Considering the current Real Estate downturn, there is a pretty good chance that some who read this blog are in the process of losing their homes. Hopefully the percentage of readers in this situation is smaller than the national average because you have learned to budget well. Even if you are not in this situation, [...]

I have heard a lot of frenzied comments and illogical notions regarding home equity lines of credit in the last two weeks. The news media have been reporting, correctly, that many banks are beginning to freeze equity lines and not allow people to take out any more credit. Along with that, many are suggesting that [...]

We are about a year and a half removed from our first home buying experience. Reflecting on the purchasing process through the clarity of hindsight, I’ve compiled a bit of amassed wisdom I’d share with other first-time buyers:
Slow Down. There will always be great houses, with great yards, in great neighborhoods on the market. And [...]

I ran into this article about 40 year fixed rate mortgages at Bankrate.com and I just couldn’t let it slide without a bit of comment.
Okay, so people are starting to look at 40 year mortgages because they want to squeeze a few extra bucks a month off their mortgage payment. According to the article, with [...]

Let me warn you right from the get-go. You’re hearing this from a guy that is pretty darn close to totally anti-debt. Now that I’ve disclaimed my bias, let’s discuss briefly an early mortgage pay off. Should you do it? Maybe.
I discussed a lot of the issues with mortgages, interest, saving that interest, tax-deductible interest, [...]

I’m going to attempt to answer the age-old question: 15 vs 30 year mortgage: which is best?
And I hate to break this to you, but it all depends (and I’m not even going to mention taxes here).
I want to start off with a table (it’s the accountant in me) outlining some basic assumptions when answering [...]

My objective in writing this article is to dispell a myth that should have been dispelled a long time ago when it comes to the tax advantages to owning a home. For purposes of my objective, a better title to this article should be “The Tax Advantages to Owing on Your Home” because you only [...]