By Eric Yoder You've probably heard someone call an FHA loan a last resort, the mortgage you settle for when nothing else works. Maybe a coworker said sellers won't take your offer. If you're trying...
By Sam Wax Your parents own a house in the Tampa Bay area that has doubled in value since they bought it. They are ready to downsize, and you are trying to buy your first home in a market where...
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 have been saving for a house in the Tampa Bay area for a couple of years, and the balance still does not look like enough. That gap between what you have set aside and what you...
By Sam Wax You’ve been told you’re not old enough for a reverse mortgage, or that you don’t qualify for the government-backed programs. So what can you do? If you own a home in the Tampa Bay area...
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...
If you used your VA loan to buy your first home in the Tampa Bay area, you may be wondering whether that benefit is gone for good. The good news is that it usually isn't. You can use your VA home...
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...
The down payment for first-time home buyers in Florida is the wall a lot of buyers hit first. That is the exact problem Florida's Hometown Heroes Program seeks to solve by offering down payment and...
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 Finding out your mortgage broker retired can feel unsettling, especially if they helped you buy your first home in Tampa and you figured they'd be your go-to for years. Maybe you were...