We are an independent, advertising-supported comparison service. Our goal is to help you make smarter financial decisions by providing you with interactive tools and financial calculators, publishing original and objective content, by enabling you to conduct research and compare information for free – so that you can make financial decisions with confidence. Bankrate has partnerships … Read more
Purchasing your first home is an exciting milestone, but qualifying for a mortgage can be challenging, especially if you recently started a new job. As a first-time buyer, you may not have the two-year employment history that many lenders prefer to see. The good news is there are still options to get approved. With the … Read more
Buying a home is an exciting milestone in life, but saving up enough for a down payment can feel like an impossible obstacle for many potential homebuyers. With home prices continually rising and down payments typically 15-20% of the purchase price, coming up with tens of thousands of dollars or more seems out of reach … Read more
The VA loan is an outstanding option for military and veteran home buyers. But are there any benefits–or drawbacks–for home sellers? VA loans are a popular mortgage option especially among military servicemembers veterans, and their families. As a seller, you may encounter buyers using VA financing to purchase your home. That’s why it’s important to … Read more
Many or all of the products featured here are from our partners who compensate us. This influences which products we write about and where and how the product appears on a page. However, this does not influence our evaluations. Our opinions are our own. Here is a list of our partners and heres how we … Read more
Being unemployed and not having a full-time job can hurt your chances of getting approved for a mortgage. That’s because two major deciding factors for lenders when reviewing a mortgage application are your income and job history. Unfortunately, not everyone has those. Some individuals don’t have full-time jobs because they work for themselves as freelancers … Read more
Most preapprovals are good for 90 days, but some lenders issue 60-day and 30-day limits. Best practice is to get preapproved for a mortgage just before you begin serious house hunting. Experian, TransUnion and Equifax now offer all U.S. consumers free weekly credit reports through AnnualCreditReport.com. When a lender issues a mortgage preapproval letter, the … Read more
Purchasing a mobile or manufactured home can be a budget-friendly path to homeownership, But financing these homes is different than getting a traditional mortgage, You’ll need a specialized loan for a mobile or manufactured home In this guide we’ll explain how to find fast mobile home loans. including Differences between mobile and manufactured homes Pros … Read more
Today, we’re diving into the world of USDA loans: what they are, why they’re a great option for some borrowers, and—lest we forget—the reasons why your loan could get denied. There’s a lot of back-end stuff to pay attention to when it comes to navigating the loan system, and this blog post will provide a … Read more
Purchasing a new home is one of life’s biggest milestones. As exciting as it may be, the home buying process can also feel overwhelming for first-time buyers. With so many details to keep track of, it’s normal to have questions about what exactly is required when getting a mortgage. One common question is: do conventional … Read more