Save on homeowners insurance Here are seven ways to cut the cost of your home insurance from helpinsure.com, a Texas consumer-friendly Internet site: 1. Shop around – and do it early! Check with several different home insurance companies to get rate quotes. (An independent insurance agent can provide rate quotes from a variety of companies.) And definitely do it well before your policy expires, just in case you run into any snags along [...]

Three elements are crucial to the purchase of a home—the down payment, closing costs, and qualifying for a mortgage. Here is a quick rundown of what you should know: Down payment Typically, conventional lenders will require a 20% down payment, although you may be able to find loans with down payments of as little as 5% (perhaps less in some cases). With down payments less than 20%, you likely will have to [...]

How do you decide which lender is best for you? There is a lot more to the mortgage process than getting a good rate. High costs in fees and poor service can come as very unhappy surprises. Here’s a list of suggested questions you might ask a lender: How large is your company, and how long has it been in business? Are you a licensed mortgage broker or loan officer in Texas? Is your company [...]

Home buyers often follow their hearts, and they should. Sometimes just going with a gut feeling is the best indicator. But when it’s house-touring time, it’s important to set those emotions aside and replace them with clear-headed thinking and a critical eye. Otherwise, your potential dream house might just turn into a money pit. A house should be made to seem lovely and appealing without a lot of expensive furnishings, and [...]

Most people probably only think of one or two questions to ask a home inspector: “How much is your fee?” and “When can you be there?” But these only scratch the surface. Here’s a list of suggested questions you might ask: What types of licenses do you hold What kind of training do you have? Do you belong to a professional inspectors’ association? How long have you been licensed in Texas? Are you a full-time home [...]