Ask Chuck: Should I Buy a House in a Hot Real Estate Market?
Dear Chuck, Housing prices are astronomical here but so is rent. It seems I am throwing money down the drain every month. Would it be a mistake to buy so I could at least build some equity? Buy Now or Wait? Dear Buy Now or Wait, This year’s real estate market has been crazy! […]
Ask Chuck: Considering a Reverse Mortgage?
Dear Chuck, My neighbor says we should consider a reverse mortgage. My wife and I are split about it. Can you break the deadlock? Reverse Mortgage Deadlock Dear Reverse Mortgage Deadlock, I am not sure that I can break the deadlock you describe, but I can give you my perspective and supporting data. I […]
Ask Chuck: House Flipping Tips
Dear Chuck, We just bought an older home and intend to remodel it. We hope to flip it within two years. We want to be prepared for the inevitable challenges. Do you have any tips besides building our emergency fund? First-Time Remodelers Dear First-Time Remodelers, I hope this ambitious undertaking to remodel and flip […]
Ask Chuck: Time for a Home Upgrade?
Dear Chuck, The real estate market in our area is booming! We are thinking of buying an upgraded home with these low rates but are worried we may not be able to find what we really want or need. Can you give us some tips? Homebuying Fever Dear Homebuying Fever, We are in the […]
Ask Chuck: Should I Buy a House?
Dear Chuck, My wife and I are considering buying a house now although it’s a year earlier than we planned. We don’t know if the low rates will be available next year. Should we go for it? Buy or Hold? Dear Buy or Hold, You and your wife are not the only ones with […]
How To Reduce Financial Stress
With many things causing stress in today’s world, here is a short list of financial practices that will reduce your stress, make managing your money simpler, and generally improve your quality of life. 1. Spend less than you earn. It sounds easy, but this is too often our greatest financial challenge. The vast majority of people that […]
Ask Chuck: A Year of “Unexpecteds”
Dear Chuck, 2020 has been a year of ”unexpecteds.” My wife is pregnant and we are growing concerned about raising a child in the city. We are considering moving since both our jobs offer online flexibility. Any advice? Thanks for your ministry. Headed for the Suburbs Dear Headed for the Suburbs, First of all, […]
Ask Chuck: Is Refinancing My House Worth It?
Dear Chuck, With interest rates so low, should we refinance our house? We bought it in 2014 for $220,000. We put 10% down and still pay PMI. We think it is worth $240,000 now. We also have some troubling credit card debt we want to pay off in the refi. Refi Now? Dear Refi […]
Ask Chuck: 3 Ways to Sell Your Home and Build a New One
Dear Chuck, My wife and I want to sell our home (no debt or mortgage) and buy a piece of land where we can build a larger home. Our end goal is to come out mortgage free or with very minimal debt. We have 3 options: 1) Sell our home now, rent while we use […]
Ask Chuck: Financing Fixer Upper Fever
Dear Chuck, I need your advice. My husband thinks we should get an installment loan to update our home. Although we can do a lot of the labor ourselves, we need materials, tools, and some professional labor to get what we both want. I would rather save for a year, but he has time in […]
