Opening Doors Blog

What are closing costs? Closing costs, also known as settlement costs are expenses above and beyond the price of the property that the buyers and sellers have to pay when transferring ownership of a property. That includes a loan origination fee, the cost of the title search, notary fees, attorney's fee, taxes and the cost of the property survey. Your total closing costs will vary depending on your location and either the lender or the real estate agent can provide estimates of closing costs on your mortgage. [...] Read More

Walking across an area rug laid against bare flooring will abrade or break yarns on the back of the rug. To protect your rugs, always use padding or a liner between the rug and the floor. Cut the material 1 to 2 inches smaller than the area rug to make sure the rug will conceal the edge of any underlayment. [...] Read More

So you don’t have the down payment? Well there are mortgage programs available for you. Lenders today offer a variety of flexible mortgage programs. The most basic is the conventional mortgage, which has no security guarantees other than the value of the property. [...] Read More

Generally the down-payment requirements start at 3 percent of the purchase price and increase from there depending on the price of the home and your own ability to come up with the cash. There are also a number of first-time homebuyer programs that are designed to help buyers who have not purchased or owned a home within the last three years, that require no down payment as well as "gift" down-payment programs available from some organizations. When calculating your down-payment needs don't neglect to factor any out-of-pocket closing costs which can't be folded into your mortgage into your up-front expenses. [...] Read More

A beautiful area rug placed just inside the front door will say “Welcome” to guests as they enter: To keep their cozy manners and good looks, area rugs need some care and attention. Area rugs can set a room’s design style, define a conversation area, organize the flow of traffic, and much more. Their varied designs and colors give them almost limitless decorating possibilities. [...] Read More

Before starting a repair, turn off water to faucet, open the spout to drain, and close the drain. Most drips in a cartridge faucet are caused by worn cartridge. In the faucet shown below, a special tool is needed to remove the cartridge. [...] Read More

The importance of a good credit rating really can't be overstated during the mortgage lending process. While lenders have become more flexible with their loan programs, most still hold the credit rating as one of the key deciding factors in both lending money and determining interest rates. Credit ratings show your overall financial health. [...] Read More

Not everybody needs thirty years or more of predictability from a mortgage. With an adjustable-rate mortgage (ARM), your interest rate fluctuates from year to year or at even shorter intervals depending on the specifics of your loan. This increases your risk given that no one can predict if interest rates in the future will be higher or lower than they are now. [...] Read More

Before starting a repair, turn off water to the faucet, open the spout to drain, and close the drain. To stop drips from the spout, replace the inlet seals and springs in the valve seat with duplicates. To stop drips from the base, replace the O-rings at the top and base of the faucet body or replace the whole ball assembly. [...] Read More

Credit ratings are very important to lenders because they show your overall financial health and package it neatly into a multipage report that reads something like your report card from grade school. Credit reports are really telling but they're also not always 100% accurate so be prepared to deal with any inaccuracies that may come up during the review process. Credit-reporting agencies prepare the reports. [...] Read More