Home Buying Tips

February 12, 2010

Sellers existing survey reduces home buyers closing costs

The costs to close on a Spring Texas house are significant easily totaling several thousand dollars.  Due to the magnitude of the closing costs, it is easy to understand why buyers are looking at every way possible to save money. One way you can save money is by using the sellers existing survey.  How much can […]
February 8, 2010

Who decides the closing date?

Who decides the closing date?  Do the buyers?  Do the sellers? Do the real estate agents? Does the loan officer? In a residential real estate transaction there are many terms that will need to be negotiated between you and the sellers and the closing date is one of them. As a buyer, you are […]
January 26, 2010

Making sense of the new GFE and HUD-1

Loan officers, escrow officers, and Realtors® have all been scrambling over the last 60 days to either implement or simply to understand the revamped GFE and HUD-1 settlement statement that went into effect on Jan. 1, 2010. The purpose of the new GFE (Good Faith Estimate ) is to help make […]
January 22, 2010

Sellers contribution to buyers closing costs slashed 50%

This week the FHA  announced changes for FHA home loans. The good news is the changes were not as drastic nor potentially devastating to the housing industry as what they could have been. In a nutshell, the changes which will become effective sometime this summer are: 1.  Maximum seller contribution […]
January 13, 2010

How do damage points affect your FICO credit score?

Over the years, the secret behind how your credit score is calculated and how different “what ifs?” affect it have been guarded better than the Bush’s baked beans recipe .   That is until recently as FICO has shared how different “what if?”  scenarios can affect your credit scores .  Did you max out your Macy’s […]
January 11, 2010

Water costs on the rise …… AGAIN!!!

That’s right again!  Last summer, the cost of watering my Spring Texas yard increased and I wrote a post about it titled “Are the days of cheap water gone?”.  The answer to the question was Yes.  The portion of my water bill identified as Regional Water Authority had increased from $0.99  to $1.50 […]