20-Year vs. 30-Year Mortgages: Get a Lower Rate?

It’s time for a new mortgage match-up. Since paying down the mortgage early seems to be so en vogue these days, it makes sense to compare “20-year mortgages vs. 30-year mortgages.” The most common type of mortgage is the 30-year fixed. It amortizes over 30-years and the mortgage rate never changes during that time. Each [&hellip

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Is Refinancing Worth It?

With mortgage rates at or near record lows, a lot of existing homeowners are probably asking themselves, “Is refinancing worth it?” The problem is there’s no absolute right or wrong answer to this question, though with interest rates a lot lower than they were a year or two ago, the answer to this question will [&hellip

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It’s Taking a Really Long Time to Get a Mortgage Right Now

Similar to the increased waiting times to get a COVID-19 test these days, it’s taking an extended amount of time to get a mortgage to the finish line. The reason is simply unprecedented demand, just like those COVID-19 tests. The more people that need one, the longer the wait, period. This is the downside to [&hellip

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Does a Refinance Require an Appraisal?

Mortgage Q&A: “Does a refinance require an appraisal?” A reader recently asked if they needed an appraisal to refinance their existing mortgage, knowing they can often add weeks to the loan process. As with anything in the mortgage realm, the answer is it depends. Mainly, it depends on the type of loan you plan to [&hellip

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Partial Claim May Be Option for VA Borrowers Exiting COVID-19 Forbearance

The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) has proposed a new loss mitigation method to help homeowners with VA loans in COVID-19 related forbearance get back on track. The new program, known as the COVID-19 Veterans Assistance Partial Claim Payment program, or COVID-VAPCP for kind of shorter, somewhat mirrors existing programs offered by the FHA and [&hellip

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Mortgage Rates vs. the Coronavirus: We Might Test New All-Time Lows

Mortgage rates can be pretty volatile. Just like stocks, they can change daily depending on what’s happening in the economy. Beyond that, mortgage rates can move based on news that doesn’t involve a report on the economic calendar, such as a jobs report, GDP, housing starts, inflation, etc. Even if there isn’t a direct financial [&hellip

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Watch Out for Low Mortgage Rates You Have to Pay For

Mortgage rates keep on marching lower and lower, with new records broken seemingly every week. But with all the fervor surrounding mortgage rates, some lenders are playing the “how low can we appear to go” game. For example, mortgage lenders may be talking about their lowest rates (with multiple points required), as opposed to offering [&hellip

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Why Are Mortgage Rates Different?

Mortgage rate Q&A: “Why are mortgage rates different?” Why is the sky blue? Why are clouds white? Why won’t your neighbor trim their tree branches? These are all good questions, and ones that often puzzle even the most savvy of human beings. First things first, take a look at how mortgage rates are determined to [&hellip

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Why Adjustable-Rate Mortgages Are Bad News Right Now

With mortgage interest rates as low as they are at the moment, you may be looking beyond fixed-rate options if you’re in the market to purchase a home or refinance an existing home loan. After all, while 30-year fixed mortgage rates are hovering around 2.75%, some adjustable-rate mortgages are in the very low 2% range. [&hellip

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Don’t Freak Out About the Recent Mortgage Rate ‘Spike’

Queue the panic. Mortgage rates have officially spiked and the media is all over it. Yep, the average rate on a 30-year fixed mortgage increased from 2.65% to 2.79% this week, per Freddie Mac’s weekly survey. Freddie Mac Chief Economist Sam Khater noted in the weekly news release that mortgage rates have been under pressure [&hellip

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