Hal M. Bundrick is a personal finance writer and a NerdWallet authority in money matters. He is a certified financial planner and former financial consultant and senior investment specialist for Wall Street firms. Hal advised families, business owners, nonprofits, and trusts, as well as managed group employee retirement plans in the South and Midwest. Since hanging up (burning) his suits and ties, Hal now works to make financial topics understandable and jargon-free. Email: hal@nerdwallet.com
Qualifying as a first-time home buyer doesn’t mean you’ve never owned a house. Meeting first-time home buyer qualifications unlocks many benefits, including low- or no-down-payment loans, down payment assistance, grants…
A first-time home buyer class has been suggested to you — perhaps by a lender, friend or real estate agent. And you’re thinking, “What’s the point?” But what if you…
Buying a home is so hard, they should make it an Olympic event. It’s not just the paperwork; it’s the terminology, the fees and the number of people involved. It’s…
The terms “no closing cost” mortgage or “zero closing costs” home loan are a little misleading. You might think the fees are waived or paid by someone else. But a…
Sure, you can get a low down payment with an FHA loan, but that doesn’t mean you’ll avoid paying other fees at closing. You will be charged some FHA closing…
As a first-time home seller, you know how much you owe on the mortgage, and you’ve got a good idea of your home’s market value. But then come all of…
A mortgage origination fee is any fee that adds to the profit a lender can make on a loan. Mortgage lenders are going to charge fees one way or another;…
The traditional target for a home down payment is 20% of the purchase price, but that’s out of reach for many buyers. Mortgage insurance makes it possible to hand over a much…
One of the (many) thorny decisions you’ll face when buying a home is when to lock your mortgage rate. What if you lock it in now and rates go down?…
Rocket Mortgage changed the home loan industry. Suddenly, home buyers could apply for a mortgage from their phone. Technology was rapidly transforming one of the last major paper-shuffling businesses remaining on the…
