The tightening in mortgage-lending policies that characterized the last 3 years appears to be slowing. According to the Federal Reserve’s quarterly survey of senior bank loan officers, roughly 1 in 10 lenders added mortgage qualification hurdles between April and June. It’s a huge departure...

How much does a mortgage cost? The answer depends on where you live. But no matter which your locale, chances are strong that you’ll pay more for a mortgage in 2010 as compared to 2009. According to Bankrate.com and its annual Closing Cost Survey, a typical $200,000, purchase mortgage now carries...

Home builder confidence in the newly-built, single-family housing market is down for the third straight month this month. After reaching a 3-year high just 90 days ago, the National Association of Homebuilders’ Housing Market Index is now at a multi-year low. It’s since dropped by almost...

The fiscal responsibility of a homeowner — in Seattle and everywhere else — extends beyond the mortgage’s basic principal and interest repayments. Homeowners are also responsible for the real estate taxes on the home and its insurance premiums, too. Failure to pay taxes can lead to...

The New York Times ran an important story this week concerning pregnancy and mortgage approvals. Titled “Need a Mortgage? Don’t Get Pregnant“, the article discussed the difficulties that expecting and recently-expanded families are having with their mortgage financing. NBC’s...

Builder confidence in the housing market slipped this month, according to the National Association of Homebuilders’ monthly Housing Market Index. The Housing Market Index is actually a weighted composite of 3 separate surveys. One measures current single-family sales; one measures projected single-family...

Morning television can be “light”, but as far as personal finance interviews go, this Suze Orman segment from The Today Show is loaded with practical financial planning advice. Titled “What Should You Do First?”, Ms. Orman addressed the real-life, money management conundrums...

As its June 30, 2010 closing deadline approaches, the federal home buyer tax credit is back in the news. Unfortunately, the headlines are misleading. Contrary to what you may have read (or heard), the federal home buyer tax credit has not been extended past June 30, 2010. At least not yet. And here’s...

If you plan to finance your Tacoma home with a conforming interest only mortgage, get your loan application submitted no later than this Friday, June 18.  Starting next week, Fannie Mae is clamping down on the popular loan product. An “interest only” mortgage is exactly what its name...

In May 2010, Retail Sales at non-store retailers — a category that includes Amazon and eBay — topped $29 billion, up 16 percent from May 2009. Clearly, Americans are doing an increasing amount of shopping online.  And we’re paying our bills online, too. But how well are we...