Homes in the Seattle area are appreciating at the fastest rate in the nation. Over the last 12 months, for example, homes in Seattle have gone up 14.1%, Bellevue 12.1% and here in Sammamish, 12.2%. Even though those rates—what real…
Johann Bruhner had some big changes in his life: he had just gotten a big merit raise and a cash bonus at work, he’d paid off the last of his student loans, and he had just gotten engaged to be…
Mortgage giant Freddie Mac regularly tracks and reports on average mortgage rates. Their most recent report, on May 12, 2016, notes that average rates have dipped to 3.57%. On the same date in 2015, they reported average rates of 3.85%--more…
Everything about Fred showed discouragement. He had made offers on five different properties and had lost out to all-cash buyers on every single one. Fred was well qualified for the price range he wanted: he had more than enough cash…
Mortgage rates for fixed-rate loans are still lower than they have been in decades. Why in the world would anyone want to consider any sort of adjustable rate mortgage? Even with today’s low fixed rates, opting for an ARM could…
The process of buying your first home is a daunting one. There is strange terminology (What’s an “escrow?” Why do I have to buy TWO policies of title insurance—and what am I insuring, anyway?), a mountain of paperwork to fill…
When you’re making a property purchase decision or refinancing your home, it may be difficult to know where to invest your time. After all, you want to make your mortgage decision with full faith and confidence that you have the…