If you are a first time home buyer and looking for help with your down payment and closing costs, there are actually a number of grant programs both nationally and on the state and local level.
Grants are not loans and not required to be paid back. Qualifying for different grant programs varies, it often requires you to be a first time home buyer and you must live in the residence (not rent it out).
You may also need a minimum credit score as well as fit income criteria.
Give us a call or schedule a consultation on our website and we can see what grants and programs may be available to you.

If you are ready to purchase a house – you are going to be excited and maybe a little nervous. Here are 5 important things to do on a walkthrough to help lower any anxiety or future surprises.
1. Look For Wet Spots
Check the ceilings for wet spots (rings or circles) and discoloration around windows. They can cause issues down the road and be hard to fix!
2. Check The Wiring
Turn on the switches, dimmers, check the doorbell, garage door, basically check it all. If things are not working right, there could be an overall wiring issue.
3. Inspect the Bathroom
Again look for water damage around toilets, showers and tubs. Also make sure everything is working properly, flush the toilets, check the showers and faucets to make sure the hot water works.
4. Test the hardware
Basically check everything from fans to the washer and dryer. Make sure it all works.
5. Run the heat and AC
You want to make sure the heat and AC are working properly – turn them on and let it run a few minutes.
Finally make a checklist for all the items to be included in the sale and have the owner sign-off or initial it so there’s no confusion or disagreements at closing.

There are a number of factors that affect getting approved for a mortgage the interest rate of the loan. One of the biggest factors in the actual interest rate, is your credit score. The higher the credit score the better in terms of the interest rate and consequently the monthly payments to be made for your mortgage.
A credit score is a number that generally indicates your ability to meet your financial payments. It’s based on your outstanding debt, payment history and other factors. Generally a tri-merge report is ordered with any new mortgage loan and they will use the middle score.
If you aren’t sure of your score, you can order an annual score for free at AnnualCreditReport.com. You can see if there are any errors and we can help with some recommendations to lower your score as well.
If you would like more information, please go to our website to schedule a free consultation.

You may have heard that in the most recent meeting of the Federal Reserve Board, they voted to increase the federal funds rate by half a percentage point.
While fixed rate mortgages are not directly connected to the Fed’s rate (rather the 10 year Treasury rate, the fed rate is directly tied to short term loans such as credit card borrowing and adjustable rate mortgages) mortgage rates are influenced by the rate as well as other Fed monetary policies.
The Fed is focused on lowering inflation and has indicated there may be more rate increases in the next year, other factors such as the war in the Ukraine affecting oil prices as well as lock downs in China affecting the supply chain will be closely watched.
If you are looking at applying for a mortgage, you may want to lock your rate in, give us a call or apply on our website and we can see what best fits your needs.

It’s almost required to get pre-approved for a mortgage when house shopping in many of today’s markets, many realtors will actually ask for a pre-approval in advance.
Its also good for you to know how much you can afford and if there are any issues, you will know in advanced instead of any last minute surprises!
So here are 5 things you’ll need to get pre-approved
1. Proof of Income This is usually W-2 statements but also includes any other sources of income like bonuses or alimony.
2. Proof of Assets This will include bank and investment account statements. If you are receiving a money from a relative or friend you may also need a gift letter from them.
3. Credit Score Your credit score will be an important factor on the down payment and interest rate on the loan.
4. Employment Verification Lenders may call your employer to verify employment, or if you are self-employed you may need to supply additional paperwork.
5. You Verification You may need to supply a copy of your drivers license and social security number as well. Now that you know the basics, use our online prequal and see how much you can get approved for!