Nearly every home buyer in this country utilizes a mortgage to purchase a home. In general, a mortgage falls into two broad classes called”adapting” and”non-conforming,” or jumbo, mortgages. Jumbo mortgages are non-conforming since they transcend established lending limits. Two government-sponsored businesses, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, decide those limits. These companies purchase most mortgages from …
Fannie Mae, the most commonly used nickname for the Federal National Mortgage Association, is a government-sponsored enterprise, or GSE, with the mission of bringing money, stability and affordability to the U.S. housing marketplace. It does so by purchasing mortgages from banks and then promoting them, largely through a process called securitizing. Once the mortgages have …
The Flintstones had it simple. When all your furniture is constructed of stone, you never need to worry about food spills or even the pet leaving a calling card to the sofa. While a number of us would be willing to trade our plush upholstery for a granite couch, you can still get an interior …
This Georgia couple appreciated their ancestral country vacation house so much that they chose to live there. While the pastoral 1960s prefab cabin was all they wanted for relaxed weekend remains, it was not suitable for full-time living, so they remodeled and enlarged the home, which makes it resemble a simple, rambling farmhouse which had …
Without moving one window or door, architect David Matero gave this coastal Maine house’s exterior a stunning makeover. The proprietor, a British guy intending to rent the home a time, desired the outside of the home to match his modern aesthetic. “He wished to make a new speech for the home,” says Matero. Matero worked …
A functional desk that permits good workflow is vital for any businessperson, family organizer, pupil or crafter. All the better if that desk’s layout offers as much inspiration as it will usefulness. Here are 10 desks that add extraordinary form to an otherwise ordinary function. Marble. This custom-made Carrara marble endeavor desk includes three beefy …
When Mike and Leann Rowe’s son and daughter moved from their 4,000-square-foot home in Lutz, Florida, the couple decided to downsize. Keeping with the empty nest ethos, they not only wanted less square footage, but also something fresh, straightforward and plain. The feeling that they got when they crossed the bridge into St. Pete Beach, …
What’s it about midcentury modern design that has so a lot people in a decorating tizzy? In this electronic age of innovation and technology, why are we scouring flea markets, antiques shops and the Internet seeking pieces that were designed 50 to 60 decades ago? Eames, Noguchi, Nelson — these designers’ pieces are dominating our …
A brief sale is the sale of a property for less than the balance owed on the loan for that property, generally to prevent foreclosure. These may be great opportunities for buyers looking to buy property at a price below market. There are a few intricacies relating to this type of property sale that you …
Kitchen gardens, or potagers, are wondrous areas where edible gardens are united with flowering plants such as beauty. For centuries those gardens have offered a readily available source of fruit, veggies and fruits in easy reach of the kitchen. Nowadays people are rediscovering the benefits of kitchen gardens — not only as a source of …