Reader Question: I want to hide the real purchase price. I want to pay cash for a house in a very cold market. The house will need work to be livable for me, and I’d like to save money to pay for that work. While I have the advantage as a cash buyer, I hate […]

Reader Question: I have appraisal issues. I applied to an online lender a year ago to refinance my mortgage. The loan was approved. The only remaining step being the appraisal. The appraisal came in with a value that was woefully inadequate. The appraiser did not use fair comparables and neglected to perform due diligence in […]

Reader Question: We are nearing a decision on having a new home constructed. Not having built a home, what should we be looking for once the contract is signed, and construction begins? Justin and Allison B. Monty’s Answer: The assumption in answering your question will be that you have engaged in an exercise described in […]

  Reader Question: We want to pay down our mortgage loan to eliminate Private Mortgage Insurance. We have the funds to get under the 80% threshold. We have heard some lenders are very uncooperative. Is the lender required to remove it under these circumstances? Chris and Kate D. Monty’s Answer: There is confusion in the […]