The city of Walnut Creek is offering grants to pay for 6 months, or up to $2,500, of HOA (Home Owners Association) fees for first-time home buyers making a purchase within the city limits of Walnut Creek.
Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About Property Taxes (and then some)
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Nobody likes to pay taxes, but they’re a necessary evil. So, it doesn’t do us any good to bury our heads in the sand and try to ignore them. We might as well understand them and be properly prepared when it comes time to pay.
When Will My Loan Get Funded?
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If you’re buying a house today and can’t pay for all of it with cash (as is the case for most of us), you’ll be needing to get a loan. So, you’ll be adding a loan contingency to your contract and factoring in the lender’s timeframe to your overall closing date. What does this really mean, though? Well, considering that many lenders are frantically hiring more underwriters and support people to handle the influx of loan requests for both purchases and refi’s, it implies that it will take them longer to fund each loan. They simply cannot find enough trained talent to handle the volume. As a result, “turn-times” are slower than usual. Because of this, it is essential that a home buyer understand [...]
What Everybody Ought To Know About PMI
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Private Mortgage Insurance, or PMI as everyone calls it, is an added insurance that lenders require from most home buyers who obtains loans for more than 80% of their new home’s value.
5 Ways a Home Buyer Can Look Strong in a Seller’s Market
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Trying to buy a home while in the middle of a seller’s market can be a frustrating process if you’re not prepared. You have to stay on top of the new homes coming on the market every day; otherwise, you run the risk having the house sold before you even get a chance to see it. Then, once you have walked through the property, you need to make a quick decision if you want to write an offer. This is not the time to spend a few nights “sleeping on it” – you’ll sleep right through your chance. Finally, when you do walk through that perfect house and decide to move forward, your offer is going to be 1 of 5 … 10 … [...]
