The best time to lock in the interest rate on your mortgage depends on a few factors, including how risk-tolerant you are, and how far out you are from being ready to go to settlement. Read the rest of this entry »

In an earlier post, we discussed why you can’t predict interest rate movements; next, we discuss why you shouldn’t believe the claims of people who say otherwise. Read the rest of this entry »

Many of our clients ask us for advice about the best time to lock in rates to get the lowest possible rate; unfortunately, outside of anticipating certain specific short-term trends in rates, it’s impossible to know where interest rates will go, because those rates are by definition moved by surprising information. Read the rest of this entry »

Heide F. had used Ethical Homes to purchase her first home in DC; after getting married and deciding to move up to a larger home, she and her new husband Jim came back to Ethical Homes for assistance with the using their VA eligibility to get financing for their next purchase. Read the rest of this entry »

As part of our commitment to socially-responsible, sustainable business practices, the Ethical Homes Green Mortgage Incentive provides cost-effective “green loans” to buyers of “green homes”. Read the rest of this entry »

As part of our commitment to transparency, Ethical Homes’ Borrower-Managed Lending policy is designed to remove any possible conflict of interest between us and our clients, while giving our borrowers the ability to strike the balance that they want between risk, upfront costs, and long-term interest rates. Read the rest of this entry »

Melissa B., an expat FSO and first-time buyer, was moving to the D.C. area and had just a few weeks in which to purchase a new home before starting her new job; working with Ethical Homes, she found a condo apartment in downtown D.C. that met all of her needs after just 4 days of searching. Read the rest of this entry »

In a previous article, we gave some rough rules of thumb for estimating monthly mortgage payments; based on feedback from buyers and homeowners looking to refinance over the last few years, we’ve come up with some simpler ways of getting those estimates, including one trick that makes it easy to see how much your payment will change if your interest rate changes. Read the rest of this entry »

A lot of homeowners have recently been getting offers of “Mortgage Protection Insurance”, which would pay off their mortgage in case of death or disability; for most homeowners, though, Mortgage Protection Insurance isn’t a great deal. Read the rest of this entry »

Walt & Diane were past clients whom we had previously helped to find a home in Virginia, and who were now looking for a new home; working with Ethical Homes, they found a great house in suburban Maryland–and we were glad to help them do so, even though we wouldn’t be able to earn a commission on the transaction. Read the rest of this entry »