Get guidance from trusted mortgage experts. Most homeowners refinance for financial reasons, such as to lock in a lower interest rate or switch from an adjustable- to a fixed-rate loan. Refinancing ...

A home appraisal is typically a required part of the mortgage application process, whether you’re buying a new home or refinancing. This is because the lender wants to make sure they can get their ...

Home appraisals are done by professionals, but you can usually get an idea of what your home is worth using websites like Redfin and Zillow. These websites use public record information to estimate ...

You can get a home appraised for free through government programs or if you’re in good financial standing. A house appraisal is a necessary, sometimes costly, part of homebuying or selling. These ...

Bob Musinski has written about a variety of financial-related topics – including personal and business loans, credit cards and personal credit – for publications such as U.S. News and World Report. He ...

Aaron Broverman is the Managing Editor of Forbes Advisor Canada. He has almost 20 years of experience writing in the personal finance space for outlets such as Bankrate, Bankrate Canada, ...

A home appraisal involves an objective professional evaluating a home to determine its value. Home lenders commonly order appraisals during mortgage or refinance underwriting. Appraisers take many ...

Christy Bieber is a full-time personal finance and legal writer with more than a decade of experience. She has a JD from UCLA as well as a degree in English, Media and Communications with a ...

Home appraisals are typically required by mortgage lenders before the loan can be approved. The cost can run several hundred ...

Do you need a home appraisal to qualify for a HELOC or home equity loan? While you've been focused on everything else life throws at you, your property has been working behind the scenes. Most people ...

The home appraisal process aims to be fair and objective. By law, home appraisers should never consider race, national origin, gender or religion when estimating the value of a property. Yet homes in ...