Many first-time home buyers have more questions than answers on how to buy a home. No one wants to pay more than they have to for a house, property, or insurance. Even more, prospective buyers, who have never been responsible for property upkeep, could feel that they are getting swindled on a home in need of major repairs. Before anything else, first secure a mortgage quote before wasting a realtor’s time showing you properties.

Below is some simple advice to help you get that first mortgage quote.

Seek Advice

 

Image Courtesy of Kenneth Knight via Flickr

Not everyone who has bought a house has great advice to offer you. Instead, seek expert advice on the current conditions of the market to learn how the economy has shifted recently and is expected to change in the short-term, and what that means for your loan. Check with a broker for a proper quote that encompasses your income, expected income, assets, and prospective earnings for the future as well as any credit deficiencies.

Typically, brokers will offer you a free mortgage quote in hopes of retaining your business. A broker will also suggest you have at least 3 percent of any potential loan freed up for a down payment. While sites like www.mobiloans.com are great to get access to some emergency funds, you should begin to secure a down payment even before getting the advice from a broker or other expert.

Shop Comparatively

Image Courtesy of David Shankbone via Flickr

Far too often, first-time home buyers will go with the first mortgage quote they receive because they think the next quote will be the same. In reality, mortgage brokers have skill levels just as any other occupation. Here are some of the ways one broker could save you money over another:

• Finding the best insurance for you. There is a number of free online insurance quote systems. While it’s hard to reject a kind broker in his office or even on the phone, shopping for multiple quotes over the internet allows you to have control of which quote is best for you.
• Explaining bad quotes. A good broker can explain to you what a bad quote looks like so that you know what you don’t want in a mortgage.

Begin your journey for a mortgage quote by doing some independent research on brokers in your area. There are free message boards as well as pay sites, like Angie’s List, that allow you unfettered access about how customers have egarded their experiences with local brokers and mortgage lenders.

Make sure to compare quotes, and secure that all of your financial information is being processed correctly to receive the best mortgage rates as well as associated insurance costs.

This was taken during the MUST Fellowship Night at Mullberry Suites Hotel...

Say goodbye to 2011, and let us all welcome 2012! I do not know how's your 2011 but one thing is for sure- we will be moving on to another year of our lives. And for this year, let us altogether declare that this year will be better than yesteryear! (Can you say Amen to that?)

The year 2011 might be such an ordeal for some people, especially those who went through greatest trial. It might be easier for me to say that life must go on considering that I am not severely affected with the flood but there's one thing that I was reminded of- Life itself is a gift and all those material things that we all possessed are just a bonus that God allowed us to have. However, we should not be overly attached with all those material things knowing that they won't last forever.

As for this year, we need to move on. We should not allow depression to overwhelmed us. If we will keep on dwelling on all the things that we've lost, Satan will take advantage on it and will continue to inject our mind how miserable life would be in the absence of all those things. Well, it's a complete lie. We should not believe all those things. Let us guard our emotion against Satan's strategy. Let us learn to be strong... God will be our source of strength, our source of hope and above all, apart from Him we are all nothing.

Let us Welcome 2012 with a blast!

Have a blessed New Year!

Good day friends, Picture Perfect is back! Well, before this year ends, I want to revive this meme and hopefully I could maintain it for a longer period of time. As for my entry today, this was taken during our Anniversary Celebration in our church. That two pretty ladies who makes fun with my baby bumps are siblings, Jhing and Jizza...

Please link up and show me your best picture that was perfectly taken :)

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Happy New Year everyone.

Before this year ends, let's try to have a self-inventory which will include our attitude towards our work... How fair and honest are we when it comes to performing our specific tasks? Do we keep on complaining? Do we keep on arguing with our office mates? It would be too arrogant for us to say that we did nothing wrong for the whole years' work. We cannot deny the fact that we've been through stressful jobs which could affect our attitude towards work (which sometimes would be negative :)

For 2012, let's try to make a difference. If we do not like our Bosses, then why not dedicate our work towards God instead of men... Just like what have been emphasized in the book of Thessalonians. And as to our Ministry, let us just focus our heart and mind to the main reason why we are continually doing it. Let Jesus Christ be our focus, and let our strength and endurance be drawn from Him. Let us just remember that our labor for Him will never be in vain.

Happy New Year everyone!

(For my fellow Kagay-anons who survived the Tropical Storm Sendong)

Lately, I find it quite tasking to gather all my thoughts and share all my ideas here on my blog. I was completely blank then. Good thing there are those memes who could help me get my blog alive. With the tragic happenings that my city faced lately, it seems like all my energy and effort were also consumed. But then, it shouldn't be that way. Life must go on after all.

Last Saturday, it seems like it was just an ordinary day. All my families were gathered together to celebrate. I got a call from my sister abroad. I wasn't able to wake up at exactly 12 midnight. It was past 1AM when me and Hubby woke up. On the radio and television news, the updates about the missing people and the dead bodies being found were still on the headlines. Relief goods and cash donations still keep on coming. You can also hear a bad news of few evacuees who died during Christmas because they cannot bear the pain anymore with the situation...

We used to view Christmas where everybody should be happy and merry. We used to view it as the only season (aside from our birthday) that we could receive a lot of gifts and blessings from our friends and families. We missed  to realize that Christmas is not all about us. It's about Jesus Christ and the reason why He came into this world more than 2,000 years ago. However, we used to miss the real meaning of Christmas. We are too focused with ourselves that when the tragic night did came and surprised us, we were caught unaware and unprepared. This is the reality that we often missed. Just like a thief, accident and death will come beyond our expectation.

Blessings in disguise, that accident brought people to come together in unison to extend help and be of an encouragement to those who were affected. Even some personalities were spending their Christmas not with their own family but with the victims at the Evacuation Center. The aftermath caused other brethren here and abroad to  share their blessings. The spirit of cooperation and concern were evident. All I could hope for is that no individuals like showbiz personalities and politicians will take advantage of the situation. May the help they were able to extend is 

Showing love on Christmas doesn't really require us much of our resources other than our time and concern for our less fortunate brethren who lost almost everything. Let us continue to pray that God will restore what were lost.