Paying Points – Does it Make Sense?

by | Oct 24, 2008 | Tips

I’ve been asked a few question about the use of paying points the past few weeks, so I’d like to comment on this a little bit. Whether or not you should pay a point to buy down the interest rate takes both math and speculation. On average, 1 point buys down the...

The Matter of a Down Payment

by | Oct 21, 2008 | Tips

We all know that getting a loan is much harder to get and to qualify for nowadays. First time homebuyer programs with low down payment requirements of 3.5%-5.0% down are still available, but they can be somewhat restrictive in who can get them, and can also be more...

To Mortgage or Not to Mortgage

by | Oct 14, 2008 | Tips

When I have a chance, I listen to the Ray Lucia Show on Bloomberg AM radio, which is a call-in show for people to ask questions on financial investment strategies. One call struck my interest, so I want to share it with you as well and give you an example of how I...

The October 9th Coincidence

by | Oct 10, 2008 | General Market News

The overall intention of the Rescue Plan was not just to create liquidity in the marketplace, but more importantly to promote consumer confidence. So far, it’s not working… Both the stock market and the bond market have been hit extremely hard. Rates have...

What is “APR”?

by | Oct 6, 2008 | Tips

APR is short for “Annual Percentage Rate.” The APR is the percentage figure that expresses your total cost of obtaining and financing a loan, i.e. what you’re truly paying for that mortgage. The APR is the percentage figure that takes the true Note Rate (the interest...