U.S. mortgage rates rose for the fourth straight week to their highest level in two months, dealing a major blow to housing affordability. The 30-year fixed-rate mortgage increased and averaged 6.94% as of Feb. 29, according to data released by Freddie Mac FMCC,+0,92%THURSDAY. This is an increase of 4 basis points from the previous week … Read more
My husband and I can’t decide between selling our house or renting it. We live in Northern California, in an area we don’t like. The house is cute, we have a 2.5% interest rate, and we have $262,000 left on our mortgage. The Redfin estimate for our house is currently $550,000. We took in a … Read more
I have six brothers and sisters. My youngest brother, 50, has his name on the title deed to the family home, as do my two deceased brothers. Two sisters got married and withdrew their names from the act. One of our sisters was on the title, but she also passed away. My brother says, “It … Read more
My wife and I are both retired. Right now we have an IRA worth over $800,000, which is intact, and stocks worth $600,000. We receive pensions and Social Security, which amount to about $9,000 a month, but we have two mortgages that are not being paid off. Our primary mortgage has $42,000 remaining with an … Read more
House prices have reached a new all-time high and mortgage rates have started to fall – but that won’t yet be enough to revive the property market, according to an expert. Even as borrowing costs fall, keeping home buyers away, the “lock-in effect” of homeowners reluctant to sell and give up their current 3% or … Read more
My wife and I are both retired. Currently we have an IRA worth over $800,000 that is intact and stocks worth $600,000. We receive pensions and Social Security, which amount to about $9,000 a month, but we have two mortgages that are not being paid off. Our primary mortgage has $42,000 left with 2.5% interest, … Read more
My husband is 68 years old and I am 74 years old. He earns $250,000 a year. We rent a townhouse in a very upscale suburb in the Houston area, but our last rent increase was $300 a month! My husband wants to find a house for no more than $300,000 because he doesn’t want … Read more
My husband and I just created a trust with the help of an attorney. I’m 68 and he’s 76, and we’re both in good health. I have a 26 year old married daughter. My partner has no children. He and my daughter don’t get along, and so far neither has been able to mend the … Read more
I went through a terrible divorce 15 years ago. I will finally finish paying my ex-husband in July. My divorce was so costly that I never remarried. My boyfriend of 14 years was having financial problems and needed to refinance his house to pay off his debt. It could not be approved without a co-signer. … Read more
My mother and stepfather just co-signed a mortgage for my brother. My mother said their house was used as collateral. If my brother can’t pay his mortgage, our mother will have to pay it for him, or the bank will take his house, right? Also, what happens if my mother and stepfather both pass away … Read more