Lauren Wellbank Lauren Wellbank is a freelance writer with more than a decade of experience in the mortgage industry. Her writing has also appeared on HuffPost, Washington Post, Martha Stewart Living, and more. When she’s not writing she can be found spending time with her growing family in the Lehigh Valley area of Pennsylvania.
When you hear the phrase “looming recession,” your initial reaction may be to freeze your spending — especially if you’re still haunted by the last economic downturn in which a housing boom and bust led to a subprime mortgage meltdown. For more content like this follow Real Estate Economists are pretty split on the probability … Read more
At times it feels like you need a detailed map to make your way through this wacky housing market. Luckily, we have just that — in the form of Danetha Doe, chief economist at real estate site Clever and creator of Money & Mimosas, a resource for building wealth while staying socially and environmentally responsible. … Read more
For more content like this follow Real Estate Don’t worry: The housing market isn’t collapsing. Rather, it’s simply returning to pre-pandemic levels — in other words, things are basically getting back to normal, says Carolyn Gagnon, a New York City-based real estate agent. “The housing market is not anywhere near a crash and is expected … Read more
Cash is king in the homebuying market. The thing is, there are a whole lot of kings in the current real estate monarchy — in fact, 30 percent of home purchases last year were paid with all cash, up from 25.3 percent in 2020, according to Redfin. For more content like this follow Real Estate … Read more
As mortgage interest rates continue to edge higher, more buyers are rethinking their budgets. One option to help lower your monthly mortgage payment is an adjustable rate mortgage, but are they too risky? Here’s what you need to know about adjustable rate mortgages, according to one mortgage pro. For more content like this follow Real … Read more
A global pandemic followed up by a looming recession is the kind of once-in-a-lifetime double whammy that can really rock your financial confidence. Now, as interest rates spike, it raises the question: Could a 40-year mortgage option help solve housing affordability problems and remove some hurdles for first-time buyers? Back in April, the Federal Housing … Read more
When Claire Zinnecker, the lead designer and owner at Claire Zinnecker Design in Austin, Texas, decided to move her entire house, it’s because she didn’t have a choice. She first saw a Facebook listing with an outlined understanding in it that the house itself would need to be moved once bought because developers had purchased … Read more
File this under “things that have surprised me as a homeowner”: Mortgage companies can sell your mortgage, and it’s actually something that happens quite frequently. In fact, since I bought my house nearly a decade ago, I’ve had four different mortgage companies service my loan — with two of the most recent transfers happening in … Read more
There’s a meme going around that says something like, “I unsubscribed from Netflix and have been packing my own lunch; should be able to afford a house any day now!” This is exactly the type of zinger that resonates with today’s generation of homebuyers. Home prices are at record highs, and factors like student loan … Read more