By Eric Yoder You found the house, your offer was accepted, and the finish line is finally in sight. Then a new worry pops up: do you really have to sit in a title office and sign a two-inch stack...
By Eric Yoder Maybe your parents offered to help, or a grandparent has been saving for the day you buy. That kind of support can be the difference between renting another year and owning a home in...
By Sam Wax You found a house in Wesley Chapel that checks every box. The catch is that you still live in your current home, and most of your down payment is tied up in it. Buying and selling at the...
By Gilbert Bennett You found the house. Maybe it's on the water in Tampa Bay, maybe it's a custom build in Avila, and the number attached to it has seven figures before the decimal. Then your bank...
By My Easy Mortgage Team If single-family prices in the Tampa Bay area have pushed you out of the running, a condo may be your way in. Right now that instinct is a sound one. Condo inventory across...
By Eric Yoder You finally find a house in Tampa worth touring, and then the listing agent asks a question you weren't ready for: Are you pre-approved? If your stomach dropped a little, you are in...
By Sam Wax You have owned your Tampa Bay home for decades. You watched its value climb, paid down most or all of the loan, and now you are retired on a fixed income while a large chunk of your net...
By Eric Yoder If you've been staring at your savings account wondering how you'll ever reach 20 percent, that excitement of buying a home wears thin fast. On a $400,000 home, 20 percent means...
By Gilbert Bennett You're scrolling listings in Tampa Bay and one line stops you cold: assumable VA loan, 2.75%. After years of watching rates sit well above that, it reads like a typo. It isn't....
By Eric Yoder Most first-time buyers in Tampa Bay hear about down payment assistance the same way. Someone at work mentions it, or an agent brings it up during a showing in Riverview, and it lands...
A mortgage recast allows you to make a substantial lump-sum payment toward your principal and have your remaining monthly principal and interest payments recalculated using the lower balance. Your...
By Sam Wax One of the quietest decisions you make in the home-buying process is who you trust to handle your loan. It's tempting to treat a mortgage broker like a one-time service: get the loan,...