Blog

13
Feb
By Jim Hasek
Around The Home, ,

DIY Lovers: ‘Greenify’ Your Home with These Three Eco-friendly Home Improvement Projects

Are you a homeowner who is searching for ways to make your home a bit more eco-friendly? Equipping your home with "green" improvements can save a substantial amount of energy and money, especially over the long term. In today's post we'll explore a few projects that handy do-it-yourselfers can undertake in order to make a home a bit friendlier to the local environment. #1: Focus on the Windows Depending upon the time of year, windows have an impact on both heating and cooling costs. In the summer, older windows can drastically heat up a home causing cooling costs to skyrocket.…
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12
Feb
By Jim Hasek
Home Mortgage Tips, ,

Mortgage Refinancing: How to Ensure a ‘Re-Fi’ Makes the Most Sense for Your Financial Situation

Refinancing your mortgage can make good financial sense, as long as you are doing it for the right reasons. Before considering a refinance, it's worth spending some time to assess what your financial goals are. Lowering Your Interest Rate One of the most common reasons to refinance a mortgage is to take advantage of a lower interest rate. Because mortgages are long-term loans, even a slight drop in the interest rate on the loan can make thousands or even tens of thousands of dollars of difference over the life of the loan. Before refinancing to get a lower rate, you'll…
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11
Feb
By Jim Hasek
Home Buyer Tips, ,

Three Excellent Reasons to Buy a Home So You Can Get out of the “Renting Rut”

Renting a home is a good option for some, but buying a home just might be the best thing for you. When you rent a home, you send money to someone else every month in exchange for knowing that you can call on your landlord when the roof leaks, an appliance stops working or your bathroom faucet breaks. There are some big advantages to buying a house that will help you get out of your renting rut and focus more on your future. Build Equity Did you know that when you rent a home, you help someone else build equity?…
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10
Feb
By Jim Hasek
Home Mortgage Tips, ,

Freelancing in 2015? Three Tips for How to Secure a Mortgage if You’re a Self-Employed Entrepreneur

If you are self-employed, either as a freelancer or as the owner of your own business, your income can fluctuate greatly from year to year. That can make it difficult to get approved for a mortgage, although there are some things you can do to improve your chances. Here are three tips for securing a mortgage if you are self-employed. Make Sure Your Credit Score Is In Good Shape While your ability to pay back a mortgage is the most important factor in approval, your credit score is a close second, and that goes for every borrower, not just those…
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09
Feb
By Jim Hasek
Market Outlook, ,

What’s Ahead For Mortgage Rates This Week – February 9, 2015

Last week's economic news included construction spending, which fell shy of expectations but exceeded the prior month's spending, and several consumer and labor-related reports. The details: Mortgages More Accessible: Fed Survey A Federal Reserve survey of senior loan officers at 73 U.S. banks and 23 branches of foreign banks indicated that mortgages may be more accessible. While banks eased credit standards for mortgages eligible for purchase by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, consumer demand for mortgages fell over the last three months. This seems puzzling given lower mortgage rates, but mortgage lending rules remain tough for borrowers with less than…
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06
Feb
By Jim Hasek
Home Buyer Tips, ,

Are You Ready to Make the Leap into Home Ownership? Here’s How You Can Tell

Are you ready to make that leap from living at home or renting to owning a home of your own? While everyone moves at their own pace, here are some signs that you can use to determine if it is time to own your own home. Let's take a look at some of the reasons you can use to justify your decision. Are You Sticking Around? If you plan on moving soon for a job or think that you won't be in town much longer, it may be better to rent. However, if you are thinking about living in the…
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