RIP First Republic
In my life, I've had many banks, from small neighborhood banks to regional players to the big international powerhouses. All had their...
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Lara
- Jan 2
What's ahead for real estate in 2023?
Since the real estate market shifted last year (late spring/early summer in our market), there has been no shortage of speculation as to...
Lara
- Jun 17, 2022
Mortgage rates vis-a-vis the Fed rate hike
I'm sure it's news to no one that this week, the Fed made the largest interest rate increase since the early 90s in an attempt to rein in...
Lara
- Jun 13, 2018
Financing a condo just got a whole lot easier…
Buying a condo is 1/3 more complicated than buying a single-family home. That’s because when buying a home, the lender needs to vet you,...
Lara
- May 30, 2016
Interest rate hikes may come sooner than you think
As in, this month. Yep. We’ve been hearing this for a while now (years!) but Inman News, the top-rated real estate news site on the Web,...
Lara
- Mar 26, 2016
Mortgage savvy: Warrantable or non-warrantable (condos) — that is the question
The following *great* explanation of this frequent issue in condo purchasing comes courtesy of Jono Sexton of Blue Hills Bank… it covers...
Lara
- Jan 31, 2014
Bridge Loans Are Back — Thank You, Leader Bank!!!
I can’t tell you how happy I was to receive an email today announcing that Leader Bank, a great local bank based in Arlington, is now...
Lara
- Dec 13, 2012
Revisiting Portfolio Loans
It’s been interesting this year looking at the search terms people use to find this blog. Aside from those looking for me specifically,...
Lara
- Mar 28, 2012
Mortgage Savvy: Give Them What They Want
If you’re in the process of applying for a mortgage or pre-approval, this article might help you understand–or at least reconcile...
Lara
- Jan 20, 2012
Mortgage Savvy: Know the Difference Between a Pre-Qualification & a Pre-Approval
This is a topic that comes up all the time with homebuyers, so I wanted to share a recent write-up by William M. Mullin, the President of...
Lara
- Oct 29, 2010
Mortgage Savvy: The Skinny on Portfolio Loans
Many people manage to go through life without ever needing a portfolio loan. That said, there are many home-buying scenarios in which a...
Lara
- Oct 28, 2010
Consider This…
#CambridgeMAmortgage #buyingvsrentinginSomervilleMA #buyingvsrentinginCambridgeMA #SomervilleMAmortgage #firsttimehomebuyer
Lara
- Sep 23, 2010
Super Tool: Home Mortgage Calculator
I just found a very cool Excel mortgage calculator template that is downloadable for free — not only does it compute your monthly...
Lara
- Jun 23, 2010
Tax Benefits of Buying a Home
Often when people look at the cost of buying a home versus renting, they do a side-by-side comparison of their current rent to the cost...
Lara
- Mar 5, 2010
Mortgage Savvy: Purchasing Power
Most online mortgage calculators can tell you what your monthly mortgage payment will be based on your purchase price, downpayment and...
Lara
- Feb 26, 2010
The Cash You Need to Buy a Home
(…and When You’ll Need it) Mortgages seem to get all the press when it comes to the financial side of buying a home, so I thought it...
Lara
- Jan 29, 2010
Mortgage Savvy: Pre-Approvals
When sourcing a mortgage lender, most home buyers are understandably focused on the interest rates being offered. But here are two other...
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