Jeff Tompkins's (jetompkins) Blog

Most of us have those dreaded words "I will have to pull your credit" when shopping for a new home or auto.  We know, or have been told, that too many credit inquiries can lower our scores.  What can we do to make sure that credit inquiries don't drag down our scores?  Here are some tips on how i...

Home equity lines of credit, or Heloc's, have always been a popular way to access a home's equity and put that cash to use, whether to remodel and renovate the home, pay off other debts, or even put a child through college.  But how do they work?  A Heloc is basically a low interest credit card, ...

Your credit scores, or FICO scores, are put together by an array of information that the credit companies gather and then assess on five different categories and percentages.  First is your payment history, and this counts for 35% of your FICO score.  Paying accounts on time are a positive; late ...

In the last few years, interest only loans have skyrocketed into popularity and borrowers are often confused at whether an interest only loan makes sense over the traditional principal and interest loan.  Lets take a look at some of the features of an interest only loan, and weigh both their posi...

This year these tidbits seem even more important.  It has been cold and snowy not only here in Colorado, but across the country, from California to Maine.  Here are a few ways to save on that sky high energy bill.•1.      Buy a $50 programmable thermostat, and you'll never have to remember to dia...

This was written by my wonderful CPA, Michele Knight!Owning a home is commonly known as a great way to save money at tax time, but are you sure that you're taking advantage of all the benefits?  It's important to know the ins and outs of the deductions available to you, so that you can maximize y...

You have decided to put your home up for sale, and look for a new home better suited to fit your growing family.  You flip open the Yellow Pages, to find hundreds of real estate agents, all seemingly the same.  How do you whittle that number down to find someone who has all that you need to sell ...

In my hometown of Denver, like most large metropolitan cities across the United States, homes are sitting on the market longer and longer because there is a glut of homes for sale.  In a buyer's market then, how do you make your home more attractive, how do you make it stand out amongst the herd?...

I have seen enough puzzled looks when taking a loan application to know this column is needed.  Unless you are in the mortgage industry or obtain home financing on a regular basis, mortgage fees and terms can be confusing, and downright frustrating.  Mortgage and financing terms are like another ...

As newspapers and real estate gurus tell us everyday, the housing bubble has deflated some as 2006 draws to a close (if not burst completely in some areas of the country).  This has created a "buyer's market", where there is an over-supply of homes for sale, and because of that, prices are often ...