What Are the Advantages to Paying off Your Mortgage Early? Here Are a Few That Might Entice You

If you're looking into fixed term mortgages, you might be wondering whether there's any reason why you should take the full term to pay off the loan. In a lot of cases, paying off a mortgage before it comes due is a great decision. If you're considering paying off your mortgage early, you'll experience a variety of benefits – here are just a few of them. You'll Save Thousands In Interest Payments By and large, the single biggest advantage of paying off a mortgage early is the money you'll save in interest. The longer you take to pay off your…
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How to Use a Mortgage Calculator to Determine Your Monthly Payments, Interest and More

Are you thinking about using a mortgage to buy a new home? Buying your own piece of local real estate is a major financial investment and one that can require some pretty complex math to fully understand. In this blog post we'll discuss mortgage calculators and how to use one of these tools to determine your monthly mortgage payments, interest charges, amortization periods and more. Determining Your Principal and Down Payment Amounts To get started with a mortgage calculator you'll need to know how the price of the home and how much you intend to contribute as a down payment.…
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Trying to Save on Your Closing Costs? Here Are Three Tips That Can Help Lower Them

Whether you're about to close on a lovely new house for your growing family or a stylish beachfront condo so you can retire close to the ocean, one thing is certain: you're going to face a variety of closing costs. Insurance, taxes, financing fees, title fees, attorney fees and other costs will need to be paid, and if you're a savvy buyer you'll do everything you can to save on them. In today's post we'll share three quick tips that can help you reduce your closing costs when you buy your next home. Tip #1: Include Closing Costs in Your…
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Recent College Grad? Learn How to Successfully Juggle Student Loans and a New Mortgage

If you recently graduated from college and are about to become a homeowner, you're in a somewhat unique position. You're about to embark on a great journey, but at the same time, you're also taking on an awful lot of debt. That said, it is possible to successfully manage a high debt load if you're careful. So how can you make sure you can pay your mortgage, your student loans, and your mortgage expenses – all without losing your mind? Here's what you need to know. Make Sure You Have An Emergency Fund Managing a high debt load isn't necessarily…
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Reverse Mortgages 101: How This Unique Financial Product Can Make Your Life Easier

If you've been in your home for a while and have considered other loan options, you may have heard the term reverse mortgage without being aware of how this product can benefit you. While this type of mortgage works for those who have a high amount of equity in their home, here are the details on reverse mortgages and how this product may work for you. What's A Reverse Mortgage? The reverse mortgage was created in 2009 as the Home Equity Conversion Mortgage for Purchase (HECM) and is something that can be used by those who are older than 62.…
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Refinancing Your Mortgage? Know These Key Terms Before You Sign Your Paperwork

When it comes to your mortgage, there are a lot of key terms that are important for every homebuyer to know, and this is no less true than when it comes to refinancing your most important investment. Instead of leaving what's unknown up to chance, it's important to be aware of exactly what you're looking at so you can get the best mortgage product available. If you're currently considering refinancing and don't want to get snared by unknown terminology, here are some terms you'll need to watch out for. Cash-Out Refinance This type of refinance is a transaction where the…
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Applying for a Mortgage? 3 Easy Ways to Make the Process Easier — and Reduce Your Stress

There are more than enough details involved in getting a mortgage and moving into your own home that you'll want to know how to make the process as seamless as possible beforehand. However, there's a chance you might not be aware of the things you can do to make it a little easier on yourself. If you're currently looking for a home and are wondering how to streamline the approval process, here are some things to do before applying to minimize mortgage-related stress. Get Electronic Documentation In order to get approved for your mortgage application, you'll need to provide documentation…
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Baby on the Way? Helpful Advice for Managing a Mortgage With Only One Parent Working

If you're dealing with paying off your mortgage and going down to a one-income family, it can be complicated to determine how to financially swing it. However, becoming a parent and managing a mortgage are quite common nowadays with maternity leave and the modern family. While managing a mortgage on just one salary can be a challenge, there are a few simple things you can do to make it work. Buy The House You Can Afford It may sound much too simple, but many people get so wrapped up in the concept of a dream home that they forget about…
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