[video] Why Are My Free Credit Report Scores Higher Than My Mortgage Credit Repo

If your property (or someones  you know) didn’t qualify for a low rate refinance before, this is worth checking out right now. HARP started in 2009 and had less than desired results because of falling home values. This meant that many people who put down 20% when purchasing were now required to obtain mortgage insurance […]

You see it everywhere in the Sunday real estate listings and online – “Price reduced $XYZ$ dollars.” When I speak with agents, I’m told the price is what begins the conversation and gets buyers to call. Without the right price, the phone does not ring. Agents know. This does make sense today, but the question […]

If you were eating lunch alone, which would you order, a large pizza or a personal pan pizza? With a large pizza, you would most likely eat a few slices, and bring the rest home to eat later. If you opt for a personal pan pizza, you are portion controlled, with no waste and no […]

Was just speaking with  Mike Pearl,  CPA and Private Wealth Manager about mortgage  and tax solutions, positioning, problems, and planning. As we were speaking about this, Mike make the comment that that the answer to most mortgage and tax questions is….”It Depends….” As I thought about this, that response is much more than a cliche or avoiding of specific […]

In a low mortgage rate environment, there are many ways to skin a mortgage so that you pay less and keep more in your bank account, rather than add to the big super mega banks profits. And that, even if you already have a low mortgage rate. I’ll cover that in the next posts. Here’s a […]

Time to buy or refi. PS- Hope you profited from the brief rate drop last week.

The purpose of a Mortgage Pre- Qualification or Mortgage Pre Approval is to re-assure the home seller that the buyer is qualified to purchase their home and that the deal won’t go down at the last minute. These terms can be confusing to both home buyers and sellers.  Here’s what they mean and the differences: A “Mortgage Pre-Qualification” is […]

The NC Real Estate purchase contract changed in 2011. One of the key components is the “due diligence date” that can significantly impact the closing, sellers, and buyers. Watch as Debbie Earp and Robin Mullis of The Earp Group discuss the pro’s and con’s and what you must know about the new contract before you buy or sell.

I was very fortunate to receive an invitation to visit the White House last Thursday. I was among a delegation of 40 community leaders from across the state of North Carolina who were asked to join in a conversation with the White House Office of Community Engagement about the impending fiscal cliff. Now the fiscal […]

I chose to write a blog on spending because I’m fascinated by how this community approaches commerce as part of public policy. In the months since beginning $avvy $pender I’ve used that as my touchstone in veering from shopping and customer service over to college football and […]