Personal finance experts sometimes recommend that people who tend to overuse credit cards participate in a self-imposed credit freeze. That is, you put your credit card in a bowl of water and freeze it. Impulse purchases are no longer available – you have to think about your purchase long enough to drive home, take the card out of the freezer[...]
Reflecting the trends of increased telecommuting, a rise in home-based businesses and, let’s face it, more constant surveillance of e-mails and social media, an increasing number of (city) new homes include a home office. If you plan to have a home office, you’ll want to talk with your insurance provider to see if you need extra coverage. “Insuring a Home Office,”[...]
You have negotiated an offer on your new Atlanta home, and you’re working with a lender. Your application has been accepted and (cross your fingers here) everything is looking good for closing on time. There’s so much to do between now and then. Let’s talk about the things you should NOT be doing. You should NOT be out making huge[...]
There was a time, pretty recently, when it seemed new home buyers got a home equity line of credit almost as soon as they moved into a new home. Banks were eager to lend and, according to the Equifax Personal Finance Blog, homebuyers were using home equity lines for non traditional purposes. In her article, “ Credit Trends: Super-Prime Consumers Tap Home Equity[...]
Many homeowners who sell in the current market are making less on their home than they anticipated. When it’s time to buy the next home, they don’t have as much for a down payment as they would have liked – or maybe even as much as they need. While it seems unfair that lenders would start requiring larger down payments when[...]
If you are in the market to buy a new Atlanta home, you know that the down payment can become an instant deal breaker. With the current state of the economy, lenders are demanding a decent sum to put down on a house. Besides winning the lottery (chances are this won’t happen), how can you come up with a viable[...]
Breaking a mirror is said to cause seven years bad luck. If that is the case, then what happens if you walk away from your Atlanta real estate loan? Defaulting on your home loan can mean seven years before you can obtain a new one. If your mortgage is underwater and you are thinking about walking away from your Fannie[...]
If you’re contemplating buying a new Atlanta home, remember what all mortgage lenders are looking for in a relationship. It’s similar to what all of us want: someone well rounded and reliable with no skeletons in the closet. There’s no need to fill your shelves with self help books to get yourself ready for this relationship, though. Just go to the Equifax[...]
If you are in the market for a new Atlanta single-family home, chances are you are searching for something smaller in size than you would have if you had been looking a couple years ago. Builders have noticed. Statistics that were recently released by the Census Bureau showed nationwide that homes have dropped to an average of 2,438 square feet. This[...]
Atlanta Real Estate News Who says that Atlanta is going to become completely dominated by national builders just like the rest of the top 10 home building markets? With 20 new Atlanta home builders launching building companies in the past year, it seems that the local Atlanta builder is continuing to maintain a strong Atlanta foundation. While national builders such as[...]