Totally relate to this. When I refinanced a few years back, I got caught up in the same obsession—spreadsheets, calculators, the whole deal. Eventuall...

True enough, but I'd caution against jumping into programs with too many strings attached. When I bought my first place, I almost went for a grant tha...

I've tapped equity a couple times myself, mostly for home improvements rather than business ventures. It worked out fine because I kept it modest and ...

Totally agree with your take on simpler appliances being safer bets. I've bought refurbished washers and fridges a couple times now, and they've been ...

That's exactly the balancing act I've struggled with over the years. When we bought our place, the sellers had put in this gorgeous stone fireplace—be...

Had a similar experience when refinancing last year—supervisor involvement just muddied things up. Eventually, I started clearly stating when I needed...

Totally agree, refurbished has worked well for me too. Got a used fridge from Craigslist 5 years ago—still humming along. New doesn't always mean reli...

Yeah, I've seen it go both ways. My first mortgage was with a small local bank, and it was nice dealing with someone face-to-face, but they weren't ex...

Totally agree about credit unions being more flexible. When we refinanced, our local CU actually waived a random fee after we asked about it—can't ima...

Definitely agree with this. I've dabbled a bit with private lending myself, and from what I've seen, success hinges on preparation. It's easy to under...