Articles by Gina Freeman - Page 10

It's hard to know what not to do -- especially when it's your first time buying a home. Here are 5 common but avoidable mistakes.

Are you FHA Streamline Refinance eligible? Use this easy-to-follow format. Updated for newest changes to FHA MIP. Today's FHA rate quotes available.

Should you pay off your mortgage early when rates are rising? Probably not, and here's why.

Financing a rental home? It's harder than buying a primary residence, because rental property is riskier for mortgage lenders. Here's what you need to know.

When you make a mortgage application, you sign a lot of documents. Here's what you need to know before you put pen to paper.

Your mortgage refinance comes at a cost, even if you don't see it. There are several ways to pay to refinance your home loan, and we'll show you the pros and cons of them here.

Subordination for home equity loans and HELOCs comes into play when you refinance the underlying first mortgage but don't want to include the second mortgage in the refinance. The old equity loan must be subordinated to the new loan. But that's not always easy.

Homebuyers looking for bargains may be wondering how to buy a short sale property. The first thing to know is that not all short sale houses are bargains. The second thing is that you'd better not be in a hurry.

Conforming mortgages this year will be a little different, thanks to changes at Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae. Here are the ones most likely to affect you

If you have an adjustable rate mortgage that's about to reset, you're probably concerned. In a rising rate environment, ARM loan interest rates and payments can skyrocket. But you refinance your ARM to another ARM before that happens.

ARM indexes tell you what can happen to your mortgage when its introductory period expires and the rate begins resetting. When shopping for a home loan, you want to pick the best combination of index, margin and caps.

The convertible HELOC combines the flexibility of a HELOC with the stability of a fixed interest rate.

You can co-buy a home with a non-veteran using a VA loan. But special rules apply. How to check your eligibility for low VA rates when co-borrowing with a non-veteran.

FHA ARM rates allow you to get the benefits of an FHA loan -- low down payment, assumability, and flexible underwriting -- for less.

How to buy a house when your credit is good but your spouse's or partner's is not. There are programs to solve your credit problems.

When you co-sign on a mortgage, you put your name on another person's loan as a guarantee against default. Is this smart or stupid or something in-between?

With an FHA loan, a home buyer can use income from a family member or even friend to qualify for the mortgage.

Rising interest rates are not necessarily evil. In fact, they can help some homebuyers. Here's what you need to know.

Ineligible for HARP, even the new version? You may have options if your state participates in the "Hardest Hit" program. Many rovide principal reductions for underwater homeowners.

What happens to your HELOC payment when the draw period ends and you have to start repaying the loan? Here's what you need to know to keep your payments affordable.