Find Home Buyer and Home Loan Tips in our Mortgage Blog

Featured Posts

May 2021

• How to Prepare Your Home for Summer
• Mortgage Rates are Still Low - How Long Will It Last?
• How Long Does it Actually Take (From Offer to Ownership) to Buy Your Home?
• Bridging the Gap Between Home Loans: Bridge Loans May Help

April 2021

• Spring Mortgage Market is Here: What You Need to Know
• What It Means to Lock in a Rate
• Touring Homes: What You Need to Look For
• Escalation Clauses

March 2021

• How to Know if You're Purchasing the Right Home
• Protect Yourself from Harmful Lending: 8 Red Flags to Consider
• A Quick Guide to Private Mortgage Insurance
• Negotiating Successfully with Sellers

February 2021

• 10 Reasons Why You Should Buy A Home This Year
• What is the Difference Between a Home Inspection and an Appraisal?
• What Makes Up A Mortgage Payment?
• 5 Home Furnishing Mistakes First Time Home Buyers Make and How to Avoid Them

January 2021

• Parts of a Loan: The Closing Disclosure
• Chantilly, Virginia Spotlight
• How to Lock in Your Loan: Everything You Need to Know About Mortgage Rate Locks
• Could Refinancing Harm Your Credit Score?

December 2020

• How Your Loan Officer Works with Your Realtor
• Should You Pay Your Mortgage off Fully Before Heading into Retirement?
• Why Move to Annapolis, Maryland?
• Tips for Building Equity in Your Home

November 2020

• How to Safely Find Your Perfect Home During the COVID-19 Pandemic
• Will Rates Stay Low This Winter?
• How to Buy a Home During a Pandemic
• Understanding the 15-Year Fixed vs 30-Year Fixed Loans

October 2020

• Everything to Know About Prince George's County, Maryland
• Differences Between Buying A House Yourself and Acquiring One with Your Partner
• How to Purchase a Home with Variable Income
• Buying a Home Can Secure Your Family's Future

September 2020

• Closing Day is Finally Here. What Should you Expect?
• 5 Questions for New Real Estate Investors
• 4 Reasons Why Knowing Your Property Tax is Important
• Refinancing 101: The Do's and Don'ts of Mortgage Refinancing

August 2020

• Seven Activities for Kids to Make the Most of Summer at Home
• The Ins and Outs of Construction-to-Permanent Loans
• Why Fall is the Best Time to Buy a House
• Which Arlington Neighborhood Should You Live In?

July 2020

• Pre-Qualifying for a Home Purchase - What You Need to Know
• Condo or House? Questions to Ask Yourself to Make the Right Decision
• Top 10 Mistakes Made by First-Time Home Buyers
• Creating Your Ideal Work-from-Home Environment

June 2020

• Funding for Remodeling Parts of Your Home
• I’m Ready to Buy a Home. What is the First Step?
• What Does Escrow Mean? What You Need to Know About Escrow to Buy a House

May 2020

• Jumbo Loans
• Why now is the perfect time to save for a home
• Dealing with your Mortgage Payments During a Furlough or Layoff
• What is a Mortgage Forbearance Agreement?

April 2020

• How to Properly Sanitize and Disinfect Your Home to Kill COVID-19 Germs
• The Economy Now: COVID-19
• Three Things to Consider When Determining How Much House You Can Afford
• 4 Tips for Retaining The Value of Your Home

March 2020

• A Checklist For The First Time Home Buyer
• 4 Key Factors to Consider When Building Your Own Home
• What is it Really Like in a Day in the Life of a Loan Officer?
• All About Being A Mortgage Loan Processor

February 2020

• What is the Maximum Amount you can Borrow for a VA Loan?
• Top 6 Benefits of Living In a Condo vs an Apartment
• 2020 is a Year of Major Changes to VA Home Loans
• How to Start Saving for a Home in the New Year

January 2020

• Six steps to prepare for a mortgage pre approval
• What is the debt-to-income ratio to qualify for a loan
• Benefits of Going with a Direct Lender with In-House Loan Processing and Underwriting vs a Mortgage
• What Are the Hidden Costs of Buying a Home in DC?

December 2019

• What is a Cash-Out Refinance and How Can it Help You?
• What is the Difference between Homeowners Insurance and Title Insurance?
• 5 things you should know about moving to Washington DC
• 7 Things You Must Prioritize When Buying a House

November 2019

• What do Loan Officers Look for When Pre-qualifying You?
• How Long a Gap in Employment is Too Long?
• What Is An Appraisal Waiver And Is It Right For Me?

October 2019

• Home Buyers Guide to Working with a Realtor
• Why Do People Refinance Their Home?
• What Does 100% Financing Mean in 2020?
• DC Open Doors Program Updates 2019

September 2019

• Can an Underwriter Deny a VA loan?
• What are Closing Costs and How Can You Prepare for Them?
• Who qualifies for a VHDA loan?
• Can I Purchase a Home with Little to no Credit?

August 2019

• You Refinanced Your Home - Now What?
• How to Become a Top-Performing Loan Officer. Part 1
• How to Become a Top-Performing Loan Officer. Part 2

July 2019

• What is Refinancing?
• Why Should You Refinance Your Loans?
• When Should You Refinance Your Loans?
• What are Adjustable-Rate Mortgages?

June 2019

• Checklist to Find the Perfect Home
• How Long Does it Really Take to Buy a Home?
• Advice on Disputing Errors on Your Credit Report
• How to Buy Your Dream Home Before You Sell Your House

May 2019

• Richmond, Virginia: A Great Place to Live, Work, and Play
• 10 Mistakes Owners Make When Buying a Home
• What Is A Pre-Qualification?
• Difference Between a Lien and a Mortgage
• What is a Non-Conforming Mortgage?
• What is Mortgage Insurance?
• How to Buy a Fixer-Upper AND Have Enough Money for Renovations
• Understanding Mortgage Forms: Verification of Rent
• What is a Non-Qualified Mortgage Loan?
• Mortgage Pre-Qualification vs. Pre-Approval
• 10 Reasons to Move to the DMV
• What Are The Different Types of Home Loans?
• What is a Construction Loan?

April 2019

• Should You Buy A Fixer-Upper or Move-In Ready?
• What Does a Loan Officer Do?
• What is the DC Open Doors Program?
• Is it possible to apply for a home loan without a W-2?
• How to Become a Loan Officer
• The Importance of Speaking with a Loan Officer on Your Home Buying Journey
• What is an Over-inflated Appraisal and How Does it Affect Home Buyers?
• How to Prepare for Your Home Purchase
• Can Subordinate Financing Help You Reach Your Dream of Home Ownership?

March 2019

• Can You Purchase a Multiple Home Property With an FHA or a HomePossible Loan?
• How Amazon Moving to the DC Metro Area Will Affect the Housing Market
• What is EAHP? How Can it Help You with Homeownership in D.C.?
• Reasons to Become a Landlord

February 2019

• What Could Affect Your Mortgage Interest Rate? Part 2: Personal Factors
• What Is an Appraisal and What Does it Mean for You?
• 5 Questions All Listing Agents Should Ask Lender's About The Buyer's Pre-Qualifications
• 4 Reasons Now is the Right Time to Refinance Your Home

January 2019

• Making Sure Your Tax Return Leads to a Smooth Home Buying Process
• Three Most Important Numbers to Consider for a Mortgage Application
• What Could Affect Your Mortgage Interest Rate Part 1?

December 2018

• What is a Certificate of Eligibility and do I need one?
• Ready to Buy: Should it be a Condo or Home?
• Top 8 Reasons to live in the DMV
• Tips to Improve your Credit Score

November 2018

• What Does Loan-to-Value Ratio Mean for a Mortgage?
• What You Need to Know About Home Equity Lines of Credit
• Understanding Mortgage Points and Why They Matter

October 2018

• What's a "Final Walk-Through" and Why Is It Important?
• Understanding the Difference Between Rates and APR
• How Much Does Closing a Mortgage Really Cost?

September 2018

• 5 Tips for Furnishing Your Home the Smart Way
• What Is A Mortgage Credit Certificate?
• How To Find A Good Home In The Right School District?
• 9 Benefits of Owning a Vacation Home

August 2018

• What Are Government Mortgage Loans?
• Options For Affording A Down Payment On A Home
• What Are Conventional Mortgage Loans?

July 2018

• Owning vs. Renting: The 5 Benefits of Home Ownership
• 6 Reasons Why Summer Is A Great Time To Buy A Home
• Am I Too Young To Buy A Home?

June 2018

• What Can I Expect From The Closing Process?

May 2018

• Steps For Buying Your First Home
• Understanding Your Closing Costs
• Do I Need A Good Credit Score To Get A Mortgage?

April 2018

• What the Increase in Interest Rates Means for Mortgages
• Apps and the Mortgage Process: Should I Talk to a Mortgage Lender?
• Owning a Vacation Home: Investing in Your Future

March 2018

• How to Get Your Home Ready for Spring
• What is a Real Estate Assessment and How Does It Affect Me?
• 5 Things You Need to Know About Transfer Taxes
• The Financial Do's and Don'ts of Buying a Home

February 2018

• Refinancing Now Can Be a Good Investment After Tax Reforms
• 5 Reasons to Finance with a Private Mortgage Lender
• 8 Perks of Owning Versus Renting a Home
• 7 Great Types of Programs For First Time Home Buyers

January 2018

• What is a Bridge Loan and Who Should Get One?
• 5 Best Tips for Managing Your Money in 2018
• Top Tips When Shopping For a New Home

December 2017

• Things you Need to Know Before you Freeze your Credit
• How Might Proposed Tax Reforms Affect Housing Markets?
• Home Preservation Tips for the Harsh Winter Months
• Store Credit Cards: What You Need to Know

November 2017

• Tips for Furnishing Your First Home
• Five Ways To Pay Off Your Home Sooner

October 2017

• Do I need Flood Insurance Or am I Already Covered?
• Moving? Check Out Potential School Districts
• Recently Engaged? Here's How to Begin Budgeting as a Couple
• Alexandria's Heart - Enjoy Old Town

September 2017

• The Significance of your Credit Rating
• What to Consider When Refinancing Your Home
• How to Save Up for Your First Down-Payment on a House
• Home Refinancing: What Is It and What Can It Do for You?

August 2017

• Together for Texas
• Mortgage 101
• Having FOMO When Your Friends are Buying Homes?
• What is a Mortgage?