My 'go to source' for all the best info has been The Mortgage Professor and I'd just like to pass this on to folks that may also have lots of questions on mortgages. I've been spending some time there reading quite a few of the incredibly informative articles and FAQs that Jack has on his site. Let me take you through some highlight articles and faq's that I really enjoyed reading and felt helped to get me informed for mortgage discussions. Another wonderful thing about Jack's site is that you'll find the articles and topics have frequent updates as Jack uncovers new answers to similar questions, examples and info on that topic.
Buying a new house before selling the old one - This was really educational as I'm currently contemplating this scenario and couldn't find any real good info on the web about it. If you're like me, you might have rolled this question around in your head:
"I need to use the equity in my existing house to buy a new one, but it looks like I am going to have to close on my new house before I am able to close on my old one…How do I handle this?"
I learned that you have many options and what kinds of questions to discuss with your bank/mortgage broker when discussing loan options. You can draw from your current equity via a HELOC and use as down payment on your new place. You can request a bridge loan. Often loan officers will want to know that you've listed your current home before going down this road.
Another article discusses the different scenario options in Buy or Sell First? a similar question is asked:
“I currently own a home which I would like to sell, and then buy another. What is the best sequence of steps in this process?”
I'm not fortunate enough to need an answer to this question but enjoyed the article Sell Now to Avoid Future Capital Gains Taxes?
"If a House Has Appreciated by $500,000, Does it Make Sense to Sell it and Buy Another For the Sole Purpose of Avoiding the Capital Gains Tax That Is Due on Gains Above $500,000?"
Quick Tips on Major Hazards - As much as we are trusting souls when we discuss money matters with professionals that send us quoted estimates, there are hazards to look out for. This is a great article and jumping off point to many other related article topics: Quick Tips on Major Hazards. You'll definitely want to read up on the lender tactics to avoid that try to tack on costs as closing approaches in Legal Thievery at the Closing Table.
I mean an almost 200% increase in quoted fees is outrageous, like this:
"I paid $2240 in lender fees when my loan closed, compared to the $880 I was quoted at the time my rate was locked. It was a total surprise that hit me at the closing table. With my house purchase at stake, there was nothing I could do. This is outrageous…why doesn’t the government do something about it?"
apparently the whole design of the GFE (good faith estimate) is designed and allows for fluctuations like this.
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