Preparing to buy your first home can be intimidating, but educating yourself on the process makes it less overwhelming. Read below for our most commonly asked questions from first-time homebuyers. 1. What credit score do I need to get approved for a mortgage? For most loan products, 640 is the preferred score for most lenders. While there are some options (especially with FHA products) that will accept lower scores, they are limited and come with higher interest rates. 2. Wha

Why would someone use a mortgage broker versus a bank? Explore some common myths on this topic to help you make the best decision. Myth: Mortgage Brokers are "Middlemen." Reality: Mortgage Brokers lend off other people's money, while banks lend off their own money. There are no true "middlemen" in either scenario. Implications: Because banks lend off their own money, they are limited to offer their own products and rates. Because mortgage brokers lend off other people's money

Buying your first home can be a nerve-wracking experience. Hearing others' stories can help you better navigate your own journey. Read as Clare Okyere from O Capital Group interviews Marlee on her first-time homebuyer experience. Clare: Tell us a little about your home-buying experience. Marlee: Really it was seamless. Kofi (buyer's loan officer) was so patient with us. I asked a ton of questions. Alex (Marlee's husband) would get frustrated at times because he understood the

If you aren't closely associated with a given industry, sometimes the vocabulary and acronyms used in that industry can be overwhelming. Here's your cheat sheet for some of the terms and acronyms you will likely encounter during your home buying journey. Amortization: The process of paying off a loan through a series of fixed payments to a lender. APR (Annual Percentage Rate): The total cost of securing financing in a mortgage transaction, expressed as a percentage. Appraisal

You purchased your home and are ready to put your new kitchen to use. Great! Now, what do you cook? Read on for a delicious recipe for lemon-butter shrimp over couscous. This is a quick, easy meal sure to wow any guests. Ingredients: * 4 tablespoons butter * 4 cloves of garlic * 1 cup white wine * 2 fresh lemon slices * 8 oz frozen shrimp * 1 cup frozen corn * 1 handful fresh sugar snap peas (in pod) * 2 fresh green onion/scallions * 16 ounces broccolini * olive oil * salt *

You have successfully become a homeowner. Congratulations! Now what? Here are 14 essential items to take care of during your first year of homeownership. Turn on utilities: As a new home owner, you will need to set up your utilities in your name. The essentials, power and water, should be first. You will also want to set up phone, internet, cable, and any other subscription services you will want active at your new address. The sooner you get these essentials up and running,