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Mortgage News, Tips and Resources

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June 20 2023

20 Awesome Long Island Neighborhoods for Young Families

Find out which Long Island neighborhoods are the best for raising a young family based on location, school districts, median home prices, access to transportation, local amenities, entertainment, and more.

November 14 2022

Which Loans Are Best for First-Time Home Buyers?

First-time home buyers may qualify for various conventional and government-backed loans, such as those offered through Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, the Federal Housing Administration, U.S. Department of Agriculture, and Veterans Affairs.

September 19 2022

How to Navigate a Bidding War

Record-low housing inventories and more prospective buyers than sellers have led to competitive bidding wars characterized by little to no contingencies, “as is” contracts, higher opening bids and down payments, and more.

June 21 2022

Top 10 Fun Things to Do on Long Island

With close proximity to New York City, Long Island is a suburban oasis of activities, recreation, cuisine, museums, beaches, and culture for residents and visitors of all ages.

May 13 2022

How Home Buyers Can Navigate the Spring Real Estate Market

It’s best to have all documentation, financials, commitment letters, and mortgage options prior to making an offer on a property in the current, record-breaking spring home-buying season led by bidding wars, pent-up demand, and decreased inventory.

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February 17 2022

Which Home Loan Is Best for Me?

When researching and comparing the best mortgages for your needs, there are several options, such as conventional, government-backed, jumbo loans, and more—all of with unique requirements, features, benefits, and cost-saving incentives.

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December 14 2021

Should I Sell My Home During the Winter?

With this year’s winter real estate market again predicted to be one of the best ever, now is the perfect time to sell your home due to low interest rates, added demand, proactive buyers, increased digital marketing tools, and other trends.

October 18 2021

How to Enjoy Halloween Safely This Year

To help make sure adults and children have a safe time trick-or-treating, we've compiled a list of Halloween safety tips. Contour mortgage is here.

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September 14 2021

10 Reasons Why the Fall Home Market Will Still Be Hot

The usually tepid fall homebuying season will continue gaining momentum due to the lifting of COVID-19 restrictions, more flexible remote work schedules, motivated buyers, additional space needs, and more.

Young multiethnic couple examining home finance in their kitchen by reviewing paper bills and documents on their laptop
June 24 2021

How to Finance a Home

With low inventory and interest rates, and home sales occurring at a record pace, it’s even more important for potential buyers to understand the home financing process, such as mortgage options, qualifications, down payment percentages, and other elements.

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May 07 2021

How Does a Home Equity Loan Differ From a Mortgage?

Home equity and mortgage loans can both be used toward home purchases repairs, improvements and other upgrades, but each financing type differs in requirements, benefits, tax deductions, and repayment terms.

African american family in new house with children running around and boxes all around
December 21 2020

5 Benefits for First-Time Home Buyers

Prospective first-time home buyers may qualify for several significant cost-saving incentives, such as government-backed loans and grants, tax credits and exemptions, financial assistance, and more.

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November 06 2020

The Best Uses of Your Home Equity

Home equity is an invaluable investment that can be utilized to obtain a loan, line of credit, or refinancing, for value-driven expenses such as home improvements and emergency repairs, education costs, real estate investments, and more.

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October 23 2020

Renting vs. Buying: Which Is Right for You?

Choosing whether to rent or buy is a major decision, with many considerations, such as mortgage type,interest rates, affordability and budget, credit rating, personal and professional goals, and more.

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August 29 2019

5 Tips for Moving into a New House

5 helpful tips to remember when you are moving into a new home.

Blog Post - 7 Imporant items to buy for your new home
August 08 2019

7 Important Items To Buy For Your New Home

7 Important items that will help you when you move into your first home.

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May 28 2019

4 Tips for First-Time Home Buyers on Long Island

First-time Long Island home buyers should seek assistance from mortgage pros, learn about different loans, plan ahead, and understand the closing process.

April 17 2019

How Much Home Can I Afford?

There are multiple factors that determine how much home you can afford, including your income, debt-to-income ratio, property taxes, homeowner’s insurance, and other monthly expenses.

April 02 2019

Best First-Time Home Buyer Programs in Florida

Several of the best first-time home buyer programs in Florida include Housing Finance Agency (HFA) Preferred, Florida Housing Mortgage Credit Certificate Program, Federal Housing Administration (FHA), and U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) loans.

March 19 2019

6 First-Time Home Buyer Myths

Several first-time home buyer myths include the misconceptions that you should find a home to buy before applying for a loan, there is only one loan you can apply for, and you need 20 percent down, among others.

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