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Category: Lighting The Way: Home Ownership

Why Escrows Can Increase in Fixed-Rate Mortgages

Explaining Increasing Escrow: With 2016 just around the corner, many families are looking at their budgets for next year and wondering how the mortgage payment will fit into their finances. Did your mortgage payment increase even though you have a fixed-rate mortgage? That’s because of an increased escrow payment. With any mortgage, there are two reasons

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Protecting yourself from deceptive debt collection practices

Nearly 15% of all Americans show at least one item in collection on their credit report, and the average amount of debt in collection is $1,400. Debt collection is a $12.2 billion industry in the United States. Banks and other creditors may collect their own debt, and they can also sell off debt to third

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Spring home maintenance tasks to protect your investment

Spring seems to finally be upon us. This warmer weather may have you dreaming of relaxing outside with a glass of lemonade, but if you’re a homeowner, spring means it’s time for some home maintenance work. Maintenance performed regularly can help maximize the lifespan of your home and its systems and prevent expensive problems and

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What people are saying about the value of our Homebuyer Education Courses

“I didn’t realize all that was involved with the home buying process, but that has changed by taking this class.” “More helpful than other homebuyer classes I’ve taken.” “The best $15 I ever spent.” We love getting this feedback on the evaluations of our Homebuyer Education Courses. It means we’re succeeding in making sure people

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Why you need to shop around for a mortgage

Interest rates are at a record low, but many borrowers are still reluctant to shop for the best mortgage loan — a decision that could cost them money. Looking at data from the November 2012 National Housing Survey, Fannie Mae researchers found that close to half of lower-income mortgage borrowers said they did not obtain

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How to get the most out of your tax refund

A recent survey by TD Ameritrade finds nearly half of people expecting a tax refund said they plan to save the money, while 44% intend to pay debt. However, researchers found people tend to spend more of their refund than they anticipate, which means they don’t save as much as they want to, or don’t

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