Luis Rios 's blog

Want a quick way to determine how much house you can afford on a $40,000 household income? $60,000? $100,000 or more? Use our mortgage income calculator to examine different scenarios.

By inputting a home price, mortgage rate, and the down payment you expect to make, you can see how much monthly or annual income you would need and even how much a lender might qualify you to borrow.

That calculator also answers the question from another angle: What salary do I need to buy a $300,000 house? Or a $400,000 house?

It’s another way to get comfortable with the home-buying power you may...

Buying an investment property allows you to generate income through the renting or resale of a property that isn't your primary residence.

Investment properties can be residential, such as single-family homes, townhouses or condominiums, or commercial properties, which are zoned for businesses such as hotels, restaurants and retail shops.

Investors in residential properties try to make money by collecting rent from tenants or by renovating the property and quickly reselling it for a profit, known as house flipping. The property can also be held long enough to increase in value over...

FHA loans and conventional loans each have their own distinct requirements that borrowers need to meet in order to qualify. FHA loans have more flexible standards for things like down payments and credit scores. Rates and mortgage insurance requirements also differ between the two types of loans, as do refinancing requirements.

• FHA mortgage insurance is required, but with a down payment of 10% or more, it can be canceled after 11 years.

In a rent-to-own agreement, you lease a home for a set amount of time before buying it. The process can be a way for people with limited savings to buy homes because the agreement builds in opportunities to save for a down payment. And if you have credit challenges, you can buy some time in the home you want before having to qualify for a mortgage.

Lenders adjust mortgage rates depending on how risky they judge the loan to be. A riskier loan has a higher interest rate.

When judging risk, the lender considers how likely you are to fall behind on payments (or stop making payments altogether) and how much money the lender could lose if the loan goes bad. The major factors are credit score and loan-to-value ratio.

The lowest mortgage rates go to borrowers with credit scores of 740 or higher. These borrowers have the broadest choice of loan products.

Loan officers often offer to start by looking at the maximum mortgage amount you could qualify for, based primarily on your credit score and debt-to-income ratio. While it can feel pretty cool to see a big number, maxing out what a lender will offer could leave you house poor.

Selling your home is an exciting time, but once tax season rolls around, you could be taxed for the capital gains on your sale. There are some exceptions, and it can get a little confusing, so let’s clear up what capital gains taxes are and how you can avoid them when selling your home.

With the elimination of cooperative compensation, sellers would no longer have to specify the size of the commission they'll pay buyer's agents. In fact, sellers would be banned under the new agreement from setting commissions for buyer's agents in MLS listings.

Average closing costs for the buyer run between about 2% and 6% of the loan amount. That means, on a $300,000 home loan, you would pay from $6,000 to $18,000 in closing costs in addition to the down payment. After you apply for a mortgage, the lender will outline the projected closing costs along with other details in a loan estimate document. You should receive the loan estimate within three business days after applying.

VA and USDA loans: 0% down payment: Guaranteed by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, VA loans usually do not require a down payment. VA loans are for current and veteran military service members and eligible surviving spouses. USDA loans, backed by the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Rural Development program, also have no down payment requirement.