Mortgage calculators are ubiquitous on real estate-related Web sites but that doesn’t mean that they’re helpful.

See, Internet-based mortgage calculators take three figures into consideration when determining “how much home can you afford”.

Income Debt Downpayment/Equity

Next, the calculator figures in your downpayment, multiplies your income by a factor of .38 and spits out an [...]

The number of home valuation Web sites continues to grow.

A simple Google search for “How much is my home worth?” shows 119,000 results and seems to get larger month-over-month.

For home sellers, these programs can give a false sense of security (or insecurity!) about at what price a home should be listed [...]

In another sign that mortgage markets are a bit unpredictable lately, this morning’s mortgage rates are virtually identical for conforming fixed rate mortgages and conforming adjustable rate mortgages.

This is an extremely uncommon market condition; usually, adjustable rate mortgages carry lower rates over their initial fixed rate period (i.e. 3 years, 5 years, [...]

As a sign that some normalcy is returning to mortgage markets, the premium attached to jumbo mortgage rates is getting smaller.

A “jumbo”-sized loan is one that exceeds $417,000 on a single-family residence, among other criteria.

Conforming 30-year fixed rate mortgages and jumbo 30-year fixed rate mortgages tend to move in the same [...]

When people move into a new home, they tend to spend money on goods for the new residence. Aside from electrical supplies, paint and/or fresh air filters, new homeowners also tend to buy furniture.

With home sales volume lower nationwide, therefore, so is the volume of furniture sold in retail stores. As reported by

On the first Friday of each month, the Bureau of Labor Statistics releases its employment report for the United States.

Last month, the jobs report showed that the economy actually lost jobs for the first time since 2003. The total loss of jobs equaled 4,000 and contributed to the Federal Reserve’s decision to [...]

Where does your money go? If you’re like most Americans, more than half of it goes towards housing and transportation alone.

This is according to the Consumer Expenditure Survey performed by the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

The most recent study shows American household spending habits from 2005, but the percentages change little [...]