Mortgage Insurance: How do you want to take your medicine?

Guest Author: Mondie Pic'l

Mortgage insurance is a lot like medicine. You know you have to have it but it doesn't mean you have to like it. When you take medicine you can often choose to take it in a liquid, a pill or a shot. What many ...

Have Mortgage Rates Bottomed Out?

Guest Author: Mondie Pic'l

As I work with Pasadena home buyers, the number one question that I get is have the mortgage rates bottomed out?

I recently had the opportunity to watch the movie Ghostbusters. Its hard to believe that this movie is over 25 years old having been ...

How to Shop for a Mortgage Rate

Guest Author: Mondie Pic'l

Some people love to shop. However when it comes to shopping for a loan, shopping isnt exactly fun! It can be complex and overwhelming. However there are some key things you can do to make sure you get the best terms.

When shopping rates it ...

Don't Have a Large Down Payment? Good News for You!

Guest Author: Mondie Pic'l

When the credit crisis hit two years ago one of the
immediate casualties was the ability of Pasadena home buyers to purchase a new home with
a low down payment. The main
reason was the retreat of mortgage insurance companies and their unwillingness
to insure ...

When does FHA financing make sense?

Guest Author: Mondie Pic'l

Many people have a misperception about FHA financing.

It is too expensive, it's more difficult to qualify and FHA has very stringent requirements about the property.

The truth is that FHA financing has some wonderful uses that may help many home buyers and homeowners ...

Calculating Your Pasadena Home Buying Affordability

I am so very excited to introduce Mondie Pic'l of PrimeLending Mortgage to our Pasadena Real Estate Blog. Mondie has been my personal mortgage consultant for close to 10 years now and has been working very hard for many of my home buyers in providing them with a hassle-free ...

FHA Changes Coming Soon - Breaking News!

We've been talking about FHA financing and that more and more buyers, especially first time buyers, are able to use this government financing program to buy their Pasadena home.

Yesterday, HUD (Department of Housing and Urban Development) has announced their intention to lower the Up Front MIP from 2 ...

Multiple Offers and FICO Scores - What You Need to Know when Shopping for Pasadena Homes for Sale

My emphasis on this Pasadena real estate blog has been to provide both home buyers and home sellers the most up to date data of what is going on in our local real estate market. Recently, I've been mentioning that multiple offers have been prevalant in Pasadena and surrounding ...

Pasadena Home Buyers: Your Escrow is in Danger of NOT Closing due to Station Fire

With Station Fire burning for the last week or so, home insurance carriers are taking a strong stand when it comes to providing fire insurance to Pasadena home buyers.

A United States Forest Service air tanker drops fire retardant next to a line of fire as the Station fire burns ...

Pasadena Home Owners and Borrowers - PMI Can be Deducted!

PMI stands for Private Mortgage Insurance. This is an insurance that protects lenders against potential borrower defaults and is usually a requirement for any home loans where the home buyer puts less than 20% down.

Historically, PMI was one of those real estate expenses that could not be deducted, but ...