First-Time Home Buyer Advice and Real Estate News

top 10 metros where it's easiest to save for a down payment on a house

10 U.S. Metros Where It’s Easiest to Save for a Down Payment

You may find some surprises here.

How to Afford Your Next Vacation (Without Backtracking Financially)

Budget with the full year in mind.

What is a Mortgage Rate Lock and How is It Changing to Help Home Buyers

It’s all about the float down.

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5 Ways to Improve Your Credit Score Fast

Totally legit!

Does Paying Off Collections Improve Your Credit Scores?

Your credit scores play an important role in your overall financial health. Without good scores you will pay higher rates whenever you borrow money, which is most significant with a...

Payoff for a Perfect Credit Score?

How to reach 850 and what it gets you

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The Credit Come Up

A Moldy Basement is the Worst. Here’s How to Clean It Up

You’ll know it when you smell it (think damp, musty, like rotting leaves) or when you see it (white, black, brown, or even gray, yellow or green splotches all over...

Three Simple DIY Driveway Ideas

Create parking where there is none.

What’s Up with My Thermostat?

So, your thermostat is acting wonky. Don't assume that your furnace is broken. In many instances, simply repairing the thermostat or replacing it with a new one will save on...

Electric Stove Burners on the Fritz: Quick Fixes and Other Tips

The Basics: How an Electric Range Works Before you attempt to troubleshoot and repair, you should get to know your oven a bit. Knowing how your oven operates will help...

Is Your Gas Fireplace Acting Up?

The inner workings of your gas fireplace probably seem too complicated to understand, and the thought of working on them as likely as performing brain surgery. Take heart: Many of...

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Fixer Upper 404s

Is New Home Construction the Answer for First-Time Home Buyers?

As home buyers find it more and more difficult to jump into the housing market, the industry looks for more ways to smooth the path to homeownership while not putting...

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Real Estate IRL

Making a Case for a Modular Home

Most people don’t initially turn to modular homes when working with real estate agents. Prefab houses have their pros and cons, but could prove a great deal for the right...