A Touch of Hocus-Pocus
October 18, 2018
Time to dress up your lawn! Halloween is right around the corner, so break out your most spook-tacular decorations! Getting into the holiday spirit and decorating can be a fun activity for the entire family. Whether you want to keep it simple with a few pumpkins, or totally transform your entire yard, let your imagination… Read More
What is Homebuyer Education, and Why Do You Need It?
October 11, 2018
Homebuyer education, also called housing or pre-purchase counseling, helps homebuyers prepare for the process of purchasing a home and the challenges of being a new homeowner. Some loan programs, like the Maryland Mortgage Program (MMP), require homebuyer education courses. Recently, the Maryland Mortgage Program has made updates to their homebuyer education requirements to simplify and… Read More
Trending Home Features: Love It or Leave It
October 4, 2018
Home decorating trends are constantly changing and it’s hard to keep up with every new fad that emerges. Floral prints may be popping up everywhere at the moment, but those millennial pink kitchen appliances you bought at the beginning of the year are “so out” now! So, which trends should you follow and which should… Read More
Buying a Home in a Gig Economy
September 27, 2018
A gig economy refers to a workplace in which temporary or flexible jobs are the norm, such as freelance or contract work, as opposed to permanent, full-time jobs. There is no fixed salary, so income may be irregular and sometimes it may not even be documented. Future income is also unpredictable while working freelance or… Read More
How to Win in a Competitive Market
September 20, 2018
It’s a seller’s market in the mortgage world these days. That means there are more buyers looking to purchase homes than there are homes for sale, giving way to some strong competition. Properties may be going off of the market more quickly since there is higher interest, and they may be selling for more than… Read More
Tiny House, Large Living: The Tiny House Movement
September 14, 2018
Living large doesn’t necessarily mean owning a mansion and filling it with an abundance of possessions. Just ask those who have joined the tiny house movement. You may be asking, what exactly is the tiny house movement? The latest trend involves homeowners downsizing to a home, generally measuring 400 square feet or less. Small, right?… Read More
Wire Fraud on the Rise
September 6, 2018
E-mail hacking and wire fraud schemes are on the rise in the mortgage industry. In the past few years, homebuyers have been schemed into losing thousands of their hard-earned dollars, and unfortunately, a lot of that money has not been recovered. So what exactly is wire fraud? It’s a crime in which a person (hacker)… Read More
Open House Red Flags
August 29, 2018
You have found a few properties online that you love and notice they are having open houses soon, great news! The pictures certainly make the house look perfect, but seeing the house in-person will give you an opportunity to see its true appearance. When attending an open house, it is important to look past the… Read More
Pre-Qualification vs. Pre-Approval
August 23, 2018
You’ve heard the terms pre-qualification and pre-approval, but what do they mean? They are the same thing, right? Not quite! The terms have been used interchangeably, but their true definitions differ. We’re going to break it down and explain the difference between the two. Pre-qualification The very first step to take if you are ready… Read More
What Happens at Closing
August 15, 2018
You’ve made it to the final step in the home buying process, closing. After all of the settlement documents have been signed and funds distributed, ownership of the property will transfer and the house is finally yours! Here’s what you can expect in the days leading up to your closing. Prior to Closing At least… Read More