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 Stephen Arthur If single-family prices in the Tampa Bay area have pushed you out of the running, a condo probably looks like your way in. Right now that instinct is a sound one. Condo inventory...
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,...
By Sam Wax The moment you start searching for someone to handle your financing, it can feel overwhelming. Type "mortgage broker near me" into your phone, and you'll get a long list of names, all...
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...