No-Down-Payment Mortgages: Options Beyond VA and USDA
VA and USDA loans are the best-known zero-down mortgage programs — but they’re not the only options for buyers who can’t afford a traditional down payment.
VA and USDA loans are the best-known zero-down mortgage programs — but they’re not the only options for buyers who can’t afford a traditional down payment.
Tapping your 401(k) for a home purchase is possible — but it comes with real costs and long-term consequences. Here’s when it makes sense and how to do it correctly.
Receiving money from a family member to help buy a home is common — but mortgage lenders have strict rules about how gift funds are documented and used.
Real estate auctions offer the possibility of buying homes below market value — but they come with serious risks that make them appropriate only for experienced…
REO properties — homes owned by banks after failed foreclosures — offer an accessible way to buy distressed real estate with standard financing.
Short sales can offer below-market prices — but they’re among the most time-consuming and unpredictable real estate transactions.
Foreclosed homes can offer below-market prices — but they also come with risks that standard home purchases don’t.
Buying a vacation home or a second property for occasional personal use comes with different mortgage rules than buying a primary residence or investment property.
Financing an investment property is significantly harder and more expensive than financing a primary residence.
Buying a duplex, triplex, or fourplex while living in one unit — commonly called “house hacking” — is one of the most powerful wealth-building strategies in real…