What Are VA Loan Closing Costs?
For cash-strapped military borrowers, a VA mortgage can be the answer to a prayer. Eligible military borrowers can get into a new home with no down payment, only a funding…
Marilyn Lewis
Marilyn is a personal finance writer for NerdWallet. Her focus is on helping readers protect their finances when buying a home and getting a mortgage. Her writing has been featured in numerous media outlets, including MSN, The San Jose Mercury News and The Providence Journal. She holds a bachelor’s degree in English from the University of Washington. When she’s not writing, she is walking trails and beaches in the Pacific Northwest and reading incessantly, whether it’s literary fiction or the backs of cereal boxes.
Posts by Marilyn Lewis:
What Is a Mortgage?
“Mortgage” comes from the Latin word mort, meaning death — as in “this debt is yours until you die.” Mortgages are more flexible than their root word implies, but these…
How Home Improvements Can Increase Your Property Taxes
You transformed your dingy basement into an entertainment room, guest quarters and a three-quarter bath. Yay! Dream realized. What’s more, the makeover helps boost your home’s value. But increased value…
Granite Countertops Cost: 7 Ways to Save
Granite countertops, durable, high-fashion and low-maintenance, are stars in kitchen and bathroom remodels nationwide. And you don’t need to buy the most expensive granite to get stunning results in your…
6 Tips to Save on the Cost to Paint a House
A fresh coat of paint makes everything it touches seem brand new. But such new beginnings cost real money. Professional painters charge around $4,000 for labor and materials to paint…
Ways to Get the Best Jumbo Mortgage Rates
Just as the name implies, a jumbo mortgage is a massive loan, above the conforming loan limit of $484,350 in most parts of the U.S. Even small decreases in jumbo mortgage…
4 Tips for Finding the Best Online Mortgage Lenders
Technology is changing mortgage lending, making it faster and simpler to get a home loan. You still may have to dig up some documents from your files these days, but…
Documents Needed for a Mortgage Preapproval Letter: A Checklist
Getting preapproved for a mortgage before you go home shopping isn’t required, but it is a good idea, especially in a seller’s market, where competition among buyers is intense. Unlike…
Bethpage Federal Credit Union Mortgage Review 2019
Bethpage Federal Credit Union, as it’s been named since 1974, was established in 1941 when employees of Grumman Corporation, a large aeronautical engineering company, formed Grumman Plant Federal Credit Union.…
3 Ways Parents Can Help Grown Kids Own a Home
When responsible first-time home buyers need help buying a home, the family bank can sometimes lend a hand. Younger home buyers face a mountain of obstacles, including rising home prices…
