Neil Coleman Mortgage Matters

The National Association of Realtors provided great year-end news as existing home sales in December pushed 2013 sales of existing homes to a 7 year high.   NAR reported that existing home sales for 2013 reached 5.09 million, which represented a 9.10 percent increase over 2012.   More Good News: ...

  During these incredibly frigid days & nights, you need to take a little extra precaution to insure that your water pipes do not freeze.  Frozen pipes can burst, which can be cause flooding.  This can be extremely expensive to fix, not to mention very messy.   Here’s some easy, anyone can do the...

    The kitchen is one of the most important rooms of your home. It is where you prepare all of your meals and it is often a hub of family activity. When you host a party, the action often ends up in the kitchen. Where drinks and snacks are enjoyed into the early hours of the morning. It’s crucia...

Winter is a great time to look around your home and identify "weak spots".  Areas of your home...things about your home that might invite or provide easy access to a burglar: patio sliding door basement door broken doorbell (thieves sometimes ring doorbells to see if someone's home...if you can't...

Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac have been in the news quite a bit over the past few years, so it’s a good time to do a refresher on who they are and what role they play in the real estate market.   Who Are Fannie Mae And Freddie Mac? Fannie Mae is the Federal National Mortgage Association. Freddie Mac...

Welcome news arrived last week as lower mortgage rates and a higher number of housing starts were reported. Mortgage Rates Dip, Housing Starts Up According to Freddie Mac, average mortgage rates fell last week. The rate for a 30-year fixed rate mortgage dropped from 4.51 to 4.41 percent with disc...

Illinois Property Owners in any county: Have you received your homeowner's exemption for your real estate taxes? If not, you are paying too much. If you, or someone you know, purchased a home (condo, town-home, single family home, or multi-unit) in ANY COUNTY in Illinois in the last 2 years, plea...

When the winter chill comes around, the heating bill at your property will naturally increase as you keep yourself warm and cozy. However, if your home is not being heated efficiently, you are essentially letting your hard earned dollars escape into the air as wasted energy. What are some simple ...

When you sell your home, you want it look as good as possible. To do this, your real estate agent will help you stage your home or, if needed, help you find a professional to stage your home. This means de-cluttering your home, re-arranging furniture, and de-personalizing each room. A staged home...

When you first bought your home a few years ago, perhaps you started off with a 30 year mortgage. Now, you are considering refinancing and changing it to a 20 year or even a 15 year mortgage. Shortening your mortgage term and refinancing can be a smart financial move, but before you make this dec...