Can Washington help you refinance? Its new foreclosure-fighting program is open to almost everyone, but your lender still has the final word.
	How much house can you afford? Follow these simple rules and you'll have no trouble making your monthly mortgage payments.
	How to find the best loan for you You want the lowest rate and smallest monthly payment from your lender. Follow our plan to land a great deal on your mortgage.
	FHA loans can help first-time buyers If you have little or no money for a down payment, or iffy credit, this could be what you need.
	The 7 biggest mortgage mistakes Avoid these pitfalls and you'll save time, money and aggravation
	How to save on closing costs Our 5 smart moves will help you spot and reduce unnecessary fees, making your settlement less costly and aggravating.
	10 questions your GFE should answer Use your Good Faith Estimate to make sure you're getting the loan you've been promised and avoid nasty surprises.

view all

	Get the right rate cap for your ARM Make sure the payments can't go up too much, too fast, when the interest rate resets on your adjustable-rate mortgage.
	Determine a home's walkability before you buy Here's a Web site that determines how far it is from schools and stores, and scores how much you can do on foot.
	Count child support and alimony as income They can boost your total earnings and help you qualify for a mortgage if you have proof they're actually being made.
	Take advantage of more than 2 million empty homes Whether it's owned by a bank, builder or individual, a vacant home gives you more leverage to pay less and dicker for incentives.
	Get three bids for home insurance Your lender will insist that you have a policy that's paid for, and in effect, when you close on your home purchase.
	Consider a 5/1 ARM These adjustable-rate mortgages are suddenly offering good enough rates to be an alternative to fixed-rate loans.

view all

	Fixed-rate mortgages less costly in latest survey The average conventional 30-year, fixed-rate mortgage now costs 6.60% while the average jumbo loan costs 7.65%.
	Home sales slow but stable We're now buying 5 million homes a year, about a million fewer than during the go-go years of the real estate boom.
	Shopping for a loan won't hurt credit scores When a number of mortgage lenders ask to see your credit history all at once they're counted as a single inquiry against your FICO score.
	Mortgage insurance more costly, tougher to get Insurers are boosting premiums and qualifying standards because of falling home prices and record default rates.
	Interest gobbles up most of your payment That's because lenders take the entire interest charge from your monthly mortgage payment and only apply what's left to your balance.
	Foreclosure tours make sense Hopping on a foreclosure bus is a surprisingly good way to see a wide variety of repossessed homes in just a few hours.

view all

Mortgage calculator
Calculate the monthly payments for any fixed-rate loan. Just enter the amount and terms.