Homebuying

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Buying a house? Learn how your property type—primary residence, second home, or investment property—affects your mortgage rates, including investment property mortgage rates vs primary residence.

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about Primary residence, second home, or investment property: What’s the difference?

When you’re trying to determine whether it’s a smarter choice for you to rent or buy your home, you need to consider what is involved with renting vs. buying.

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about Are you ready to stop renting and buy your home?

When financing looks questionable, mortgage contingencies come into play. Find out how Better can provide assurances with funding.

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about Mortgage Contingency Explained: Importance for Buyers and Sellers

HomeReady vs FHA loans: See how an affordable home financing program that offers low down payment options like HomeReady stacks up against FHA loans.

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about FHA vs. HomeReady: Breaking down different affordable loan options

We anticipate housing supply to pick up slowly, strong housing demand, and mortgage rates to increase. Deep dive into our housing market predictions for 2021.

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about Better’s 2021 housing market predictions

Better mortgages aren't “one-size-fits-all." Learn how to find a mortgage that fits your goals and budget with insights from founder and CEO Vishal Garg.

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about How to find the mortgage loan that’s right for you

Each season has its pros and cons: We’ll help you identify your best time of the year to buy a house based on how you prioritize price, choice, and timing....

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about When is the best time of the year to buy a house?

If you’ve been declined for a mortgage, don’t worry. Here are the most common reasons mortgage applications get rejected and how to avoid loan denial next time.

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about Mortgage application denied? Here’s what you can do.

Closing day comes with a lot of paperwork. Understanding what closing documents to expect in the closing package and their purposes can help put your mind at ease.

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about What is in a closing package?

What is earnest money? It's a cash deposit that happens early in the home purchase process. Homebuyers can use it to get a leg up in competitive markets. Learn more.

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about Understanding earnest money

Loan Estimates are standardized forms that feature a detailed breakdown of loan fees and terms. Homebuyers can use them to compare different lending options.

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about Loan estimates 101: How to review them and compare mortgage lenders

In the socially distanced world of 2020, Better helped 88,100+ new clients navigate their homeownership journey with ease, confidence, and a ton of savings.

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about The Year of the Home: 2020 in Review

Peek behind the curtain at Better Mortgage for insight into the underwriting process for mortgages, what underwriters look for when approving a loan, and more.

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about A guide to the underwriting process

Find out what makes Better a different kind of online mortgage lender. Our innovative technology, honest rates, and friendly humans are just the beginning.

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about What Makes Better, Better

Renting vs buying a home is a big decision. Learn the pros and cons of each—including upfront costs, monthly costs, and which option may be better in the long run.

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about Your guide to renting vs buying a house

We’ll show you how to budget for a mortgage payment so that you can break down your monthly payment, examine your monthly budget, and assess how much you can afford....

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about How to budget for your monthly mortgage payment

To celebrate National Intern Day, a former Better.com intern will walk first-time homebuyers through homeownership lessons he learned during his internship.

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about 5 homeownership lessons I learned as a Better.com intern

Go from planning to closing with the complete home buying checklist—most of which can now be completed online with the help of Better.

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about The Definitive Home Buying Checklist

Rent-to-own is an alternative to buying a home outright. For those who might not qualify for a traditional mortgage, rent-to-own offers a path to ownership.

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about Rent-to-own: understanding the basics

Gifts letters are common in financing the down payment for a home. Find out the benefits and drawbacks of using gift funds towards your mortgage.

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about How to use a gift letter for your mortgage
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