https://homebuying.wtf/Clear answers for a complicated process.en-us https://homebuying.wtf/articles/your-name-isnt-on-the-mortgage-doesnt-mean-you-dont-own-the-house/https://homebuying.wtf/articles/your-name-isnt-on-the-mortgage-doesnt-mean-you-dont-own-the-house/Sun, 16 Aug 2026 12:00:00 GMTQuick reality check before anything else: who's on the mortgage and who's on the deed are two completely different questions, and they don't have to have the same answer. The mortgage is… https://homebuying.wtf/articles/is-now-a-bad-time-to-buy-a-house-because-of-rates/https://homebuying.wtf/articles/is-now-a-bad-time-to-buy-a-house-because-of-rates/Fri, 14 Aug 2026 12:00:00 GMTMaybe — and that's not a dodge. Mortgage rates are one input, not the verdict. https://homebuying.wtf/articles/is-a-flipped-house-worth-buying/https://homebuying.wtf/articles/is-a-flipped-house-worth-buying/Thu, 13 Aug 2026 12:00:00 GMTShort answer: "flipped" tells you almost nothing on its own. It's not a warning label and it's not a stamp of quality — it's just a description of what happened to the house before you sa… https://homebuying.wtf/articles/how-mortgage-rate-locks-work/https://homebuying.wtf/articles/how-mortgage-rate-locks-work/Wed, 12 Aug 2026 12:00:00 GMTQuick correction before we go further: pre-approval does not lock your rate. That's a common enough mix-up that it's worth stating plainly, because the number your loan officer quotes you… https://homebuying.wtf/articles/wtf-is-a-seller-actually-required-to-tell-you/https://homebuying.wtf/articles/wtf-is-a-seller-actually-required-to-tell-you/Tue, 11 Aug 2026 12:00:00 GMTA seller's disclosure statement feels like it should be the moment of truth — the point where the person who's lived in this house tells you, in writing, what's actually wrong with it. So… https://homebuying.wtf/articles/3-percent-vs-20-percent-down-payment/https://homebuying.wtf/articles/3-percent-vs-20-percent-down-payment/Mon, 10 Aug 2026 12:00:00 GMTNo. Putting 3–5% down instead of 20% is not automatically a mistake — it's a tradeoff, and depending on your situation, it can be the smarter move. You'll pay private mortgage insurance (… https://homebuying.wtf/articles/debt-to-income-ratio-how-much-house/https://homebuying.wtf/articles/debt-to-income-ratio-how-much-house/Sun, 09 Aug 2026 12:00:00 GMTYour debt-to-income ratio (DTI) is the single number that does more to cap your home price than your credit score, your down payment, or how much you want to spend. It's the percentage of… https://homebuying.wtf/articles/are-mortgage-points-worth-it/https://homebuying.wtf/articles/are-mortgage-points-worth-it/Fri, 07 Aug 2026 12:00:00 GMTShort answer: paying points is worth it if you'll keep the loan past the break-even point — usually somewhere in the 4-to-6-year range on today's rates — and it's a bad deal if you might… https://homebuying.wtf/articles/buying-a-house-if-moving-in-3-to-5-years/https://homebuying.wtf/articles/buying-a-house-if-moving-in-3-to-5-years/Wed, 05 Aug 2026 12:00:00 GMTShort answer: it depends on your local market's appreciation, and 3-5 years sits right on the edge where "no" often flips to "maybe." That's not a cop-out — it's the honest shape of this… https://homebuying.wtf/articles/fixed-rate-vs-arm-mortgage/https://homebuying.wtf/articles/fixed-rate-vs-arm-mortgage/Mon, 03 Aug 2026 12:00:00 GMTShort answer: if you're not sure how long you'll stay in the house, get a fixed-rate mortgage. If you're confident you'll sell or refinance before the fixed period ends — and you understa… https://homebuying.wtf/articles/short-term-rentals-allowed-on-the-block/https://homebuying.wtf/articles/short-term-rentals-allowed-on-the-block/Sun, 02 Aug 2026 12:00:00 GMTWhether your future block allows short-term rentals depends on two separate rulebooks that have nothing to do with each other — your HOA's CC&Rs, if there is one, and your city's short-te… https://homebuying.wtf/articles/wtf-would-actually-make-you-walk-away-from-a-house/https://homebuying.wtf/articles/wtf-would-actually-make-you-walk-away-from-a-house/Sat, 01 Aug 2026 12:00:00 GMTMost of an inspection report is a negotiating document, not a verdict. A cracked outlet cover, a slow bathroom fan, a water heater with six years left on it — that's leverage, not a crisi… https://homebuying.wtf/articles/signs-your-agent-is-pushing-you-to-overpay/https://homebuying.wtf/articles/signs-your-agent-is-pushing-you-to-overpay/Fri, 31 Jul 2026 12:00:00 GMTShort answer: good offer advice comes with evidence. Your agent should be able to explain a recommended price using comparable sales, the pace of the local market, the home's condition, l… https://homebuying.wtf/articles/how-real-estate-agent-commissions-work/https://homebuying.wtf/articles/how-real-estate-agent-commissions-work/Tue, 28 Jul 2026 12:00:00 GMTReal estate agent commissions used to be one of those things nobody explained because nobody had to — the fee was baked into the listing before you ever met your agent. That's no longer t… https://homebuying.wtf/articles/hoa-special-assessment-red-flags/https://homebuying.wtf/articles/hoa-special-assessment-red-flags/Mon, 27 Jul 2026 12:00:00 GMTShort answer: yes, you can find out before you buy, and yes, you absolutely should. A pending or recent HOA special assessment is one of the few homebuying red flags that's both genuinely… https://homebuying.wtf/articles/wtf-is-a-rent-back-agreement/https://homebuying.wtf/articles/wtf-is-a-rent-back-agreement/Sun, 26 Jul 2026 12:00:00 GMTYou close on the house. You have the keys, the mortgage, the whole legally-binding adult-person burden of homeownership. And the seller is... still living there. https://homebuying.wtf/articles/property-taxes-and-insurance-monthly-payment/https://homebuying.wtf/articles/property-taxes-and-insurance-monthly-payment/Fri, 24 Jul 2026 12:00:00 GMTThe principal-and-interest number in a mortgage calculator is not your full monthly housing payment. Property taxes and homeowners insurance can add anywhere from a couple hundred dollars… https://homebuying.wtf/articles/wtf-happens-when-your-co-owner-wants-out/https://homebuying.wtf/articles/wtf-happens-when-your-co-owner-wants-out/Wed, 22 Jul 2026 12:00:00 GMTShort answer: buying a house with a group of friends or family can absolutely work, and a growing number of people are doing it — but the risk that actually sinks these deals isn't the cl… https://homebuying.wtf/articles/wtf-is-an-hoa-strictness-and-fees/https://homebuying.wtf/articles/wtf-is-an-hoa-strictness-and-fees/Tue, 21 Jul 2026 12:00:00 GMTEvery listing with a homeowners association attached comes with the same two-line disclosure: a monthly or annual fee, and a vague promise that the HOA "maintains common areas." What that… https://homebuying.wtf/articles/credit-score-for-best-mortgage-rate/https://homebuying.wtf/articles/credit-score-for-best-mortgage-rate/Fri, 17 Jul 2026 12:00:00 GMTShort answer: 740 or higher gets you the best pricing on a conventional loan, and the gap between "meh" and "great" credit can run three-quarters of a percentage point or more on your rat… https://homebuying.wtf/articles/wtf-are-ccrs-what-hoa-restricts/https://homebuying.wtf/articles/wtf-are-ccrs-what-hoa-restricts/Thu, 16 Jul 2026 12:00:00 GMTYou found the house. The HOA fee seemed fine. Nobody mentioned the part where you can't own a Rottweiler, park your paid-off truck in your own driveway overnight, or rent the place out if… https://homebuying.wtf/articles/home-warranty-seller-negotiation/https://homebuying.wtf/articles/home-warranty-seller-negotiation/Tue, 14 Jul 2026 12:00:00 GMTShort answer: yes, ask for it. A seller-paid one-year home warranty typically runs the seller $300–$600 (as of June 2026) — pocket change relative to the rest of a real estate transaction… https://homebuying.wtf/articles/wtf-happens-if-you-buy-a-house-with-your-partner-and-break-up/https://homebuying.wtf/articles/wtf-happens-if-you-buy-a-house-with-your-partner-and-break-up/Mon, 13 Jul 2026 12:00:00 GMTShort answer: buying a house with an unmarried partner isn't unsafe, exactly — but it's not the same transaction as buying with a spouse, even though it feels identical at the closing tab… https://homebuying.wtf/articles/wtf-empty-field-behind-your-house-zoning/https://homebuying.wtf/articles/wtf-empty-field-behind-your-house-zoning/Sat, 11 Jul 2026 12:00:00 GMTYou fell for the field. The woods behind the backyard, the pasture across the road, the "undeveloped" parcel that made the listing photos look like a Restoration Hardware catalog. Nobody'… https://homebuying.wtf/articles/cash-reserve-for-repairs-after-moving-in/https://homebuying.wtf/articles/cash-reserve-for-repairs-after-moving-in/Fri, 10 Jul 2026 12:00:00 GMTSet aside roughly $800 to $2,500 in cash you can spend the week you get the keys, on top of your down payment, closing costs, and moving budget. This is a different bucket than the "1% of…