House Poor: What It Means And How To Avoid It

There is a good chance you have heard someone described as being house poor. What exactly does it mean? It is important to understand what it means to be house poor and how you can stay away from it. House Poor Means Spending A Significant Chunk Of Your Income On Housing Being house-poor means different things for different people. In general, it means spending a significant amount of your monthly income on recurring expenses related to your house. A few examples include your mortgage, the interest on your mortgage, your property taxes, and HOA expenses. Owning a house can be…
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Case-Shiller Home Price Indices: Home Prices Grow at a Near-Record Pace

U.S home prices grew at a near-record pace in January according to the National S&P Case-Shiller Home Price Index; year-over-year home prices rose by 19.20 percent in January as compared to December’s reading of 18.90 percent. Home prices rose 1.80 percent on a month-to-month basis from December to January. While home prices continued to grow at near-record rates, home price growth slowed in some areas during  December but picked up in January. Craig M. Lazzara, managing director at S&P Dow Jones Indices, said: “Last fall we observed that home prices, although continuing to rise sharply, had begun to decelerate. Even…
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Looking to Close Faster? Follow This Easy Guide to Speeding Up the Mortgage Process

If you're buying a home, you'll want to try to get your mortgage processed as quickly as possible. Improperly filed mortgage applications are one of the biggest reasons why home sales get delayed, and if you have a hard move-out date already set, it's critical that your mortgage process goes smoothly. With careful planning, though, you can shorten the mortgage process and get your financing approved faster. Here's what you need to do to speed up the approval. Get Your Paperwork in Order Before You Apply One of the biggest reasons why mortgages get delayed is because the applicant is…
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