What Is a Real Estate Attorney, and Do You Need One?
A real estate attorney’s role is to ensure the legal transfer of property from seller to buyer. These attorneys handle tasks like preparing or reviewing documents, ensuring that the title…
Kate Wood
Kate Wood is a writer for NerdWallet, focusing on mortgages, homebuying and homeownership. She previously wrote about home renovation, maintenance and remodeling for This Old House magazine. Kate has an educational background in sociology, and issues like reducing housing inequality are close to her heart. Email: [email protected]
Posts by Kate Wood:
FHA Refinance Loan Options
An FHA refinance is a way to save money by changing your loan term or interest rate, something many homeowners look to do when rates are low. But the Federal…
Eager Buyers Are Skipping Home Inspections. Is It Too Risky?
Shopping for their first home in New Jersey, Alyse Storzieri and her boyfriend Robert Engel faced a tough market. So when they found a house they loved last June, the…
Home Inspection in Connecticut: How It Works and What It Costs
Buying a home in the Nutmeg State? Before closing day, you’ll want to get a home inspection to give you a better idea of whether your new house comes with…
Should Your First House Be a Condo?
Whether you’re having trouble finding an affordable single-family home or you’re simply fed up with renting, a condominium can be a way to wade into homeownership rather than diving into…
How a Mortgage Escrow Account Works
Escrow is when a third party holds and then disburses funds on your behalf. It’s typically used when buying a home, for money that will change hands at the closing.…
What Is a Second Mortgage?
Second mortgages, or junior liens, are a way to turn your home equity into readily available funds without selling your house. A second mortgage increases your overall debt and can…
Looking to Fund a Remodel? Consider a Renovation Refinance
Is using your kitchen table as an office-slash-kids’-classroom making you long to upgrade your home? You’re not alone. Sixty-one percent of American homeowners have taken on home improvement projects since…
What Is a Co-op? A Different Kind of Homeownership
A co-op is a home you don’t exactly buy. Instead, you’re buying shares in a corporation that allow you to live in that home. This can make financing a co-op…
For Lower-Credit Homeowners, Refinancing Is Harder, but Not Hopeless
With mortgage interest rates hitting record lows, many homeowners have already refinanced — but others are having trouble finding a lender that will approve a new loan. According to a…
