Blog
Understanding Your Loan Estimate: Loan Costs
There are a number of fees that make up the entire sum or your loan costs, so here's the basic breakdown.
Closing costs are fees paid when the title of the property is transferred to the buyer, making them the legal owner.
Origination charges...
How Home Appraisals and Inspections Can Prevent Your Closing
There are a variety of circumstances that can prevent or delay a closing, but there are two in particular that pertain to the condition of the home itself. A home appraisal looks at the monetary value of the property, while a home inspection looks at the structural cond...
Florida Doc Stamps: What Are They And Who Pays Them
Whenever you buy or sell a piece of real property, the transaction, like most things in life, is taxed. In Florida, this particular tax is referred to as the documentary stamp tax, or doc stamp for short.
Doc stamps are paid at closing, and it’s typic...
How Can I Find Out Info About My Credit History?
Obtaining your credit history is as easy as calling and requesting one. Once you receive the report, it's important to verify its accuracy. Here are three major credit reporting companies you can use to check your credit score:
Equifax -
The Worst Times To Close On A House
Scheduling your closing is one of the final steps in your journey to owning a new home. But while it may sound like the easiest step, there are a few factors to take into consideration when deciding on the timing of your closing.
Month of the Year
Most...
Your Rights And Rules For Closing Disclosures
Your closing disclosure documents the actual terms of your loan transaction. You should receive it no later than 3 business days before consummation. It must be in writing - paper or digital.
If the loan terms or costs change prior to consummation, your ...
Hoarder Houses: How Do They Affect Property Value?
Hoarder houses—you’ve heard of them, and you may even know someone who has a habit of accumulating clutter in their home. But can hoarding affect the value of a real estate property?
The short answer is yes, yes it can. Hoarding can have a severe impact on a prop...
4 Questions FSBO Sellers Should Ask Before Selling Their Home
Choosing the For Sale by Owner (FSBO) route when it comes time to sell your house can be a rewarding experience, but also extremely challenging. Before making this decision, ask yourself a few key questions so that you are prepared for the process that hopefully leads y...
Can Creditors Revise Loan Estimates?
Generally speaking, creditors are bound by the initial loan estimate. They are, however, permitted to provide a revised loan estimate under certain changed circumstances. These include circumstances that:
a) increase settlement charges...
6 Safety Tips for Real Estate Agents
As much as we would all like to believe the old adage of “it won’t happen to me,” the news stories we hear each and every day often feature people who probably thought the same thing. When working in a field that deals with both a variety of clients and locations,...