Mortgage Guide 101 Blog

I heard a most interesting report on the radio today. Seems that in the US we are buying houses as "investments" and flipping those homes within a year, at a tidy profit. It's certainly a good way to make some money at the moment! The housing market in Read More...

Woohoo! My wife has just called me from the office with news that she's going to get a big fat bonus check in September! Now, there's never a lack of things that can be done with extra cash, especially now that we're parents, but we're thinking both long Read More...

A few weeks back, I mentioned that my wife is pregnant. I also mentioned that she had "morning sickness". I also mentioned that morning sickness was a misnomer. I should also have mentioned that I have a whole new appreciation for this whole pregnancy Read More...

I don't remember ever seeing this level of interest in... well... interest! Interest rates, that is. Mr. Greenspan, our beloved Fed Chairman, continues to say good things about the economy, bad things about inflation, and rising things about interest Read More...

I'm hearing lots of good things these days about using a mortgage broker. A friend of mine is self-employed. So is his spouse. As a result, getting a mortgage was turning into a huge hassle, when they bought their first house. They even approached the Read More...

There's been lots of interesting stuff in the newspaper lately. Just this week I found out that there are now specialized financial institutions and lending agencies that are lending to specific ethnic groups, and using the "rules" from the originating Read More...

Today I saw an article in my local newspaper which details the best reason to refinance. Perhaps the only reason to refinance. And that's saving money. The article went through a scenario where a home owner started out with a $195,000 mortgage at 6 %. On Read More...

I'm not sure I want to say this too loud, in case I jinx myself. However, I think my wife may be starting to feel a bit better. And why would this matter? Well, we can get back to our favorite summer hobby; touring the local open houses! I hate to admit Read More...

Well, even if we're not house-hunting anymore, there is still the impending need to re-negotiate our mortgage. It comes up in November. Meanwhile, interest rates are rising. It's true that they aren't rising quickly and they aren't leaping up large Read More...

Here's a renovation that would set you back a pretty penny. We're not talking about a roof with green shingles; we're not just talking environmentally-sensitive, either. We're talking about a roof that is green because it's growing. No kidding! My Read More...

Tread carefully when trying to house-hunt with your pregnant wife. And why would I say that? Well, we've gone from house-hunting to not house-hunting, in just a matter of a week or so. Everything was in full swing; then, it was in full stop. Why you Read More...