• Are Elevators Becoming the Wave of the Future?

• Common Closing Costs For Buyers

• Credit Scores and How They Affect Your Mortgage

• Curb Appeals, What Does it all Mean?

• Eight Reasons for Sale By Owner's Need a Realtor

• Eight Ways to Improve Your Credit

• FAQ's about the Great Lakes

• Five Factors that Decide your Credit Score

• Five Property Tax Questions You Should Ask

• Five Things To Understand About Homeowners Insurance

• Five Ways to Speed Up The Sale of Your Home

• Glossary of Financial Terms

• How "Range Pricing" can help you Sell Your Home

• How to Appeal your Property Taxes

• How to Determine Your Debit to Income Ratio

• How to Estimate Property Taxes on Your New Home

• Inexpensive Home Fixes

• Moving Tips For Sellers

• Overcoming First Time Home Buyer Fears

• Private Mortgage Insurance (PMI)

• Passing The Home Inspection

• Seven Things you Should NOT do Before Purchasing a Home

• Seven Reasons to Own Your Own Home

• Should I Do a Bridge Loan?

• Tax Advantages on Rental Real Estate

• The Do's and Don'ts When Showing Your Home

• Ten Things A Lender Needs From You

• Ten Questions For Buyers to Ask The Home Inspector

• Ten Questions to Ask Your Condo Board

• Ten Questions to Ask Your Lender

• Ten Ways to Lower Homeowner Insurance Costs

• Ten Ways to Make Your Home Irresistible At An Open House

• Ten Ways to Winterize Your Home

• Ten Things to Take The Trauma Out of Home Buying

• Tips That Could Help Renters Become Homeowners

• Tips For Finding The Perfect Neighborhood

• Tips For Packing Like a Pro

• The Pros and Cons of Condos

• The Pros and Cons of Interest Only Mortgages

• Understanding Taxable Values

• Understanding Capital Gains in Real Estate

• What is a Mortgage Buydown?

• What Is Appraised Value?

• What is an ePRO

• What is an Accredited Buyers Representative (ABR)

• What is an Accredited Staging Professional (ASP)

• What the Buyers Home Inspection Should Cover

• What Buyers Should Not Overlook on the Final Walk Through

• Where Buyers Come From

• Why Basements Leak

• Why is My House Not Selling?

• Your New Home Wish List

• Selling In A Buyers Market

Most people don't understand what a credit score can and

cannot do for them. The truth is that a bad credit score can

be costly when financing a home. Credit scores measure the

risk to the creditor, not their credit knowledge amount or attitude.

Typically borrowers with scores above 760 are charged the lowest rates, and those between 700 and 760 are charged a little more. Anything below 700 rates goes up significantly.

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Even though you make minimum payments on your account, minimum payments could actually lower your score even when the payments are made on time. Here are a few facts:

• You cannot improve your credit by marrying someone with better credit than your own. Scores reflect your own past credit history, no one else's.

• Personal characteristics don't effect your credit. The most effective step your can take to improve your score is to consistently make timely payments. If you have been late in the past, get current and stay current.

• Don't max out your credit cards It is better to pay off debt than to move it around from one card to another. But it is better yet to pay your cards down to 30% of the available credit and keep them below that level.