Category: Homes
Homes
Homes
Lessons From a First-Time Home Buyer: When Your Mortgage Servicer Changes
Something I'd absolutely never heard about prior to buying a home was the idea that your mortgage might just randomly be sold to another company. Sure, I was familiar with the concept of companies selling off delinquent debt to collectors, but it never crossed my mind that lenders would elect to transfer their mortgages in good standing to another lender. Yet, that's exactly what happened to us within only a...
Homes
Lessons From a First-Time Home Buyer: A Warning on "Interest-Free" Home Repair Financing
The unfortunate fact about being a homeowner is that, at some point, you're going to have to pay to repair/replace some expensive items in your house. And while you should try to be as prepared for that as possible, in reality, there are times when an unexpected repair may mean needing to request financing. That way, you can pay off the purchase over time rather than shelling it all out...
Homes
Lessons From a First-Time Home Buyer: 5 Safety and Security Items We've Purchased for Our House
When you're a renter, there's a certain level of safety and security that your landlord is required to provide. So, when you become a homeowner, suddenly you're solely responsible for these important aspects of your life. And, of course, this also likely means spending more money to protect yourself. In our case, since moving in last year, we've made at least a few purchases related to keeping ourselves and our...
Homes
Lessons From a First-Time Home Buyer: Our First Major Repair as Homeowners
Well, it had to happen sooner or later. This week, my wife and I placed a maintenance call, with the hope that it might be a small fix — but, of course, it turned out to be a worst-case scenario. The culprit causing harm to our wallets this time? Our water heater. The good news is that, through this process, we learned a few things that I think will help...
Homes
Lessons From a First-Time Home Buyer: Should You Break Your Lease to Buy?
In a perfect world, the transition from renting to buying would be seamless — you'd find a great house to buy, close the deal, and move right into your new place. Alas, it's rarely this easy. That's because many renters are on a lease, which may heavily impact their timing when buying a home and limit their options overall. This was definitely the case for us as we still had...
Homes
Lessons From a First-Time Home Buyer: Worst Time to Buy a House? There Are Always Exceptions
If you've been thinking about buying a house, looking at the news lately has likely disheartened you. As CNN reports, a recent Gallup poll found that 76% of Americans believe it's a bad time to buy — with only 21% saying it's a good time. There are several reasons for that sentiment, with the top two being the combination of high interest rates and high home prices. So, are you...
Homes
