Save money
Concrete dollars you can keep at closing — fees to challenge, refunds to claim, and costs to cut.
Why Builder 'Preferred' Lenders and Title Companies Often Cost You More Than They Save
That 3% rate buydown or $15,000 closing credit looks like a bonus. Here's what's actually inside it, and what the builder doesn't want you to compare.
Owen CastellanosJune 12, 202611 min readIllinois Buyers: $15,000 in Down Payment Assistance Is Live. Here's How to Claim It.
The Access Home program launched March 11, 2026 with zero-interest, deferred-payment assistance up to $15,000 for first-time buyers. Whether it helps you depends on your county, your credit score, and one question your lender may not ask first.
Eli AsanteJune 4, 20268 min readDetroit's Down Payment Assistance Program Opens Round 3 With Up to $25,000 for Eligible Buyers
Applications are open for the third round of Detroit's DPA Program, which has already helped 794 households become homeowners.
Daniel ReyesJune 4, 20263 min readRaleigh's $60,000 Down Payment Gift Has a Line Item the City's Housing Reports Never Name
The city will spend $6 million in bond funds on homebuyer assistance this year. Its own progress dashboards do not disclose the loan structure, repayment terms, or what happens when a recipient sells.
Wallace HardyJune 3, 20268 min readCalifornia's Dream for All Down Payment Loan: What to Know Before the Next Cycle Opens
The 2026 application window has closed, but if you start preparing now, you'll be ready when it reopens.
Camille DraytonMay 25, 202610 min readIllinois Has $15,000 Waiting for First-Time Buyers. Here's How to Claim It.
A new state program puts real down payment money on the table for eligible homebuyers right now, but you have to know it exists and how to apply.
Priya WhitfieldMay 22, 20267 min readChattanooga's New $21,000 Down Payment Help: Do You Qualify, and What's the Catch?
The city just launched its biggest first-time buyer program yet. Here's the math, the fine print, and the three steps to take before your next closing.
Eli AsanteMay 22, 20266 min readMassachusetts First-Time Buyers: $25,000 Interest-Free Downpayment Aid Ends July 31. Here's How to Lock In.
Massachusetts just made its best homebuyer assistance ever available to more middle-class buyers. The window closes July 31, 2026.
Daniel ReyesMay 22, 20264 min readYou Left Money on the Table: Harris County Homestead Exemptions Explained
Texas homeowners could be saving thousands annually, but many don't know what they're entitled to claim.
Joanne ParkMay 19, 20268 min readThe Home Warranty Your Agent 'Recommends' at Closing: What's Really in It for Them
Your real estate agent might offer you a home warranty as a closing gift. Here's why that 'peace of mind' pitch deserves a harder look.
Joanne ParkMay 18, 20267 min readRESPA promised lower closing costs. Fifty years of data — and the industry's own 50-year retrospective — tell a different story.
What CFPB and FTC research, the 2024-2025 federal enforcement record, and the mortgage industry's own admission say about the law that's supposed to keep your closing costs honest
Owen CastellanosMay 13, 20268 min readYour Agent's Commission Is Now Fully Transparent. Here's What That Means for Your Closing Costs.
Sellers are offering more concessions than at any point since the market shifted. The NAR settlement changed how buyer-agent pay gets disclosed. Here's how to use both developments.
Owen CastellanosMay 13, 20267 min readThe 1997 Tax Trap Hitting Home Sellers in South Dakota — And What You Can Do Before You List
If you've owned your home more than a decade, the IRS may owe you nothing — until you sell. Here's the math most sellers never run until it's too late.
Camille DraytonMay 3, 20266 min readThe Quiet Economy of the Closing Table
How a fifty-year-old federal law meant to protect home buyers from kickbacks created the loophole that made kickbacks the business model — and what it took for one state's attorney general to finally say so.
Talia BrennanMay 2, 202628 min readThree brokerage mergers in 12 months, and the case for shopping anyway
Rocket-Redfin. Compass-Anywhere. Real-RE/MAX. The pitch is convenience. A 25-year closing attorney calls it consumer haze, and he wants you to compare anyway.
Wallace HardyMay 1, 202613 min readYour Buying Power Just Went Up: 2025 Loan Limits Expand in Nearly Every County
Higher conforming and FHA caps mean more buyers can skip costly jumbo financing—here's what to do before you shop
Eli AsanteApril 30, 20263 min readYour 2026 Homeowner Tax Checklist: Three Changes That Could Save You Thousands — and One Scam to Ignore
Higher standard deductions, inflation-indexed home sale exclusions, and energy credits are real money in your pocket — here's what to act on now and what to avoid
Maren CollierApril 29, 20264 min readYour Home Equity Line Just Got Larger: FHA Raises Reverse Mortgage Cap to $1.25 Million for 2026
If you're 62 or older with a high-value home, you can now borrow more against your house starting January 1, 2026.
Maren CollierApril 27, 20264 min readYour Fannie or Freddie Mortgage Just Got a Cheaper Insurance Option — Here's What Changes
New FHFA rules let homeowners use Actual Cash Value coverage for roofs, cutting premiums but changing what you get when disaster hits
Eli AsanteApril 27, 20264 min read