Here are some common types of loans with low down payments:
Federal Housing Administration (FHA)
3.5% minimum down payment
Generally can be combined with down-payment assistance programs
Conventional
3% minimum down payment
Gene...
The short answer is, “It depends.” The Fair Isaac Corporation developed the credit scoring model commonly abbreviated FICO, which takes into account the following factors:
How much credit you could use versus your actual balance
How man...
At various times, strong feelings dampened my ability to think clearly, make decisions, and move forward meaningfully. Sometimes it was a memory of a poor choice I'd made in my youth that hurt other people. Sometimes it was a conflict with a fa...
As Covid-19 spreads through Los Angeles County and the rest of the United States, many people right now are experiencing fear and stress to varying degrees. Some are afraid of the virus itself, and others are more afraid of what will happen to ...
Schools have been out for several weeks now, and if you have kids at home, they may be getting a bit antsy or bored or driving you a little crazy by now! We've been homeschooling for the past 7 years, but our kids aren't used to staying home al...
With so many things about the near future cloaked in uncertainty, I sometimes feel a nagging sense that while things are pretty good right now, things could get pretty bad in the future. Of course, it's always true that things could get bad in ...
I've been advising people lately to think carefully about how long they want to hold onto their Southern California real estate. Those planning to buy right now should plan to keep their homes for 5 to 7 years and possibly longer. Why? It's lik...
I looked at combined data from CRMLS for Los Angeles, San Bernardino, Riverside, and Orange counties as a representative sample for Southern California, and here’s what I saw:
Prices: The median price in each county is up from last year an...
I recently read the book Just Listen, by Mark Goulston, which introduced me to the concept of "eyes-to-the-sky" questions -- the kind of questions that usually cause people to pause, look up a moment, and consider something in the bigger pictur...
As with most real estate and finance decisions, whether or not you should refinance depends on your personal situation. Here are some things to keep in mind as you consider your options:
Interest rates are currently hovering around all-time ...
