Mortgage blog
25 articles on how mortgages actually work, written to make you a better-informed borrower.
June 2, 2026The $95,000 Lesson Hidden Inside a 15-Year Mortgage
A mortgage professional thought aggressive principal payments were the ultimate wealth move. Nine years later, the math revealed a gap he never saw coming.
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March 12, 2026Why Your Property Taxes Probably Aren’t Doubling After a Reassessment
Across many communities, homeowners are opening reassessment notices and having the same reaction: “My assessed value doubled…does that mean my taxes will double too?” In most cases, the answer is no.
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March 12, 2026Assessed Value vs. Market Value: Why They’re Different and How They Eventually Catch Up
One of the most common questions homeowners and buyers ask is why a property’s tax-assessed value is often much lower than its market value. At first glance, it can seem confusing. A home
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August 3, 2025Breaking Down the Buyer Agent Commission Debate
In today’s evolving real estate market, the way commissions are structured is changing—and sellers are faced with choices that didn’t exist just a few years ago. One of the most
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June 18, 2025The Bi-Weekly Mortgage Payment Myth
The Bi-Weekly Mortgage Payment Myth: Why It Might Not Be Your Best Financial Move Recently, I received a common question from a client, Suzie, about setting up bi-weekly mortgage payments.
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March 20, 2025Appraisal Waivers
Understanding Appraisal Waivers For homebuyers and real estate professionals, the concept of an Appraisal Waiver, also known as Value Acceptance, is becoming increasingly relevant in today’s mortgage process. These waivers
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February 3, 2025Monthly vs. Single Premium PMI: Which One Is Right for You?
When buying a home with less than 20% down, private mortgage insurance (PMI) is often required. PMI protects lenders in case of default, but for borrowers, it’s an additional cost
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October 18, 2024Understanding Renovation Financing: A Comprehensive Guide for Homebuyers
If you’re considering purchasing a home that requires repairs or improvements, renovation financing could be the perfect solution to make your dream home a reality. Whether you’re a first-time homebuyer
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September 20, 2024FHA Loans: Understanding the Impact of Mortgage Insurance on Interest Rates
FHA Loans: Understanding the Impact of Mortgage Insurance on Interest Rates When comparing different mortgage options, borrowers often weigh the pros and cons of FHA loans versus conventional loans. One
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September 10, 2024Understanding Fannie Mae Loan Level Price Adjustments (LLPAs)
Understanding Fannie Mae Loan Level Price Adjustments (LLPAs) When it comes to conventional mortgages, many borrowers are unaware of an important cost factor known as Loan Level Price Adjustments (LLPAs).
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May 21, 2024Understanding DSCR Loans: A Guide for Interested Borrowers
When it comes to financing a property, whether it’s for personal use, investment, or commercial purposes, the variety of loan options can be overwhelming. One term you might encounter is
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April 5, 2024Understanding Lender Credits vs. Seller Credits in Mortgage Transactions
When it comes to navigating the complexities of a mortgage transaction, understanding the difference between lender credits and seller credits can make a significant difference in your financial strategy. Both
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March 15, 2024Navigating Escrow Accounts: Clearing Up Confusion for Homebuyers
Buying a home can be an exhilarating journey, but it’s also a journey that involves navigating through various financial intricacies. One such aspect that often puzzles homebuyers is the concept
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March 15, 2024Prequalification vs. Preapproval: Maximizing Time Efficiency in Homebuying
In the realm of homebuying, the journey often begins with a crucial step: securing a mortgage. But before you start envisioning your dream home, it’s important to understand the key
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March 4, 2024Sell Smarter, Not Harder: Creating Motivation with Seller-Funded Buydowns
In today’s competitive real estate market, sellers must think outside the box to attract buyers and secure a successful sale. A seller-funded temporary buydown is a strategic tool that can
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March 3, 2024Understanding the Risk: Locking or Floating Interest Rates for Your Mortgage
When it comes to securing a mortgage, one of the key decisions borrowers face is whether to lock in their interest rate or float it. This decision can have significant
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March 2, 2024Maximizing Efficiency: A Real Estate Agent’s Guide to Smarter Sales
As mortgage loan originators, we often find ourselves in discussions with real estate agents seeking advice on how to streamline their processes, save time, and ultimately increase sales. Recently, one
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February 22, 2024Why Your Phone Won’t Stop Ringing After Applying for a Mortgage
If you’ve recently started the mortgage process, you may find yourself bombarded by phone calls from various lenders. It might feel flattering at first – all this attention over your
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February 14, 2024Understanding Mortgage Servicing Transfers: What Homeowners Need to Know
When the company collecting your mortgage payment changes, many homeowners mistakenly believe their entire loan has been sold, but technically it’s only a transfer of the “servicing rights” that occurs.
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February 14, 2024The World of Mortgage Payment Collection; Loan Servicing Explained
The collection of mortgage payments and management of escrow accounts, commonly known as Loan Servicing, is a big business. While some lenders also collect mortgage payments, many focus solely on
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February 6, 2024Bi-Weekly Payments
Making bi-weekly payments on a mortgage is a popular strategy. In this strategy, borrowers make half a mortgage payment every two weeks resulting in 26 half-payments, or 13 full payments,
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February 6, 2024Partial Payments
The Fair Credit Reporting Act requires loan servicers to credit full mortgage payments to the borrower’s account on the day they’re received. Prepayments are allowed at any time without penalty,
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February 5, 2024Temporary Buydowns
Temporary buydowns provide temporary relief from higher interest rates by allowing the buyer to temporarily make a lower payment based upon a reduced interest rate during the first few years
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January 29, 2024Get Informed about Appraisals
The appraisal inspection is an important part of the mortgage process. Not to be confused with a home inspection that assesses the safety and quality of a home, the appraisal
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January 5, 2024Will a Hard Credit Inquiry Hurt My Score?
We address these questions with clients every day. You have worked hard to build credit, and you want to protect it, that’s understandable. But you have also finally arrived at