What May Stand Between You and Getting a Mortgage

What May Stand Between You and Getting a Mortgage

If you or someone you know has been in the housing market recently, it’s likely you’ve experienced or heard that the process of getting a mortgage can be tough. Since the housing bubble burst (due in large part to just about anyone with a pulse qualifying for loans), the process has become much stricter. There are several things that may stand between you and getting the mortgage you need to buy the house of your dreams. Following are 5 to consider: 1. More Cautious Lenders After endless foreclosures, a recession, and bailouts, the last thing the banks want to do is repeat what happened in the mid-2000’s. As a result, they’re opting on the side of caution when it comes to lending money these days. Today, you’ll discover that lending...

Read More

Save Money by Changing Your Furnace Filter

video via youtube   Replacing your furnace or air conditioner’s filter on a regular basis can help to improve the efficiency and lifespan of your homes heating and cooling equipment while helping to reduce energy costs. Save Money Saving Energy host Ryan talks with Jay Stoa, LES Energy Services Specialist, about how to check your filter, when to change it and how to correctly install a new replacement filter.    

Read More

Don’t Let BLACK FRIDAY Get in the Way of Buying a Home!

Don’t Let BLACK FRIDAY Get in the Way of Buying a Home!

Black Friday is nearly upon us. Newspaper inserts, emails and TV commercials abound with information about the “BEST DEALS EVER!”.  You get to the store before the sun even thinks about coming up only to find that you can get an even better deal if you open a line of credit! STOP RIGHT THERE. If you are in the process of buying a home, or considering doing so anytime soon, we urge you to stop and collect your thoughts for a moment. What the heck does Black Friday have to do with buying a home!? That additional percentage off for opening a line of credit could be a deal-breaker when it comes to purchasing a home. If you are in the midst of the mortgage process with a good lender, you already know that you should hold off on opening  new credit...

Read More

Is the Home I’m Interested in Located in USDA Mortgage Territory?

Is the Home I’m Interested in Located in USDA Mortgage Territory?

If you are looking for a home in Indiana that is eligible for USDA financing, you’re in luck! You will find that most of Indiana is eligible for USDA financing. The USDA provides an interactive map where you can either type in a specific address or view an eligibility map for a general area.  Just a reminder, USDA financing is not only for the purchase of farmland or homes on farms. A USDA home loan, also known as the USDA Rural Development Guaranteed Housing Loan Program, is a mortgage loan offered to those purchasing a rural property.The United States Department of Agriculture designed to this mortgage option to “improve the economy and quality of life in rural America.” The interactive map below is a little more user friendly than the maps of...

Read More

When Should You Consider Getting Your Indiana Mortgage Refinanced?

Sooner or later,  many Indiana property owners will undergo the process of refinancing their home; or at least consider whether or not they should get their Indiana mortgage refinanced. They do this for a variety of reasons. Before approaching a lender about a home refinance loan,it is vital that the property owner determines if it is the right decision to refinance their house. A refinance can give help to troubled property owners (particularly individuals who took out ARMs a few years ago), but it is not the solution for everyone. Following are several great reasons to refinance: Mortgage refinancing is typically a great alternative for individuals confronting foreclosure. A number of individuals have discovered themselves on the verge of not being able to...

Read More