Understanding FHA Loans: Your Key to Affordable Homeownership

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If you're in the market for a home, you may have come across FHA loans as an option for financing. Historically, an FHA loan, or Federal Housing Administration loan has been a popular choice for many first-time homebuyers and those with lower…

How Co-Signing Can Help You Become a Homeowner

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We’ve all heard of the term co-signer, but what does it mean, and how can it serve you in purchasing a home? For the right situation, a co-signer can aid in securing a home loan for a purchaser so that he/she can move forward from renting…
Buying-Down-Rates-Blog

“Paying Points” to Buy Down Interest Rates

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In this interest rate climate, it’s nice to have options for reducing what may otherwise be considered a high-interest rate. This is where “paying points” to buy down interest rates could be beneficial! It’s a great alternative for today’s…
The Best Money Saving Tips

The Best Money Saving Tips to Help Grow Your Savings

Saving money can seem like a daunting task, especially if you’re living paycheck to paycheck. But don’t worry – with a little bit of effort and discipline, you can learn how to save money each month. Here are seven simple money-saving…

The Basics of Selling Your Home

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Like buying a new home, selling your home can be an emotional and complex process. You can use a real estate agent to help or you can try to sell it yourself which is called an FSBO -- For Sale By Owner -- transaction. An FSBO transaction…
Increasing-Your-Home's-Value

Increasing Your Home’s Value

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For many of us, our home is our largest asset. Maintaining and improving your home can increase its value and build your home equity. In addition to increasing your personal net worth and giving you the means to trade-up, you can borrow from…

How to Find Your New Home

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There are two main ways to search for your new home.  First, you can calculate how much you can afford, then shop for homes in that price range. Your income, size of down payment, and any equity you have in your current home are the major…

Know Your Mortgage Loan Options

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Major types of mortgage loans include: Fixed-rate loans. Because they offer a monthly payment that is known and does not change, fixed-rate mortgage loans remain the most popular type. Most fixed-rate mortgages are for loan terms of 15…

Understand the Variety of Mortgage Lenders & Brokers

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There are hundreds of mortgage lenders on the Web that will prequalify and pre-approve you for a mortgage loan. Major categories of mortgage lenders include: Savings & loans. Also called thrift institutions, savings and loan associations…

Avoiding & Reporting Scams

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Protect your finances and personal information by staying alert against fraud How to avoid scams Recognizing common signs of scams can help you avoid being the next victim of financial fraud. Here are some things to remember about scams and…

First Come, First Served: An Additional $7.2 Million of Loan Assistance Funding is Available

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Updated on 5/17/2023 Apply for up to $15,000 of Homeownership Set-Aside funds to help purchase a home. The recent announcement of an additional $7.2 Million of Homeownership Set-aside funds offered by the FHLB Atlanta will allow more individuals…
What is a 2-1 Buydown

What is a 2-1 Buydown?

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Reduce mortgage payments for the first two years of the loan with a 2-1 buydown from BankSouth Mortgage! Buying a home is an exciting milestone but can come with additional startup costs. Between things like new furniture, fresh paint, and…
Application Checklist

Application Checklist

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The following is a list of the documents that will be requested at the beginning of the loan process. Please be aware that additional documentation may be required dependent on your unique circumstances. For Credit Approval: Most recent…
Things-You-Should-Know

10 Things You Should Know

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1. Length of Process The length of the process varies for each borrower, depending upon your circumstances. Constant communication with your mortgage banker will help keep you informed of anything that may delay the processing of your application. 2.…