Posts by annapolisdesign
Mortgage Secrets Podcast: All About Closing Costs
MORTGAGE SECRETS: EPISODE 8 All About Closing Costs You don’t want to find yourself blindsided by more fees than you bargained for when you sit down to close the deal. In this episode of Mortgage Secrets, John Downs of The Downs Group talks all about closing costs. What are they? What kinds are there? How…
Read MoreMortgage Secrets Podcast: All About Rates
MORTGAGE SECRETS: EPISODE 7 All About Rates Mortgage rates can be pretty confusing, particularly if you’re a first-time home buyer being overwhelmed with “lowest rates available.” It doesn’t seem to help that many lenders use misleading marketing tactics! Do you wonder how loan officers even come up with those numbers that make up your mortgage…
Read MoreMortgage Secrets Podcast: Shopping for a Mortgage
MORTGAGE SECRETS: EPISODE 6 Shopping Mortgages While you might think that the mortgage rate is the most important aspect of your loan shopping experience, there are several things to consider before jumping for the cheapest available. In this episode of Mortgage Secrets, John Downs of The Downs Mortgage Group shares stories from his 17 years…
Read MoreMortgage Secrets Podcast: Six Mortgage Myths
MORTGAGE SECRETS: EPISODE 1 Six Mortgage Myths Think you can’t get a home loan? Think again! Even if your credit score isn’t perfect, and maybe owning a house feels like a far-off fantasy, you’ll want to tune in. In this debut episode of the Mortgage Secrets podcast, our host, John Downs of The Downs Group,…
Read MoreMortgage Secrets Podcast: Building Wealth Through Home Ownership
MORTGAGE SECRETS: EPISODE 5 Building Wealth Through Home Ownership What if we said that everything you’ve been told lately about how “buying a house is not an investment” wasn’t true? In this episode of Mortgage Secrets, John Downs of The Downs Mortgage Group shares three real-life examples of ordinary people building wealth through real estate—and…
Read MoreShould You Borrow from Your 401K?
Should You Use Your 401(k) to Buy a Home? An Advisor’s Honest Answer By John Downs – Certified Mortgage Advisor For most homebuyers, the down payment is the single biggest hurdle to clear. It’s no surprise that the most common question I get is, “What do you think about using my 401(k) to buy my…
Read MoreMortgage Secrets Podcast: Choosing a Property
MORTGAGE SECRETS: EPISODE 4 Choosing The Perfect Property There’s more that goes into choosing the right house than the perfect neighborhood and curb appeal. You might be ambitious enough to want to take on a fixer-upper as your first home. Before you jump to any quick decisions on buying (or not), take a look at…
Read MoreFirst-Time Homebuyer Mistakes
Top 2 First-Time Homebuyer Mistakes By John Downs – Certified Mortgage Advisor After working with thousands of first-time homebuyers over the past 20 years, I’ve seen the same costly mistakes happen time and again. The excitement of buying a first home is incredible, but it can also create blind spots. The challenge is that the…
Read MoreThe Game of PMI
PMI Strategy: Which Option Saves You the Most Money? A Case Study By John Downs – Certified Mortgage Advisor Private Mortgage Insurance (PMI) often gets a bad rap. Many homebuyers view it as a penalty for not having a 20% down payment. The reality is that PMI is a strategic tool that can help you…
Read MoreMortgage Secrets Podcast: How Much to Put Down
MORTGAGE SECRETS: EPISODE 3 How Much to Put Down One of the biggest conversations you will have about buying a home is around how much money you should or shouldn’t put down on your home loan. Putting a chunk of money down on a mortgage is a pretty impactful decision, of course. Once you sign…
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