Chris Birk

Mortgage rates are beginning to creep up, but they’re still well within the kind of range that makes longtime homeowners shake their heads in disbelief. The average interest rate on a 30-year fixed-rate mortgage hit 3.63 percent for the week of March 10, marking the highest point since last summer. So while a seller’s market… Read More

In a perfect world, unscrupulous creditors couldn’t take advantage of anyone, especially those who serve our country…

Left out in the cold by a tight lending climate, prospective homebuyers are finally starting to see a thaw. Fifty-one percent of respondents to the latest Fannie Mae National Housing Survey indicated it’s now likely easier to secure a mortgage. That latest burst of confidence could help keep the housing recovery moving forward. “Consumer attitudes… Read More

Tighter credit requirements among mortgage lenders have produced — wait for it — borrowers with better credit. Not exactly a Nobel-worthy finding, but a recent Federal Reserve analysis of homebuying data helps clarify our collective improvement. Current homebuyers are more creditworthy on average than at any point in the last 12 years. Researchers who combed… Read More

When is your credit score not actually your credit score? How about when you’re applying for a home loan. I can’t count how many times a frustrated veteran has come to me demanding to know why the credit score they paid to obtain doesn’t match what a lender is telling them. Prospective homebuyers are often… Read More

Nearing its 70th anniversary, the VA loan guaranty program and its benefits — no down payment, no private mortgage insurance and seller-paid closing costs — have emerged as a lifeline for veterans and military families during a time of tight credit. Military borrowers have increasingly flocked to these government-backed loans over the last five years…. Read More