Homebuying Articles

Equip yourself with the information you need to know throughout the homebuying process so you can make a house your home.

Learn About Buying A Home

From fixed interest rates to mortgage insurance to homeownership association fees, there are lots of variables in homebuying. Use these articles to break down each topic so you can confidently embark on your homebuying journey.

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What Are All These Fees? You expected that buying a home would mean paying principal, home insurance, taxes, interest, and maybe mortgage insurance. But what are all these other fees you’re getting hit with on closing day? 3 min read

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How to Reduce Stress When Moving into a New Home Moving is a lot of work from start to finish, whether it’s just you or you’re relocating a whole household. The following are some tips for how to better manage the process (and the stress!) and get settled in faster. 4 min read

From One Home to Another: Should You Sell or Buy First? It’s time for an upgrade. You’re ready to sell your current home and move into a new one, but you don’t know which you should do first, right? 3 min read

Close up of a For Rent sign in front of a house.

Rent to Own: What the Buyer Should Consider If you’re interested in buying a home but are unable to qualify for a mortgage, you might consider a rent-to-own situation. 3 min read

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New Construction vs. Existing Home: Points to Ponder if you’re weighing the pros and cons of buying a new versus an existing home, you won’t make a decision based on aggregate data. You’ll be comparing specific options. Here are some factors to consider. 3 min read

Scoping Out the Neighborhood As readers of First Bank’s free e-book Secrets Every Homebuyer Should Know have already discovered, it’s critical to research a potential neighborhood when buying a home. Here are some key considerations to help you make an informed decision about the place you might call home. 3 min read

4 Reasons to Consider an Energy-Efficient Home If you’re buying, building, or remodeling a home, here are 5 reasons to consider putting energy-efficient features high on your priority list. 3 min read

15-Year vs. 30-Year: The Ultimate Mortgage Showdown Choose the mortgage plan that’s right for you. To do that, consider the basic difference between a 15- and 30-year mortgage, and the advantages of each. 3 min read

5 Reasons to Consider a Home Equity Line of Credit (HELOC) Your home is your most valuable asset and investment. A home equity line of credit can provide many benefits for those with good credit and a chunk of their mortgage paid off. 2 min read

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Your Mortgage Has Been Approved. Now Keep it That Way. Even though you’ve been approved, you still need to keep your financial situation in order. Here are a few critical pieces of advice to avoid any issues at closing. 3 min read

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Mortgage Basics As exciting as this time in your life can be, it’s important to remember that this is a very big decision. Before you take out a loan, you need to be sure that you understand the basics of the mortgage process. 4 min read

The Impact of Home Ownership on Your Credit Rating If you’re in the market for a home, you’ve probably spent some time cleaning up your credit. After all of that hard work, you may wonder what impact a mortgage will have on your credit rating. 3 min read

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