Finding the right mortgage lender can mean the difference between a smooth homebuying experience and a stressful one. After all, your mortgage lender influences not only your interest rate but also how clearly your loan options are explained, how quickly you close and how confident you feel navigating one of the biggest financial decisions of your life. And, with dozens of lender types, loan programs and fee structures on the market, knowing how to evaluate your choices is essential.
The mortgage marketplace is more diverse than ever, giving borrowers a wide range of choices, each with its... Read more

Rent prices across California have climbed to historic levels, and Humboldt County is no exception. For prospective buyers in areas like Eureka, CA, the high cost of renting a home is becoming harder to justify. Monthly rents now rival or even exceed what a mortgage payment might be for comparable properties. This shift has made owning a home more financially appealing than ever.

In communities such as Arcata and Fortuna, the rental market is extremely tight, with high demand and limited availability. Many renters find themselves renewing leases at increased rates year after year, wit... Read more

In today’s real estate market, homebuyers often face challenges with rising mortgage rates and affordability. One financing strategy gaining popularity is the seller buydown. A seller buydown occurs when the seller of a property contributes funds to reduce the buyer’s mortgage interest rate for a set period or the entire life of the loan. This contribution is typically paid upfront at closing and credited toward the buyer’s mortgage, making the loan more affordable. For many buyers, this is the difference between being priced out of the market and comfortably affording a new home.

The... Read more

Buying a home is one of the biggest milestones in life, and it often comes with a mix of excitement and uncertainty. For many buyers, the biggest sticking point is interest rates. It is tempting to wait for rates to drop before committing to a mortgage, but in reality, waiting can mean missing out on the home that truly fits your needs. The phrase “date the rate, marry the house” has gained popularity among realtors, especially in competitive markets like California and Humboldt County, because it captures an important truth: interest rates are temporary, but the home you buy can shape your fu... Read more

We’re currently experiencing historically low mortgage rates. Over the last fifty years, the average on a Freddie Mac 30-year fixed-rate mortgage has been 7.76%. Today, that rate is 2.81%. Flocks of homebuyers have been taking advantage of these remarkably low rates over the last twelve months. However, there’s no guarantee rates will remain this low much longer.

Whenever we try to forecast mortgage rates, we should consider the advice of Mark Fleming, Chief Economist at First American:

“You know, the fallacy of economic forecasting is don’t ever try and forecast intere... Read more

In the spring, many excited buyers get ready to enter the housing market. Others continue dreaming about the homes they’d like to buy. The truth is, many potential buyers continue to dream longer than they need to, simply because they’re confused about the homebuying process. Thankfully, working with a trusted real estate professional can help ease those concerns and make the process to homeownership much easier to understand.

A recent survey conducted by Ipson and Freddie Mac reveals the confidence level of Gen Z and Millennial buyers regarding the homebuying process. The graph below... Read more

With the summer moving on, we are moving into the busier season for Real Estate. Visitors that are considering buying are now winding down their vacations and focusing more on Real Estate. This is why we have seen more showings and offers in the past two weeks than in all of July. This has been a typical pattern for many years now.

Sellers are lowering prices in an effort attract those buyers and get an offer. With interest rates so lows and seller motivation high we are seeing a nice third quarter rally.

There is still a lot of inventory which will continue to keep prices do... Read more

The real estate market in Sac Town is always booming with activity. With the availability of various home loans from the government and private mortgage lenders, buying a home in Sac Town has been made easy. But real estate has its speculations. If you do not repay your loan on time, your home is likely to be foreclosed. Foreclosed homes are budget priced homes. The foreclosed homes for sale in Sacramento have prices as low as 30 percent of the actual market value. This makes foreclosed homes affordable by people of low income and bad credit.

Buying a property in Sac Town has other a... Read more

Do you own a home which has negative equity and are wondering how this occurred? The answer is simple. Negative equity occurs when you purchase a home using a home loan and the home prices begin to decline due to economic slowdown. The home value now decreases below the value principally on mortgage. This condition is called negative equity. It can be calculated by taking the value of the home, less the balance on the remaining loan.

An important aspect in the performance of home loans in the third quarter of 2009 was the high resale of foreclosures. This came up to one fifth of the t... Read more

Let’s all hope this bill passes. It will continue to spur the economic and real estate recovery.

WASHINGTON — Buying a home is about to get cheaper for a whole new crop of homebuyers — $6,500 cheaper.

First-time homebuyers have been getting tax credits of up to $8,000 since January as part of the economic stimulus package. But with that program scheduled to expire at the end of November, the Senate voted 98-0 Wednesday to extend and expand the tax credit to include buyers who already own homes. The House is expected to vote on the bill Thursday. Buyers who have owned their c... Read more

For Mortgages, 620 is The New Magic Number

Near historic low mortgage rates, favorable home prices, and the federal tax credit for first-time home buyers have contributed to home purchases in the past year. However, the onset of the credit crisis, new regulations for home appraisals, and more stringent guidelines for purchases and refinances have resulted in confusion for some potential home buyers.


While using a mortgage broker to find the best loan may work for some buyers, it may not always be the best route. In the past, mortgage brokers could “shop” a loan to multi... Read more

Home Front: Quarterly home sales worst yet for Sacramento area

Sacramento-area home builders just keep singing the blues.

July, August and September brought their worst quarter yet in this long housing crash: just 616 sales in El Dorado, Placer, Sacramento, Sutter, Yolo and Yuba counties, the Folsom-based Gregory Group reports today.

Actually, nearly all the region’s sales were in Placer and Sacramento counties alone. The suburban cities of Placer County accounted for 44 percent of third-quarter sales of new homes in the region. Sacramento County’s outer... Read more