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FAQs

Buying a home is a major decision. It’s only natural to have questions. Here are answers some of our most commonly asked questions. Don’t see what you’re looking for? Reach out! We love talking about mortgages and helping our community members better understand them. You can call, email, or even click the chat button down […]

Hard Credit Inquiries

Big Changes Coming to Hard Credit Inquiries As of January 1st, the price of hard credit reports for mortgages will see a drastic increase. Why does this matter to you? Hard inquiries are used for mortgage pre-approvals, which are considered incredibly important to have when shopping for a home. Many sellers don’t consider an offer […]

Seller-Funded Temporary Buydown

What is a Seller-Funded Buydown? A Seller-Funded Buydown is a seller credit/concession given to the buyer to lower their payment temporarily. This program is generally used in a higher interest rate environment to make a house payment more affordable. Payments are made more affordable for the first one, two, or three years of the mortgage […]

Seller’s Concessions

As the housing market calms down from its hot streak, sellers are becoming more motivated to negotiate with buyers. A common point of negotiating is a seller’s concession also known as a seller’s assist or seller contribution. What is a seller’s concession? A seller’s concession is when the seller agrees to pay some of the […]

Earnest Money Deposits

What is an earnest money deposit? An earnest money, or good faith deposit, is a deposit from the homebuyer to the seller that shows good faith that the buyer will go through with purchasing the home. Earnest money is a great tool for homebuyers in a competitive market. It helps show that you are serious […]

Debt-to-Income Ratio (DTI)

We all know that our credit history plays a major role in determining eligibility for a loan but there is another factor that can have as great and often greater influence on your mortgage application’s approval: debt-to-income ratio (DTI). In fact, 35% of mortgage applications that were denied in 2021 were due to high DTI […]