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First-time home buyer guides, helpful mortgage tips, and easy-to-follow articles to make you a better first-time buyer.

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Just Starting

4 min read

What Is A Lien?

A lien is a financial claim on a property initiated when a person owes money and removed when the debt is…

Just Starting

4 min read

What Is a Deed?

A deed is a legal document that conveys ownership of real property from one party to another and contains a proper property…

Just Starting

5 min read

Improve Your Credit Score for Mortgage Approval

This article was published in partnership with StellarFi. StellarFi helps our community of home buyers easily build their credit score using the…

Just Starting

3 min read

What Are Mortgage Guidelines?

Mortgage guidelines are the rules and standards used to underwrite, approve, and fund a mortgage loan. Mortgage guidelines vary by mortgage loan type…

Just Starting

3 min read

What Is an Arms-Length Transaction?

An arms-length transaction in real estate is a purchase in which the home buyer and seller are unrelated in their business and personal lives, which…

Just Starting

3 min read

What Is Annual Percentage Rate (APR)?

Annual Percentage Rate (APR) is a calculation that represents the complete cost of mortgage held to its full term, expressed as a…

Just Starting

3 min read

What Is an Assumable Mortgage?

An assumable mortgage is a mortgage that lets home buyers take over, or “assume,” the seller’s existing mortgage. Assumable mortgages…

Just Starting

2 min read

What Is Amortization?

Amortization is the process of paying off a debt, such as a mortgage, in regular installments over a specific period of time, where each payment is…

Buying Soon

6 min read

What Is The Federal Reserve?

The Federal Reserve, often called "The Fed", is the U.S. government's central bank. The Federal Reserve was established by charter in the Federal…

Just Starting

12 min read

How To Pronounce 36 Common Mortgage Acronyms

A big list of real estate and mortgage acronyms, what each term means, and a helpful guide for how to pronounce…

Just Starting

8 min read

The Conventional 100 Mortgage For First-Time Home Buyers

The Conventional 100 mortgage is a no-money-down down payment assistance program for U.S. home buyers. It's available to first-time home buyers in…

Just Starting

19 min read

The HELPER Act Mortgage: Explained

The HELPER Act is a 100% mortgage program, exempt from mortgage insurance, for teachers, firefighters, and law enforcement…

Buying Soon

4 min read

USDA Eligibility Map: Updated for 2024

The USDA Eligibility Map is a free tool that shows which U.S. homes may qualify for a USDA…

Just Starting

8 min read

The DASH Act: $15,000 Tax Credit For First-Time Home Buyers

First-time home buyers may soon get a $15,000 tax credit, courtesy of Decent, Affordable, Safe Housing for All - The DASH Act. Learn how to claim…

Just Starting

8 min read

Announcing: Our Most-Asked First-Time Home Buyer Questions

We've worked with thousands of first-time home buyers. This post looks at the first-time home buyer questions we hear from a lot of…

Just Starting

10 min read

What is a No Closing Cost Mortgage?

No closing cost mortgages are mortgages where the home buyer pays none of their assigned closing costs. Instead, the mortgage lender pays closing…

Just Starting

13 min read

7 Best Home Loans for First-Time Buyers

The government gives first-time buyers extra help: Mortgage rate discounts, low-down payment mortgages, reduced mortgage insurance…

Buying Soon

5 min read

FHFA First-Time Home Buyer Mortgage Rate Discount: Explained

The FHFA Mortgage Rate Discount waives loan-level pricing adjustments (LLPAs) on conventional mortgages made to first-time…

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© 2021-2024 All rights reserved. Growella Inc d/b/a Homebuyer. Homebuyer.com is powered by Novus Home Mortgage, a division of Ixonia Bank, NMLS 423065. www.nmlsconsumeraccess.org Homebuyer is located at 230 Findlay Street, Cincinnati, Ohio 45214. Novus Home Mortgage, a division of Ixonia Bank, is located at 20225 Water Tower Blvd. Suite 400, Brookfield, WI 53045. We have no affiliation with the US Department of Housing and Urban Development, the US Department of Veterans Affairs, the US Department of Agriculture, or any other government agency. US Government agencies have not reviewed this information and this site is not connected with any government agency. Equal Housing Lender. Applicant subject to credit and underwriting approval. Not all applicants will be approved for financing. The receipt of the application does not represent an approval for financing or interest rate guarantee. Restrictions may apply.