article thumbnail

Buy Your First Home in Massachusetts: 15 Questions Answered

Realty Biz

This includes checking your credit score, saving for a down payment, and getting pre-approved for a mortgage. Answer: What you can afford depends on your income, credit rating, current monthly expenses, down payment, and interest rate. What Is a Mortgage Pre-Approval? What Can I Afford?

article thumbnail

Understanding Mortgage Terms for Home Buyers

Realty Biz

Fixed-Rate Mortgage : A mortgage in which the interest rate remains the same for the entire term of the loan. Adjustable-Rate Mortgage (ARM) : A mortgage in which the interest rate can change periodically based on changes in a corresponding financial index.

Insiders

Sign Up for our Newsletter

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

article thumbnail

Should You Refinance Your Mortgage in 2024? How to Know if it’s Worth It

Redfin

In 2020, interest rates took a sharp dive as the Federal Reserve sought to stave off economic collapse amid the pandemic. The resulting low rates sparked a surge in real estate transactions, with numerous homebuyers securing 30-year fixed-rate mortgages below 3%.

article thumbnail

131 Real Estate Terms & Definitions Your Clients Expect You to Know in 2023

The Close

Chain of title is an historical record of previous owners of a property that’s essential in establishing the legal ownership of the property. An established chain of title helps protect the buyer from future challenges to ownership. A title search helps create that chain and is usually conducted by a lawyer or title company.