Kansas First Time Home Buyer Savings Account

If you are saving up to buy your first home in Kansas and looking to get some tax benefits from doing so, you may be interested in talking to your financial institution about a first time home buyers savings account. The bill was signed into law by Governor Laura Kelly in 2022. First time homeContinue reading “Kansas First Time Home Buyer Savings Account”

For Better Wealth, Get a Second Opinion

I recently attended a class on first time home buyer financing taught by Don Brinker with the Missouri Housing Development Commission and Leslie Lowry at Fairway Mortgage. While there was a lot of helpful information geared toward first time home buyers, another piece of advice came up that is beneficial to anyone buying or refinancingContinue reading “For Better Wealth, Get a Second Opinion”

Three Ways Home Ownership is like Entrepreneurship:

Did you know that a recent survey found that 22% of first time home buyers give up there search because the market is too competitive? In some ways buying a home is like starting a business. The uncertainty and fear of failure can be intimidating. But there are many resources out there to help firstContinue reading “Three Ways Home Ownership is like Entrepreneurship:”

Locations, Locations, Locations

Everyone has an idea about what kind of home they want to live in, some people are more flexible than others. But every once in a while you get a specific requirement. For example the house needs to have a front porch facing south. Not an unreasonable request for an architect, but most houses areContinue reading “Locations, Locations, Locations”

Q: Does Mortgage Prequalification Affect My Credit Score?

A: Quick answer is no, but there are some things you will need to understand about applying for a mortgage to buy your first home. You may have heard that credit checks hurt your credit, and that is true if you are applying with multiple lenders to see who will approve you for a loan.Continue reading “Q: Does Mortgage Prequalification Affect My Credit Score?”

From Overdrawn to Overachiever

While listening to Marketplace this morning I was surprised to hear that overdraft fees are at a record high. It was not that long ago that I was also getting sucked into that cycle of being a few dollars shy on one transaction to a $100+ negative balance in my checking account. If it feelsContinue reading “From Overdrawn to Overachiever”