

Linda beyond Bankrate

Linda on NBC's Today Show on navigating a competitive housing market

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Linda wrote about budgeting for a home on MarketWatch

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Linda was quoted about the hidden costs of homeownership

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Linda offered advice on when and why to refinance your mortgage

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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

Linda's Picks

Man and woman sitting with cats near a stack of moving boxes.
9 MIN READ

First-time homebuyer guide

Being a novice often feels like a nuisance. However, there are actually perks to being a first-timer.

Black family
8 MIN READ

The Black neighborhood home appraisal gap is real. Can we close it?

There’s still a big divide between Black and White home price tags.

An urban neighborhood seen from above.
6 MIN READ

What is redlining? The history of racism in U.S. real estate

Redlining was an official policy that discouraged investment and home loans in Black neighborhoods. It is now illegal.

Linda's latest articles