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Why Are People Obsessed with Mid-Century Modern Design?
 Mid-century modern design is one of the most popular design styles right now and for good reason. It boasts clean lines, pops of color, and if you buy an older home, it can be a natural fit with the existing elements of the property.
So, what exactly is mid-century modern design, and how can you make it work in your home?
Mid-Century Modern Basics
Mid-century modern design is based on architects’ work who moved from Germany to the U.S. after World War Two. These architects led the way in mid-century modern design, which emphasizes functionality and simplicity.
The period, while there is some disagreement on
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MORTGAGE RATES
U.S. averages as of December 2023:
30 yr. fixed: 7.29%
15 yr. fixed: 6.67%
5/1 yr. adj: 6.84%
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on specifics, generally is considered to have lasted from the 1940s to the 1960s, but much of what we think of as mid-century modern now is from the
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What Are Escrow Items in a Home Loan?
 If you’re planning to buy a home, you’ll hear the word escrow throughout the process. An escrow is a legal setup where a third party temporarily holds money or property until a condition is met.
In a real estate transaction, escrows protect buyers and sellers throughout the process. An escrow account is established through your mortgage terms to hold the money for homeowner’s insurance and taxes.
Escrow accounts can also be used in home buying to protect a good faith deposit, ensuring the funds go to the right party based on sale conditions. We’re specifically discussing the escrow account used throughout the life of your loan below.
Escrow Accounts When You Borrow
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How Do You Challenge An Appraisal?
 A home appraisal is an important part of buying and selling a home. You have to go through the appraisal process to buy a home with a loan, refinance your current mortgage, or to sell a home to anyone except a buyer with all-cash.
During an appraisal, a professional gives their unbiased view on the value of the home. The appraiser creates a report based on their inspection of the home, current trends in the market, and comparable sales nearby of similar properties. A borrower usually pays for the appraisal fee. If a home appraises for lower than what was anticipated, then the bank may not extend financing. A bank wants to make sure that they’re not giving a loan to homeowners who are borrowing too much because the home is loan collateral.
The appraisal is just one way a lender is protecting themselves and minimizing their losses if something happens and the borrower
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What Exactly Is ‘Private’ Lending?
 You may or may not have heard of the term ‘private lending.’ It is in fact a necessary player in real estate finance but often it’s misunderstood. It’s also sometimes referred to as ‘hard’ money while both terms are interchangeable. What is private lending and why is it so important?
The term ‘private’ refers to just that. It’s an individual or group of individuals who privately finance real estate transactions outside the realm of traditional lending. While the vast majority of my volume was in conventional and government-backed mortgage loans, I did have the ability to contact and use a private lender.
Private lenders do not sell loans in any secondary market. There really is no secondary market for private, or hard money. A private loan is issued as a short term solution to a financing issue. In most instances, private money is used to address a short term issue and when that issue is resolved, the private lender wants its money back. Once the issue is resolved, the goal is to get the property or the transaction in such a position to be able to qualify for traditional
Daily News and Advice
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Wondering What Your Home Is Worth?
