Home Buying & Rentals

You already know to compare prices before you buy electronics or airfare. Given the much higher cost of buying a home, you can imagine how much higher the savings can be from shopping around. Rates are at historically low levels, making it a great time to consider refinancing. … [Read more...] about Shop around for your mortgage, it could save you thousands of dollars

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development offers free Foreclosure prevention counseling and homeless counseling services. They also link to approved agencies that will provide other counseling services for a fee, or at no charge "to persons who demonstrate they cannot … [Read more...] about Get free counseling from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development if you qualify

If you can afford a larger down payment than the 5-20% that most lenders will require, ask your lender to calculate what your monthly and total payments will be if you put more down up front. Consider what else you could do with that money, such as payoff higher credit card … [Read more...] about Consider paying more now, less later

Some closing costs - such as taxes, title and prepayment of mortgage premiums - are unavoidable and non-negotiable. However many costs are applied by your lender and can vary greatly - such as application fees and document fees. Compare costs and negotiate just like you would any … [Read more...] about Negotiate your closing costs

Get the seller's disclosure and review it for known problems. Ask an agent's advice for how to effectively negotiate on those items - in some cases you might be able to get money back and then handle getting the items fixed on your own.A LOZO expert posted this tip. … [Read more...] about Don’t look past key disclosures, and use them to negotiate for additional savings