Mortgage

Buying a home is a major financial milestone and it doesn’t happen by magic. To get a mortgage, the consumer must do some necessary financial legwork well in advance. Lenders look at the borrower’s complete financial picture to determine whether he or she qualifies for a loan, and at what terms. The complete picture includes

Some may choose to rent rather than purchase a home, but others don’t have the choice. In a recent Credit Sesame survey of 1,000 renters, 51 percent of respondents said they rent because they cannot afford to buy a home where they live or work. Even more shocking? Women are more affected by rent prices

Raise your hand if you’re not earning a high salary. Me too. I deliberately chose a low-paying career track when I graduated from college. As much as I hate to admit it, wildlife biologists just aren’t paid the same as software engineers—even when I do have a job. Right now I’m self-employed. What’s worse, I

In a recent Credit Sesame survey, we asked 1,000 consumers about home affordability, and nearly half of respondents age 18 to 34 said they rent because cannot afford to buy where they live or work. This led us to question whether homeownership, which is part of the American dream, is no longer realistic, especially for Millennials

A low credit score isn’t a roadblock to refinancing a mortgage, but it may be enough to stop homeowners from considering a refi at all. After all, a credit score is an important factor lenders consider. For the biggest purchase in most of our lives, why even try if you know going in that you

2008 was years ago. The housing market is supposed to be better now, right? That may be true for the U.S. as a whole, but not for many individual Americans. The 2016 U.S. foreclosure rate was at a 10-year low, but nonetheless, about one million homes were in foreclosure according to RealtyTrac. My husband and

Now that the economy appears to be rebounding into a much more stable position, it might be the time to start thinking about buying into the American dream of home ownership. However, you need to consider if it is the right time for you — beyond the external factors like low interest rates and competitive

Buying a home seems like a pipe dream for millions of Millennials across the country.  Home prices and student loan debt keep sailing upward, and wages don’t seem to be catching up. This is especially true in certain regions. We were inspired by a recent CoreLogic survey[1] that listed the top 10 worst markets for