How Does a HELOC Work and Should You Get One?

My wife and I are planning to buy before we sold and move into a bigger home. We have a second child on the way and we want more space. We also have investments we have been building for years, index funds purchased at prices from four or five years ago, and we did not want to liquidate them to cove

What Does It Actually Cost to Own a Home in Year One?

Most first-time buyers spend months focused on two numbers: the down payment and the monthly mortgage payment. They get those right and think they are prepared. Then they move in. And then they find out about everything else. In the fire service, we plan for the 90%, the calls we know are coming, th

PMI Is Not the Enemy. Waiting Might Be.

I have a family member in my circle who is still waiting to have 20% saved before he buys. Every time I see him, I tell him the same thing: the market is not waiting for him. I have been saying it for a few years now. And every time, the house he could have bought is worth more than it was the last

Why I Hold Three Licenses Instead of One

My wife and I had a mortgage guy, an insurance agent, and a real estate agent. All fine at their jobs. None of them talked to each other, and not one of them asked where we wanted to be in five or ten years. They sold us the thing in front of us and moved on. The gap between those three people, the