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With every day of this pandemic feeling like it brings a fresh batch of news, you’d be forgiven for feeling confused about the actual state of things now. While many cities start to reopen—and some continue to experience a high volume of new COVID-19 cases—it’s hard to know how any sector of the economy is […]

The coronavirus pandemic has led to record-high unemployment rates not seen since the Great Depression. And this is particularly worrisome for would-be home buyers. If you were among the 23.1 million Americans who were laid off or furloughed, you might be worried about your financial future. And if you were hoping to buy a house—either […]

Now that the economy has begun to re-open, it is worth taking a look at how ready its elements are for growth. It is especially encouraging that home building has a firm basis on which to recover from the recent troubles, not in every city and region, of course, but nationally. Critical is the implicit […]

Economic fallout from the COVID-19 crisis and civil unrest could cause many rental real estate properties to run up tax losses in 2020 and maybe beyond. This column covers the most important federal income tax questions and answers for rental property owners. Here goes. What can I write off? Nothing new here. You can deduct […]

When you apply for a mortgage or refinance an existing mortgage, you want to secure the lowest interest rate possible. Any opportunity a borrower can exploit to shave dollars off the cost is a big win. This explains the allure of no-fee mortgages. These home loans and their promise of doing away with pesky fees always sound […]

Low mortgage interest rates continue to fuel a surge in refinance activity amid the coronavirus pandemic, resulting in record-breaking loan volume for lenders over the past two months. Rates continued their downward spiral in April to 3.48%, down from 3.65% in March. Mortgage software giant Ellie Mae has seen a 24% month-over-month increase in total closed loans. The […]

More than 4 million homeowners have now been granted forbearance on their mortgage loans. But in 70% of those cases? The homeowners didn’t actually need the break. According to a new survey of almost 1,300 homeowners, almost 70% of homeowners now in forbearance say the move wasn’t necessary — financially speaking, at least. In fact, only a […]

There are so many ways in which 2020 is not turning out the way most Americans expected. In terms of real estate, we were hurtling toward a busy spring season. All the economic indicators looked strong, boosting buyers to battle it out for a limited supply of homes. But then the coronavirus pandemic swept across […]

  What Happens If I Stop Paying My Mortgage? By Tiffani Sherman | May 5, 2020 During the current financial crisis, you may ponder the idea of simply stopping payment on your mortgage. It is an option that some may want to consider in difficult times, but it is a bad decision all the way around. The reason: It […]