What strategies would you recommend in selecting a lender and negotiating lending fees for a first-time home purchase? (Purchase is in rural Oregon). [more inside]
posted by Happydaz on Sep 23, 2009 - 5 answers

Seeking recommendations for realtors in Olympia, WA. Failing that, seeking suggestions for how to find a good realtor if you don't know many people locally to ask. [more inside]
posted by Kat Allison on Jul 21, 2009 - 1 answer

Does having a buyers real estate agent limit what the selling agent can tell you? Also: what are the benefits or disadvantages of having a buyers agent? [more inside]
posted by ibfrog on Jun 13, 2009 - 22 answers

Is it a bad idea to use money withdrawn from a IRA for buying a house? I want to buy a home but I'm having trouble with the down payment and closing costs and I've got a 401K that's just kinda sitting there from my last job. [more inside]
posted by anonymous on Jun 12, 2009 - 6 answers

I am in the process of refinancing the mortgage on my home. My lender wants to blow up the deal at the last minute. 1) Why? 2) What are my options? [more inside]
posted by genug on Jun 9, 2009 - 13 answers

What's the right way to offer to purchase a short sale home in Arizona? [more inside]
posted by gummo on Apr 17, 2009 - 4 answers

A friend of mine owns a house in Phoenix proper. He wants to rent it for nearly his mortgage amount and purchase a bigger house in Scottsdale, intending to have his money in property investment as opposed to sitting in the bank. Help me give him facts that may support or prove inauspicious his idea... [more inside]
posted by blastrid on Feb 20, 2009 - 9 answers

We're considering purchasing a home by ourselves, without using a buyer's agent. General pros/cons? And if it's possible to save on commissions by doing this, how should we introduce that idea into the process? [more inside]
posted by Bardolph on Feb 18, 2009 - 19 answers

Is it insane to buy a house in this market? [more inside]
posted by OmieWise on Dec 30, 2008 - 17 answers

Anyone gotten an HPAP loan in DC? I'm buying a condo and the seller is wiling to pay my closing costs. However, the big question is will HPAP let someone pay my closing cost for me? I can't find any documentation for this online. Any general words of wisdom about HPAP would be appreciated. Also, any info on the Bond program would be great. I am buying in a neighborhood that qualifies.
posted by i_love_squirrels on Oct 24, 2008 - 1 answer

How late is too late to negotiate with mortgage broker for fees? And how can I track mortgage interest rates to get a better rate before closing? [more inside]
posted by Amizu on Sep 19, 2008 - 5 answers

Should I close my old store credit card accounts? [more inside]
posted by anonymous on Sep 16, 2008 - 13 answers

Help me launder my (perfectly legitimate) money. [more inside]
posted by Edelweiss on Jul 21, 2008 - 22 answers

What should a Florida teacher know about buying a home (i.e., getting a mortgage) in Oklahoma? [more inside]
posted by Edelweiss on May 12, 2008 - 6 answers

I want some serious, hardcore real estate data so that I can analyze what's really happening with the market in my area. Obviously, realtors have access to this local data, but the general public has no way to get at it. Does anyone know of any workarounds or resources that make this info available to the general public? [more inside]
posted by BirdD0g on May 1, 2008 - 11 answers

Buying a house (vs. renting): How much more does it cost to buy than rent? Is it worth it (tax, asset, etc) in the long run? [more inside]
posted by arnicae on Apr 20, 2008 - 25 answers

Does anyone have any insight or experience into dealing with lender REO Departments (Real Estate Owned) when it comes to purchasing a foreclosed property? My wife and I are interested in purchasing our next primary residence from the bank prior to any sort of auction. [more inside]
posted by BirdD0g on Mar 25, 2008 - 5 answers

Should we pass on this great apartment we've found because the floor slants a bit? [more inside]
posted by TryTheTilapia on Mar 9, 2008 - 19 answers

Buying a house in Sullivan County, New York. Need your best recommendations for people to work with (lawyers, title folks, inspectors)... [more inside]
posted by LGCNo6 on Feb 17, 2008 - 0 answers

We are about four days from closing on our house and just did the final walk-through and came upon a real gut-punch of an issue. The next door neighbor has the framing up for his new garage -- we knew that he was building this and where it would be but we really did not know how tall it would be.... [more inside]
posted by amanda on Jul 21, 2007 - 20 answers

Where can I get an on-dead-trees map of MLS areas and zip codes? [more inside]
posted by rush on Jun 12, 2007 - 11 answers

The path to a house when you have bad credit... [more inside]
posted by dial-tone on Apr 9, 2007 - 21 answers

Ethics question. Should I contribute to gentrification or not? [more inside]
posted by n'muakolo on Mar 21, 2007 - 29 answers

Help me find resources to help me figure out when I might be able to buy a house. [more inside]
posted by starbaby on Feb 26, 2007 - 28 answers

My wife and I put in an offer on a house for $187,000, which was accepted by the sellers. However, the inspector found a major problem that will cost about $22,000 to fix. What's a fair counter-offer given this problem? [more inside]
posted by jay_wiese on Feb 14, 2007 - 30 answers

Because we are looking to buy our first home in the next few months, my husband and I want someone with more knowledge to help us figure out our financial situation - where we're at and where we should aim to be. I am not sure if what we're looking for is a financial planner, or if this is even really necessary to do before we go home shopping. My worry is that most financial planners (if that's even what we'd want) seem to be focused solely on retirement planning & investing. I'm not sure if that's what we need. [more inside]
posted by tastybrains on Jan 12, 2007 - 7 answers

Does anyone have any experience with Mortgage Brokers that are co-owned by real estate agencies? [more inside]
posted by hazyspring on Jan 4, 2007 - 7 answers

I've got a mortgage and withholding question. [more inside]
posted by COBRA! on Nov 8, 2006 - 9 answers

I have a couple of questions about buyer's agents. My wife and I are interested in selling our current home and buying a new one. We don't have an agent yet, but we swore, after buying our current home and realizing that "our" agent didn't really represent us, that we would never again buy a home without a buyer's agent on our side. [more inside]
posted by jayder on Oct 9, 2006 - 13 answers

HomebuyerFilter: Should I buy a major fixer-upper? I need to know if I'd ultimately be getting a good deal; what do I need to know to figure this out? For instance, what's the cheapest way to get a full repair cost estimate on this house before making the purchasing decision?
posted by fucker on Oct 3, 2006 - 17 answers

Is this house worth pursuing? [more inside]
posted by COBRA! on Sep 20, 2006 - 24 answers

If you were a first-time homebuyer, would you buy a home right now? Specifically, would you buy in Chapel Hill, NC? [more inside]
posted by BackwardsCity on Mar 26, 2006 - 22 answers

Mortgage-Filter: Is using a mortgage offer aggregation webiste like Lending Tree a bad idea? [more inside]
posted by OmieWise on Jan 3, 2006 - 23 answers

Tell me about the "We Buy Homes For Cash" businesses that are seemingly popping up all over. [more inside]
posted by Optimus Chyme on Nov 30, 2005 - 17 answers

What happens to foreclosed homes? [more inside]
posted by Four Flavors on Oct 24, 2005 - 8 answers

I have good reason to suspect that the apartment complex in which I live might be going condo. This is a pretty common occurrence in the area (southeastern FL) where I live. I've considered buying into others before but always hesitated - the pricing seems good but there must be a catch. I've heard that if my apartments go condo that I can get a really, really good deal...but... [more inside]
posted by superkim on Sep 29, 2005 - 6 answers

I have the distinct feeling that the seller of the house I was supposed to close on today is deliberately trying to kill the deal in the eleventh hour. What are my options? [more inside]
posted by friezer on Jul 21, 2005 - 21 answers

We're looking at houses. The one we love has an aerobic sewer. Does anyone have personal experience with one? [more inside]
posted by dpx.mfx on Jul 12, 2005 - 4 answers

Anyone tried 80-10-10 financing? Care to share any thoughts? My wife and I are looking at buying our first house and haven't been able to find many testimonials on google or fool.com.
posted by jragon on Jan 19, 2004 - 6 answers