Imagine this: You finally make the exciting leap to start house hunting. You meet up with your realtor, see a few houses in the perfect location… and then you quickly realize there’s an inventory shortage; houses are priced far higher than you imagined and people are getting into bidding wars on houses in your dream neighborhood.
Soon Halloween will arrive and, days after, retail stores will immediately change displays and advertising over to winter holidays. The average consumer spends around $1,000 during the holiday season, according to the National Retail Federation. Perhaps COVID-19 has changed your financial situation this year. Now is a great time for families to think about saving up before the winter holidays.
How much should I put down on my new home? Can it impact my chances of getting a loan? How does my down payment affect my mortgage payment? If you’re buying a new home, you probably have questions about the down payment. Here are three things to know before deciding how much to put down.
Making a budget can be intimidating. Sticking to it can feel impossible. But a budget simply tells your money where to go. So if you’ve ever uttered the phrase, “Where does all our money go?”, here are 4 steps — and a few tips — for making and sticking to a budget.
Before you can improve your DTI ratio, it helps to know what a DTI ratio is. DTI stands for debt-to-income. It’s a comparison of your monthly debt payments versus your monthly income. Your calculated DTI ratio is used to help lenders get an idea of how well you manage monthly expenses, which helps them determine if you’ll be able to repay a loan.
