I. The New Appraisal Form (UAD 3.6) Is Nothing To Worry About. I blogged about it in August, but I am touching on it again because we have been getting questions. TLDR: The new form will...
If you’re buying in Santa Clara County and trying to estimate your property tax bill, don’t use the seller’s current bill as your guide. Once you buy, your assessed value generally resets to...
We live in the most interesting time ever for financial markets. Today is a case in point; if you don’t find today’s blog fascinating, I will refund your money. I. Interesting Thing #1:...
In 1929, famed economist Irving Fisher proclaimed that stocks had “reached what looks like a permanently high plateau.” More interestingly, he was one of thousands who thought similarly. Not so...
If you want a smaller mortgage payment without taking out a new loan, five moves can help. You can cancel private mortgage insurance (PMI), recast after a lump-sum payment, pay off an escrow shortage...
If your mortgage payment feels higher than it needs to be, seven moves can lower it: canceling private mortgage insurance, recasting, refinancing into a longer term, refinancing into a lower rate,...
If you put less than 20% down on a conventional loan, you can remove private mortgage insurance (PMI) by asking your servicer in writing once the principal balance reaches 80% of the home's original...
If you want a lower mortgage interest rate, a few different strategies can help. These include a higher credit score, a larger down payment, a shorter loan term, a different loan program, paying...
If you have a reverse mortgage and want more cash, better terms, or a way out, the short answer is yes, you can refinance it. You can refinance an FHA-insured Home Equity Conversion Mortgage (HECM)...
If a parent or relative dies with a reverse mortgage and no other borrower is on the loan, the loan is now due. Families handling a reverse mortgage after death can pay off the loan and keep the...
I. 2nd Unpermitted Kitchens Are “Health And Safety Risks” & Not Allowed (Yank The Stove) This is a brief reminder that lenders don't allow homes with a second unpermitted kitchen, something we...
The San Jose median home price was $1,399,299 in July 2026, down 6.2% from a year earlier. Homes took a median of 20 days to go under contract, up from 16 days last year, and 1,654 of them sold in...
Just when you think rates can’t go any higher… they go higher. Many prominent analysts think they can go much higher too – all the way to 9% in some cases. Chris Whalen is one, as he...
If most of your wealth is in retirement and investment accounts and very little shows up as monthly income, a conventional loan can still work. Freddie Mac asset depletion rules let a lender divide...
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