Industry Observer Blog

Home prices can be expensive, which means that your closing costs will also be more expensive as a rule. With closing costs averaging in at about $7,227 nationally, it might be tempting for you to roll those high fees into the cost of your mortgage. Being able to roll your closing costs into your...

Can You Pay Your Mortgage With a Credit Card?A lot of enterprising individuals today are guilty of being "churners" when it comes to maxing out credit card rewards (myself included). If you're adamant about eeking out every extra penny in rewards, then you've probably thought about paying your mo...

Even as American politicians debate the causes of global climate change, current research shows that major natural disasters have dramatically increased over the past few decades. Data available from NOAA, for example, shows that the average number of annual billion-dollar weather and climate dis...

Anyone shopping for a home knows how hard it is to scrape together a down payment. Factor taxes and costs of living into the mix, and most Americans will have trouble saving anything. Based on our calculations, the average college graduate carries around $32,731 in student loans, which doesn't le...

Massachusetts homeowners are starting to encounter crumbling foundations, an issue that more than 35,000 Connecticut homeowners know all too well. The problem stems from using a mineral called pyrrhotite, which causes concrete to corrode and crack over time. This type of foundation issue isn't ty...

Rural homebuyers sometimes operate under the assumption that most mortgage lenders don't cater to them, or that banks will jack up the rates on their home loans because of a lack of competition in their area. However, rural homebuyers do have one solid loan option: the USDA home loan program, whi...

According to a National Association of Realtors survey, most people consider homeownership a part of the "American dream." But no piece of the American dream should be too costly. The average cost of moving within a state was about $1,100 in 2014, according to a U.S. News & World Report article. ...

Does your property need a few touchups? Perhaps you're thinking of buying a fixer-upper to flip for a quick buck. In either case, a home renovation loan can give you access to the funds needed to cover repairs on your new home. These come in the form of mortgages with built-in cash outs or person...

Buying a new home is a dream come true for many individuals. If you are trying to buy a home in Texas, you could find yourself days away from closing thinking everything is going according to plan—and then a single call to your insurance agent changes it all. In some cases, insurance agents are u...

In 2015, four Florida residents and a Pennsylvania homeowner filed a class action lawsuit alleging they were being overcharged for force-placed insurance by their lenders. In September, a federal appeals court unanimously voted to dismiss the case. The lawsuit's implications and final results mak...