HUD announced today what has been rumored for a while, namely that they are expanding the guidelines on the Home Affordable Refinance Program (HARP), to make it easier for homeowners who are “underwater” on their mortgages to take advantage of low interest rates and refinance. 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 »

The short-term indices that determine the rates charged to holders of ARMs have been rising steadily for a while now, and long-term rates have finally started to rise as well; as a result, many homeowners who used ARMs to purchase their homes should at least consider refinancing their loans as fixed-rate mortgages to lock in the still-relatively-low rates before they vanish. Read the rest of this entry »