Groceries get us too—especially now that we're in the new house. Thought cooking at home would save money, but somehow we always underestimate pantry ...

Totally agree about smaller lenders being more flexible. Recently went through the process myself and noticed a few things: - Big banks seemed fixate...

Good point—never thought I'd need to re-check surveys regularly. Just bought my first place and now I'm wondering if my shed is secretly on my neighbo...

Yeah, fixing stuff out-of-pocket definitely doesn't help your credit directly—been there with my leaky roof last winter, ouch. But financing renovatio...

I'm leaning toward the hybrid approach myself. A few things I've been mulling over: - Shorter terms look great on paper, but life loves throwing curv...

Totally get where you're coming from—life loves throwing curveballs. When I bought my place, I went through a similar debate. A few things I learned: ...

I've been looking into USDA loans myself lately since I'm hoping to buy my first place soon, and here's what I've gathered so far: - Definitely lower...