Nadine Savaia
Lenders calculate your CLTV by adding up every loan secured by your home, then dividing that total by your home’s value. CLTV stands for “combined loan-to-value.” It tells a lender how much of your home is already promised to loans before they add another one. Here’s the part that surprises many homeowners: when a HELOC … Read more
Yes, you can often negotiate your HELOC margin, and it may be the most overlooked way to save money on a home equity line of credit. Your HELOC rate is built from two parts: an index that moves up and down with the market, and a margin that the lender adds on top. You can’t … Read more
Yes, you can get a HELOC if your main mortgage is an FHA loan, but the HELOC itself does not come from the FHA. This confuses a lot of people, so let’s be clear. The FHA (Federal Housing Administration) does not offer HELOCs. There is no such thing as an “FHA HELOC.” However, you can … Read more
Yes — you can almost always pay principal on a HELOC during the draw period, and it’s one of the smartest things you can do. During the draw period, most lenders only require you to pay the interest. But “required” and “allowed” are two different things. You’re usually free to pay extra toward the principal … Read more
Yes, you can roll some closing costs into an FHA loan in 2026, but the rules depend on whether you’re buying or refinancing. When you buy a home with an FHA loan, you generally cannot roll regular closing costs into the loan amount, but you can roll in the upfront mortgage insurance premium, and you … Read more
Yes, a first-time home buyer can get a construction loan in 2026, but it’s just a bit harder than buying an existing home. Building from the ground up is riskier for lenders, so they set a higher bar: stronger credit, a solid down payment, and detailed building plans with an approved builder. The good news … Read more
For most homeowners in 2026, refinancing your whole mortgage just to consolidate debt is not the best move, but there’s a smarter way to use your home to do it. Here’s the key: a cash-out refinance replaces your entire mortgage with a new, bigger one. If you locked in a low mortgage rate a few … Read more
In most cases, the “First-Time Homebuyer Credit” that people ask about was a tax credit from 2008 and if you claimed the earliest version, you may still be repaying it in 2026. Here’s the important part many people don’t know: there is no new federal first-time homebuyer tax credit available today. Bills to create one … Read more
What Is an FHA Loan? An FHA loan is a home loan backed by the Federal Housing Administration, a part of the U.S. government. Here’s the key idea: the government doesn’t lend you the money directly. Instead, it insures the loan, which means it promises to help cover the lender’s loss if the borrower can’t … Read more
Yes, you can often buy a home with a non-QM loan much sooner after a foreclosure than with a traditional loan. While regular loans usually make you wait several years, some non-QM loans allow you to buy again in as little as one day after a foreclosure — though most lenders want to see 12 to … Read more
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