Millions of articles get churned out by various blogs every year. These bodies of work are significantly helpful in the running of day-to-day human activities, and they’ve been able to touch virtually every pain point of humankind. They cover health, education, lifestyle, technology, real estate, etcetera.
While every sector enjoys significant coverage in terms of research and readership, a blogging niche that continues to attract massive interest from the general populace, including real estate enthusiasts, is the mortgage blog.
A mortgage blog is an online platform where first-time home buyers, existing homeowners, and potential investors can get buyer tips, investment property ideas, real estate trends, etcetera. You also get to learn about mortgages and obtain professional advice on navigating the real estate waters.
The interest in mortgage blogs soared after the pandemic due to people’s willingness to move out from big cities to other less populated cities. More so, the various topics shared on these platforms have aided many in making informed real estate decisions.
If you’re seeking mortgage blogs with educative, insightful, and exciting topics on housing and the real estate sector, look no further. The paragraphs below feature four of the best mortgage-themed blog topics that you need to read to help you find your feet easily in the mortgage/real estate investment world.
1. Mortgage Shop Blog
How to Pick the Right Vacation Rental Investment — A Guide for Investors
The past couple of years has seen a massive surge in demand for vacation rental properties. We can attribute this development to the booming tourism and hospitality industry in various states, the recent trend of moving from populated cities to less populated cities, and the current work from home policy. These factors allow employees to work from locations that cater to their comfort.
One of the most exciting mortgage blog topics is one on a blog known as “The Mortgage Shop,” which specializes in offering loans on vacation homes, short-term rentals, and long-term rentals.
Their mortgage blog posts offer the best real estate advice for potential investors on picking the suitable vacation rental investment.
The article educates potential investors on the pros and cons of acquiring vacation rentals. Some of the pros include:
Increased Cash Flow
Due to the booming tourism and hospitality sector in various states, investing in rental properties will ensure Increased cash flow.
Versatility
Rental properties offer versatility since you can easily convert them into a traditional rental property or even sell it off when you desire
The cons include:
Finance
Getting funds to acquire your vacation rental property can be difficult due to higher interest than conventional mortgage loans. However, Mortgage Shop offers lending services for short-term and long-term rentals on the east coast.
Restrictions
Some cities and tourist destinations like San Francisco don’t allow the operation of Airbnbs/short rentals. As a matter of fact, some cities go as far as allowing only residents that live in their homes to list their properties for a short rental.
Furthermore, the Mortgage Shop blog post gives a step-by-step rental property investment tips on how to acquire the right vacation rental property, including:
- Picking the right location
- Proper market analysis
- Financing the acquisition
- Repairs
- Listing your newly acquired property
This blog post is undoubtedly loaded with rental property investment tips and is a must-read for any investor looking to invest in a vacation rental property.
2. Movement Blog
Prep Now for Buying a Home
The Movement blog serves as a one-stop for everything relating to real estate, housing, and mortgage.
The featured mortgage blog post serves as a guide for potential homeowners (especially first-timers) on the necessary things to do when acquiring a new home to avoid the overwhelming feeling of home buying when you don’t know your ropes.
These steps, which got crafted by real estate experts, Leslie O’Neal and Christopher Cazenave, include:
Mortgage Loan Pre-Approval
This stage involves moving to a mortgage loan lender to confirm how qualified you’re to take a loan. It can help narrow down the type of houses you can acquire.
Start Saving
Lenders always require a downpayment for your mortgage loan, most times taking up to 15% to 20% of your approved loan. Therefore, it’d do you lots of good if you started saving if you don’t have the money.
Hire a Real Estate Agent
Hiring real estate agents is a plus, as they will help you navigate the process of choosing the right house quickly, offer you relevant pieces of advice and tips, and help you get a good bargain.
Other preparation plans include listing your priorities, cutting costs, etcetera. This blog post will surely help you as a prospective homeowner on how to make your road to acquiring a new home stress-free.
3. The Mortgage Reports
6 Tips to Find a Great Real Estate Agent
The Mortgage Reports is a blog known for its in-depth articles on mortgages and real estate investments.
Acquiring real estate can be challenging, especially for first-time homeowners that want to utilize mortgage loans. If you’re planning to tow this path, you need real estate agents to provide premium investment property ideas, help you find the right home, and keep you abreast of the real estate things to know to avoid loss of funds.
In this blog post, they guide intending real estate investors and homeowners on how to go about hiring a quality real estate agent.
Get Pre-Approval From a Lender First
Getting a real estate agent isn’t the first step to take when buying a home through a mortgage. Instead, you’re to contact a lender, get prequalified, and estimate how much you can access. Doing this will help you avoid pricing/looking at homes your mortgage loan can’t afford, and you don’t want to be wasting your time.
Ask Family and Friends for Recommendations
Instead of hiring a real estate agent out of the blues or out of impulse, getting a referral from your close associates will prevent you from ending up with quack agents.
Check Online Reviews
You can embark on a Google search of the real estate agents you intend to hire and check for the reviews provided by homeowners that might have worked with them to avoid ending up with an agent with many bad reviews.
Other tips include meeting an agent face to face before hiring, verifying that the agent’s license is up to date, and asking your previous agents for recommendations, etcetera.
4. Keeping Current Matters
Key Things to Avoid After Applying for a Mortgage
Getting pre-approval for a mortgage doesn’t necessarily qualify you for it – you still have to apply for the mortgage after finding a suitable home.
Key things to avoid after applying for a mortgage include;
Avoid Large Purchases
After applying for mortgages, spending on large purchases tends to increase your debt to income ratio, and higher ratios amount to more risks. Intending homeowners with this high ratio tend to lose their mortgage loan even after pre-approval.
Don’t Change Bank Accounts
When approving your mortgage loans, lenders tend to track your assets. Changing bank accounts or transferring money can bring some inconsistency to your accounts. Therefore, it’s essential to contact your lenders before transferring money from your account.
Don’t Deposit Cash Into Your Bank Account
Besides checking your debt to income ratio, lenders will also want to trace the source of the money in your account. Don’t deposit cash into your account, as it won’t be traceable if you must let your lender know.
Other vital things include: don’t close any credit accounts, don’t co-sign other loans for anyone, don’t apply for new credit, etcetera.
Conclusion
For aspiring homeowners and investors looking to dabble in real estate investment, this list of topics encompasses everything you need to know about mortgages and the real estate investment world. Nevertheless, speaking to a loan officer or real estate agent will also go a long way in providing you with in-depth information.