U.S. homeowners are on a refinancing binge in 2020, with mortgage refinance rates up by 98% from mid-November 2019 to the same period in 2020, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA). The average mortgage refinance amount stood at $291,000 for the week ending November 13, 2020, the MBA reported. If you’re considering refinancing your…

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Ask most people about the biggest obstacle to buying a home, and hands down, they’ll say it’s scraping together enough money for a down payment and closing costs. But understand a key point: This is not a separate and distinct issue from landing a mortgage. Lenders, after all, like to see clients lay down a…

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As the United States continues to endure a retirement crisis that has only been exacerbated by the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic, the home is an asset with continuously understated potential to assist with cash flow for retirees. This is especially true considering that the home is likely to be the largest asset that the majority of…

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Here’s what every first-time home buyer needs to know to dive into house hunting with confidence—and with as few curveballs as possible. Whether it’s getting a mortgage, choosing a real estate agent, shopping for a home, or making a down payment, we lay out the must-knows of buying for the first time below. 1. How…

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For seniors across America, considering how to fund retirement if existing assets are insufficient can be an exercise in creative thinking resulting in expanding the canvas of thinking to encompass a broader range of potential options. For many seniors who are also homeowners, thinking of the home as a potential source of retirement funding is…

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For those Americans over the age of 62 who have recently seen the values of their retirement accounts shaken by the ongoing effects of the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic, the ability for a reverse mortgage to take some pressure off of individuals and their accounts should not be overlooked. This is according to a column appearing…

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Here at Carefree Retirement Funding, we know many seniors live on a fixed income and need to be careful to make ends meet. However, there’s a misconception that you can’t live life to the fullest when you’re on a fixed income. By budgeting and adjusting your spending, you might be able to save more money…

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For seniors who may feel squeezed by the necessity of paying taxes in retirement on a fixed income, there are a number of ways in which a senior might be able to reduce their tax burdens in retirement. One of the possible methods can include a reverse mortgage, according to financial planner Erik Carter in…

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