For Sale By Owner
By John Aretos, CEO of Police Mortgage For Sale by Owner (FSBO) was a popular way to sell a home back in the 90’s and early 2000’s. It was easier to do then. The market is much different today. I actually sold a property the FSBO way a number of years ago. I owned a […]
Renovations and Upgrades
By John Aretos, CEO of Police Mortgage If you have a substantial equity position in your home, and you’ve paid down your mortgage over a 10 to 15-year period of time and you have quite a bit of equity, it’s not a bad idea to draw on some of that equity to utilize it to […]
The Near Future for Rates
By John Aretos, CEO of Police Mortgage Rates seem to be starting a new paradigm in that we’re now in a period where rates are likely going to start declining. Anyone who was looking to buy a home and had problems with qualifying is now going to find that it might be a little bit […]
Lower Mortgage Rates
By John Aretos, CEO of Police Mortgage Well, the Fed did cut rates this past week by 50 basis points, and I think for some it surprised them because the Fed was supposed to maybe cut just a quarter point. I was of the opinion that it was going to be a half point, primarily […]
The Final Walkthrough
By John Aretos, CEO of Police Mortgage There are two components to the final walkthrough. The first part is to address what was found in the inspection. The attorneys likely communicated a week before and agreed that the required work was done to the property, but you want to make sure that it was taken […]
Pre-Approval Costs
By John Aretos, CEO of Police Mortgage It’s important to know if there are any pre-approval costs or fees when you visit any bank or loan office. For instance, when you visit a financial institution, like a patrolman credit union, for a loan the loan officer will likely pull what is called a tri-merge […]
Waiting for Rates to Fall
By John Aretos, CEO of Police Mortgage As you wait for rates to fall the competition will likely heat up. So, I say, go see a professional who is knowledgeable about police home loans and get pre-approved now to beat the rush. When you see the headlines stating that the Fed cuts rates, the […]
Home Inspection Failures
By John Aretos, CEO of Police Mortgage The phrase “failing a home inspection” is loosely defined. I think there are degrees of failure. A failure is basically something found in the inspection that is such a big issue that an appraisal would find it and then the lender, such as Chicago Patrolman Credit Union, […]
Home Inspections
By John Aretos, CEO of Police Mortgage A home inspection is critical for the whole process, whether it be for a police home loan or the purchase of practically any property. Home inspections matter regardless of how you plan to buy. You can buy a house as is. You can have a home inspection […]
Mortgages and Your Credit Score
By John Aretos, CEO of Police Mortgage The Chicago Patrolman Credit Union philosophy has long since focused on encouraging wise money management and that, of course, includes the understanding of credit scores. I think if you’re buying a home just to make your credit better that that’s the wrong reason. However, if a first responder […]