Shawn Gerhardson Minnesotas Preferred Lenders Blog

Buying Land to Build a New Home On? Don’t Forget These Three Important Considerations When most people talk about real estate, they envision buying an already-built house on already-landscaped property. However, buying vacant land and building a new home is a great way to ensure that you get the ...

What’s Ahead For Mortgage Rates This Week – Sept 8, 2014 Last week’s housing-related economic news was slim, likely due to the Labor Day holiday Monday. On Tuesday, the U.S. Commerce Department reported that construction spending for July increased by 1.80 percent as compared to June’s revised re...

You Ask, We Answer: Understanding the Real Estate ‘Short Sale’ and How This Process Works   A short sale is something that occurs when a homeowner is not able to make the mortgage payments on time due to a financial hardship. Instead of foreclosing on the property after one or more missed payment...

Children Leaving the Nest? 3 Pieces of Sage Advice You Can Share About How to Manage a Mortgage   When your children are about to step out into the world on their own, you want to help them on their way. This especially holds true when it comes to buying a house. As your sons or daughters prepare...

Applying for a Mortgage? Three Questions Your Lender Will Ask You – and How to Prepare Your Answers   Before approving a mortgage, your lender is going to have to do his due diligence to ensure that you can afford a loan large enough to pay for a house. That means your lender will be asking you s...

Six Key Questions to Ask when Hiring a Real Estate Agent to Market and Sell Your Home   The work of a real estate agent can make or break how a prospective buyer feels about the property. Now that it’s time to sell your home, you want to find the right agent to market it. How do you find someone ...

Refi or Wait? How to Choose Between Refinancing Your Mortgage Now or Waiting Until You Need the Money   Refinancing your existing mortgage may provide you with the opportunity to lower your interest rate, reduce your mortgage payment and adjust your loan term. For those homeowners who have lived ...

DOC New Home Sales and NAR Existing Home Sales   The Department of Commerce reported July sales of new homes dropped by 2.40 percent over June to a four month low. Analysts noted that although July’s reading of 412,000 new homes sold fell short of expectations and June’s reading, the new homes se...

What’s Ahead For Mortgage Rates This Week – Aug 25, 2014   Last week’s economic news brought several reports related to housing. The National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) Wells Fargo Housing Market Index for August rose by two points to 55, which was its highest reading in seven months. Co...

Home Buying Tips: Three Items to Watch out for in a Purchase Agreement Contract   The purchase agreement is a vitally important document that outlines the provisions, terms and conditions for the transfer of property. It should be read carefully and any ambiguities should be clarified prior to si...