Remove Finance Remove Loan Officer Remove Pre-qualification
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Opinion: Reframing the American Dream of homeownership

Housing Wire

Current market challenges The real estate market is currently characterized by a complex interplay of factors: Interest Rate Volatility: Fluctuating interest rates have made it difficult for potential buyers to predict the cost of financing a home. Yes, prices are higher, but this also means homes are valuable long-term investments.

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How 2020 exposed a greater need for collaboration between real estate agents and LOs

Housing Wire

Successful agents, brokerages and loan officers of the future are going to rely significantly on technology to find, nurture and engage with buyers and sellers while also playing an expanding role as personal advisors in all things related to mortgage, insurance, moving, renovating and new home transitioning.

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How loan originators survived a cutthroat mortgage business in 2023

Housing Wire

In his 20 years in mortgage banking, no year has compared to 2023 in terms of difficulty, said Ben Cohen, Guaranteed Rate ’s managing director and a top-producing loan officer. It was another brutal year, pushing loan originators to work longer hours, close loans faster while diversifying their mortgage product offerings.

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LOs and brokers, are you prepared for an evolving workforce?

Housing Wire

Between significantly fewer refinances, rising mortgage rates and housing inventory nearly cut in half since 2020, loan officers (LOs) and brokers face a pivotal time where adaptation is a must for success. More and more frequently, these factors don’t impact a potential borrower’s ability to repay.

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What’s the First Step in Buying a Home? Your Answer Here

Realtor.com

Here are more step-by-step home-buying details, including information about down payments, closing costs, mortgage rates, pre-approved mortgages, and more. Step 1: Why financing is the key to buying a new home. Step 1: Why financing is the key to buying a new home. Step 2: Qualify for a home loan or loan pre-approval.

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Top Mortgage Myths—Busted

Realtor.com

To avoid this fate, make sure to crunch your numbers in our mortgage calculator or a home affordability calculator , and apply for mortgage pre-approval to see just where you stand in terms of how much house you can afford. Pre-qualification and pre-approval are essentially the same. Absolutely not. It means nothing.”.

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Options to Unlock Your Home Equity When Finances Are Tight

HomeLight

Since all these loans use your equity in the home as collateral, they usually offer significantly lower interest rates and better terms than personal loans, credit cards, and other unsecured debt. What qualifications do I have to meet to access my home’s equity? What are the advantages of a Home Equity Line of Credit (HELOC)?

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