Ask Kate About Home Buying
Buying a First Home | First Time Home Buyer Tips

Buying Fannie Mae REO without Certificate of Occupancy  Ask Kate about Buying Fannie Mae REO without a Certificate of Occupancy: Hi Kate, I am under contract to purchase a Fannie Mae REO house in Cobb County,...

Adjustable Rate Mortgages Or Fixed Rate  Ask Kate about adjustable rate mortgages or fixed rate for VA loan refinancing: Hello! I am a veteran looking at possibly refinancing my 6% fixed ...

Mortgage Loan Modification  Ask Kate about Mortgage Loan Modification using HAMP: Kate, Great website - I'm lucky I found you! My question concerns the use of HAMP to modify a loan ...

FHA Loan Rates  Ask Kate about Current FHA Loan Rates for Refinancing: Hello Kate. I hope you'll be able to assist me. I've been looking into refinancing my FHA mortgage ...

Extra Mortgage Payments  Ask Kate about making extra mortgage payments: Hi Kate, Should we pay more into principle or not? This is the first year where our APR is changed and ...

Condo Financing  Ask Kate about Condo Financing: Hi Kate, I just came to know about your websites. Our offer got accepted for a detached condo but it's really a house....

Buying A Foreclosure Property  Ask Kate about buying a foreclosure property: Hi Kate, We are under contract buying a foreclosure property. We are getting a FHA loan. The appraiser ...

FHA Loan Requirements for Co-Borrowers  Ask Kate about FHA Loan Requirements for Co-Borrowers: Hi Kate, Melissa here again with a question about co-signing a mortgage. Thank you for your help ...

Too Young for Buying a First Home  Ask Kate about being too young for buying a first home: Are we too young to buy a home? My boyfriend and I have been dating and living with his parents ...

Affordable First Time Home Buyer Financing   Ask Kate about affordable first time home buyer financing: We are renting now, paying $840 a month and are tired of throwing our money away. We are really ...

HomePath.com HomePath vs FHA Financing  Ask Kate about HomePath.com - HomePath vs FHA Financing: Hi Kate, If a home or condo says it is HomePath, can it be bought with FHA financing? What are ...

Refinancing My Home and Credit Bureau Reporting  Ask Kate about refinancing my home and credit bureau reporting: Kate, How does refinancing my mortgage appear on my credit report? Does it show the first ...

Mortgage Down Payment Assistance  Ask Kate if Mortgage Down Payment Assistance is allowed: Hi there Kate, My daughter is getting married next May. We'd like to help them with a down payment ...

Fannie Mae HomePath Program  Ask Kate about Fannie Mae HomePath Program: Kate, I'm probably older than most first time home buyers you hear from. I heard a guy at work talking about ...

First Time Home Buyer Financing Strategies  Ask Kate for first time home buyer financing strategies: Hi Kate, How hard will it be for me to qualify for a FHA loan as a first time home buyer? Can ...

Buying A First Home With Questions  Ask Kate about Buying a First Home with questions about good faith estimate (GFE) items: Hi Kate, My husband and I are first time home buyers in Little ...

Perils Of Buying A First Home  Ask Kate about perils of buying a first home: Hi Kate, I came across your website in an effort to help a long-time friend of mine. We both bought houses ...

Prepare For Buying A House After Bankruptcy  Ask Kate how to prepare for buying a house after bankruptcy: Hi Kate, I have been told ad nauseum by local professionals I must wait until the third ...

Making Home Affordable Refinance Do They or Do They Not  Ask Kate about Making Home Affordable Refinance - Do they or do they not waive property tax and homeowner's insurance escrows for HARP: Congratulations ...

Buy and Bail Sparks Lender Fear of Buying a Home  Ask Kate why Buy and Bail Sparks Lender-Fear of Buying a Home: My wife and I have a 3 bedroom home that we purchased conventionally 11 years ago. We ...

First Time Home Buyers Guide To Realtors  Ask Kate: First Time Home Buyers Guide To Realtors -- Is working with more than one real estate agent okay? Kate, I'm currently working with an agent ...

Could You Trust This FHA Mortgage Lender  Ask Kate: Could You Trust This FHA Mortgage Lender? Hi Kate, We're refinancing and the lender wants to charge us over $16,800 in mortgage closing costs....

FHA Rehab Loan For Fixer Uppers  Ask Kate about FHA Rehab Loan For Fixer Uppers: Hi Kate, I am interested in buying a rural property that was built as a seasonal dwelling in 1934 but ...

Open End Mortgage Spells Disaster  Ask Kate if Open End Mortgage Spells Disaster Hi Kate, Before my father died a year ago, they had refinanced their house two times. The last refinance ...

When 90 Day Rate Locks Go Bad  Ask Kate says when 90 day rate locks go bad, vote with your feet and switch mortgage lenders. Kate, I was told my home loan would take less than 90 days ...

First Time Home Buyers Programs  Ask Kate for first time home buyer's programs, USDA loans, VA mortgage loans, FHA loan information and more: Hi Kate, My real estate agent told me we ...

Short Refinance  Ask Kate about FHA Short Refinance options: Kate, How do I know if the FHA Short Refinance program is available to me? My mortgage is not with Fannie ...

Total Debt Ratio For Mortgage Loans  Ask Kate about Total Debt Ratio For Mortgage Loans Hi Kate, My husband and I are looking to do a cash out refi to pay off high interest credit cards,...

Certificate of Occupancy 1 Year Requirement  Ask Kate about Certificate of Occupancy 1 Year Requirement for Primary Residences: Hi Kate - I am working with a lender for a refinance. Under the Primary ...

Second Home Buying  Ask Kate about Second Home Buying: Hi Kate, Can you get a mortgage for buying a second home with no down payment in today's climate? Your advice would ...

Why Did My HARP Refinance Closing Costs Go Up  Ask Kate: Why did my HARP Refinance closing costs go UP! (Home Affordable Refinance Program) Hi Kate, I am about to close on a HARP refi. The loan servicer ...

Real Estate Agents In California  Regarding Real Estate Agents in California: Kate -- I just want to say it's an honor to make it onto your real estate directory. I've been following ...

Preapproval For Mortgage  Ask Kate about Preapproval For Mortgage: Hi Kate, I have my current house up for sale but cannot get a preapproval for a mortgage until my house is sold....

Residential Construction Loan  Ask Kate about residential construction loan programs: Hi Kate, We are looking at a house to purchase but it does not have a certificate of occupancy....

Home Selling Prices  Ask Kate about Home Selling Prices - Up or Down Hi Kate, Is the average home price going up? I am hearing conflicting reports during the current recession....

Bankruptcy And Buying A Home  Ask Kate about Bankruptcy And Buying A Home Afterward: Hi Kate, I have mortgage pre approval from a large lender. Conditions are for me to supply the ...

PMI Insurance  Ask Kate about PMI Insurance, Credit Score Ratings and Home Buying: Hi Kate, A mortgage broker told me even with a 20 percent down payment, because my ...

Buying A Bank Foreclosure  Ask Kate about buying a bank foreclosure that's a money pit: Hi Kate, The bank over appraised a money pit we plan on buying. The whole porch is rotting ...

Home Mortgage Help  Thank you for the home mortgage help: Kate, Thank you for your reply. I think I asked you my question in desperation at the time, hoping that you would ...

Best Mortgage Lender  Ask Kate about finding the best mortgage lender and real estate agent: Hi Kate, I'm in the process of buying my first home and I'm stuck in a situation ...

Preapproval For Mortgage  Ask Kate about the importance of preapproval for mortgage success: Kate, The other day a Realtor would not show my daughter any property because of her ...

Buying A Home After Bankruptcy  Ask Kate about buying a home after bankruptcy : Hi Kate, How long does it take to qualify for a mortgage after bankruptcy? I am filing for bankruptcy ...

FHA Loan Requirements  Ask Kate about FHA Loan Requirements : Hello Kate, I've been working with a very qualified first-time home buyer for several months now. After several ...

Condos For Sale By Owner  Ask Kate about paying cash to buy condos for sale by owner: Hi Kate, What is involved in a cash purchase of a condo? Do I need a real estate agent? What ...

Peer To Peer Lending  Ask Kate about peer to peer lending or FHA 203(k) rehab loan: Hi Kate, We bought our house in August, 2007 and started a major reconstruction in April,...

How To Repair Bad Credit  Ask Kate How To Repair Bad Credit: I am a Realtor who represents a buyer with perfect credit, except for ONE bad debt which belongs to her father. When ...

Mortgage Refinancing Questions  Hi Kate, I have mortgage refinancing questions and appreciate the free advice, as I'm knee deep in the refi of my house. We've owned it for 4 years. I ...

How To Find Mortgage Lenders  Ask Kate how to find mortgage lenders: Kate, Just going into a bank for a loan but they have me summed up: Look at her! We can tell she has a bad ...

Buying A Home After Foreclosure  Ask Kate about buying a home after foreclosure: Hi Kate! I have two clients trying to qualify for a home loan. They make good income, have decent credit ...

Buying A House With Bad Credit  Ask Kate about buying a house with bad credit: Hi Kate! We want to buy a house. Is it better or will it hurt if one of us has terrible credit but the ...

Mortgage Down Payment  Hi Kate, If I disclose 2 sources for my mortgage down payment on my loan application, must I use the money from those sources? Or can I use money from ...

Making Home Affordable  Making Home Affordable I'm a sub-prime buyer. In late 2007, with a serious increase in apt. rent looming, I looked at condos in "fun." A Realtor latched ...

Home Affordable Modification Program  Kate, I've got a situation and would like to know your thoughts about the Home Affordable Modification Program. My mother is 74 years old who lives in ...