By Eric Yoder You found it. The right layout, the right street, a backyard in a Tampa Bay neighborhood you can actually picture yourself in. Then the deal slips away, and it has nothing to do with...
By Sam Wax If you're house-hunting in the Tampa Bay area, you've probably typed your income into an online calculator, gotten a big number back, and wondered whether you can really afford it. It's a...
By Gilbert Bennett If you’re a nurse, teacher, or first responder, you spend your days taking care of other people. Every day, people lean on you to help. So when it’s time to buy a home, don’t be...
By Eric Yoder If you earn your living as a 1099 contractor, freelancer, or small business owner in the Tampa Bay area, you've probably heard that getting a mortgage is tougher for you than for...
By Sam Wax and Steven Hochak Buying a two-to-four-unit property in the Tampa Bay area can feel like a bigger leap than buying a single-family home. Here's the good news: financing multi-family...
By Eric Yoder You signed the closing papers, got the keys to your new place in the Tampa Bay area, and started hauling in boxes. Then a quiet question creeps in: when is my first mortgage payment...
By Gilbert Bennett Splitting a purchase into four easy payments feels harmless. You could be in line to buy furniture, or on a food delivery app in the checkout page, and a buy now, pay later option...
By Sam Wax Recently, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis introduced a new property tax proposal. You might wonder what this means for your wallet, especially if you’re in the housing market. It’s a good...
By Sam Wax If your paycheck doesn’t come from a single salaried job, buying a home can feel unfair for you. Maybe you mix W-2 wages with freelance work, run a small business on the side, or count...
By Sam Wax Most buyers walk into their home-buying process focused on one number: the monthly mortgage payment. That's the number on the listing calculator, the number your lender quotes, the number...
By Sam Wax Wondering whether your credit score is the only thing standing between you and a home in Tampa? For decades, every conventional mortgage in the country used the same model: Classic FICO....
The home financing process in Tampa can quickly go from exciting to overwhelming. From credit checks to inspections to closing costs, the appraisal often feels like just another delay draining your...