Mortgages discussions and local services.
brebel97
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Topics and replies this member has contributed.
RE: Hidden fees and surprises when buying a home
Wish I'd read this thread before refinancing last year. I stuck with my original big-name lender thinking it'd be simpler, but man, the fees they snuck in were ridiculous. Did anyone else have trouble figuring out exactl...
RE: DITCHING THAT PESKY MORTGAGE INSURANCE - WORTH THE HASSLE?
Yeah, I was surprised by that too at first. I always assumed lenders stuck strictly to the original purchase price, but apparently market value can definitely come into play - especially if you're refinancing or trying t...
RE: Wondering if I can still qualify for a HARP refi these days
I've noticed lenders still being pretty cautious with AVMs lately. When I refinanced last year, the automated valuation was actually decent, but the lender still wanted a full appraisal to confirm. Honestly, I didn't min...
RE: When Can I Finally Ditch Mortgage Insurance?
I'm curious - does anyone here have experience with requesting a new appraisal specifically to ditch PMI? We're refinancing now, and I'm pretty cautious about the timing. Values in our neighborhood seem to fluctuate a bi...
RE: Wondering if I can still qualify for a HARP refi these days
HARP officially ended a while back, didn't it? Pretty sure the cutoff was around 2018 or so... Have you checked into other refi programs though? There might be newer options available now that could still help you out. J...
RE: Tapping home equity vs. traditional estate planning - what makes more sense?
Haha, I hear you on that one... I've always wondered if tapping into home equity is really worth the gamble. Sure, it can free up cash now, but what if property values dip unexpectedly? Seems like a tricky balancing act ...
RE: PRE-APPROVED OR WINGING IT: WHAT IF YOU FOUND YOUR DREAM HOME FIRST?
Yeah, I hear you on that worry. Even after getting pre-approved, I had a minor snag pop up last-minute - some random old debt I totally forgot about. You ever thought about running a quick check for forgotten accounts to...
RE: Thinking about refinancing my mortgage - worth it or waste of time?
Good points raised here, especially about the tax implications - something I hadn't fully considered myself. One thing I'm still wrestling with is how to balance the shorter-term savings against the risk of higher monthl...
RE: Facing foreclosure? Here's a little trick I learned...
Calling early definitely helps, but what if your lender isn't as cooperative? Mine was pretty rigid about modifications...ended up refinancing instead. Curious if anyone else found refinancing easier than negotiating dir...