Bankrate follows a strict editorial policy, so you can trust that we’re putting your interests first. Our award-winning editors and reporters create honest and accurate content to help you make the right financial decisions.
Key Principles
We value your trust. Our mission is to provide readers with accurate and unbiased information, and we have editorial standards in place to ensure that happens. Our editors and reporters thoroughly fact-check editorial content to ensure the information you’re reading is accurate. We maintain a firewall between our advertisers and our editorial team. Our editorial team does not receive direct compensation from our advertisers.
Editorial Independence
Bankrate’s editorial team writes on behalf of YOU – the reader. Our goal is to give you the best advice to help you make smart personal finance decisions. We follow strict guidelines to ensure that our editorial content is not influenced by advertisers. Our editorial team receives no direct compensation from advertisers, and our content is thoroughly fact-checked to ensure accuracy. So, whether you’re reading an article or a review, you can trust that you’re getting credible and dependable information.
You have money questions. Bankrate has answers. Our experts have been helping you master your money for over four decades. We continually strive to provide consumers with the expert advice and tools needed to succeed throughout life’s financial journey.
Bankrate follows a strict editorial policy, so you can trust that our content is honest and accurate. Our award-winning editors and reporters create honest and accurate content to help you make the right financial decisions. The content created by our editorial staff is objective, factual, and not influenced by our advertisers.
We’re transparent about how we are able to bring quality content, competitive rates, and useful tools to you by explaining how we make money.
Bankrate.com is an independent, advertising-supported publisher and comparison service. We are compensated in exchange for placement of sponsored products and, services, or by you clicking on certain links posted on our site. Therefore, this compensation may impact how, where and in what order products appear within listing categories. Other factors, such as our own proprietary website rules and whether a product is offered in your area or at your self-selected credit score range can also impact how and where products appear on this site. While we strive to provide a wide range offers, Bankrate does not include information about every financial or credit product or service.
The spring homebuying season will be one hour closer after this weekend. (Seriously, don’t forget to change your clocks.) If you’re shuddering at the realization that you have less time to prepare for the homebuying frenzy than you thought, take a deep breath and get yourself caught up on our biggest mortgage and real estate stories from this week.
1. What you need to know before a big move
The coronavirus pandemic shifted housing preferences for a lot of people, and many went to far-flung corners of the country in search of a new home. If you’re planning a long-distance move yourself, make sure you’re working with a Realtor who can accommodate you, and that you have all your ducks in a row before you pack up to leave.
Read the story.
2. You can still refinance your mortgage in forbearance
The key thing when it comes to refinancing is making sure your mortgage is current. If you missed payments before going into forbearance, you’ll want to get back on track before applying for a new loan. So yes: you may have been able to pause making payments thanks to forbearance relief, but you’ll need to start paying again before refinancing the mortgage.
Read the story.
3. There’s still time to refinance your mortgage
Mortgage rates are starting to inch up, and that means the window to benefit from a refinance is closing for many homeowners. As rates continue climbing, fewer people will stand to save. Don’t get left out and leave money on the table. If you haven’t refinanced recently, now’s the time to think about it.
Read the story.
4. This spring promises to be busier than ever for homebuying
The pandemic didn’t give the housing market much winter breathing room, and things only promise to heat up from here. Tight housing supply and low mortgage rates continue to push prices up and are keeping things competitive. This story looks at the frenzied state of the homebuying market.
Read the story.
5. Poorer homeowners pay more taxes
According to a new study, lower-income homeowners essentially subsidize wealthier people by paying a higher percentage of their home’s value in property taxes. That trend means it’s even more difficult for lower-income people, especially minorities, to accumulate housing wealth.
Read the story.
Share