March 29, 2016

How low can rates go?

To win the limbo rock game, you have to remain on your feet and not fall over as you shimmy down under a stick that goes lower as the music progresses. To score a win in the mortgage interest game, by contrast, your goal is to lock in at the lowest rate possible—only this rate stick is unpredictable; you want it to go down but it can quickly edge up when you least expect it.

Over the last few months, that stick has steadily plunged, leading to favorable financing conditions for prospective mortgage borrowers. But how low can mortgage rates go in 2016? That's the question I attempt to answer in my debut article for The Mortgage Reports, which you can read by clicking here.

March 28, 2016

Virtual ventures beyond the mainstream

Even if you missed the Time Magazine cover article last August, weren’t able to attend CES 2016, or have overlooked the countless headlines, posts and tweets about it over the past several months, it’s hard to ignore the facts: Virtual reality is a reality, and VR technology has captured the awe and imagination of consumers hungry for a disbelief-suspending computer-rendered simulation of the real and the fantastic.

Learn more about the latest advances in VR--particularly technology affecting publishers and electronic content providers--by reading my newest article for EContent Magazine (click here).

March 21, 2016

Will new data lead to more credit?

Bright borrowers are aware that a higher credit score, which indicates a person’s creditworthiness, can aid them in qualifying for more preferred loans and lower interest rates. Now, Fair Isaac Corp. (FICO), the company responsible for creating your FICO score—the credit score most valued and used by lenders—has launched a new type of scoring program. Called FICO Score XD, the new score factors in alternative forms of data in order to qualify more consumers for credit.

Learn more about FICO Score XD in my newest real estate article for CTW Features, published in various papers across the country, by clicking here.