1) Save BIG by refinancing your mortgage (even with high-interest rates): Drop your house payment by increasing the length of your loan Decrease the length of your loan to pay off your mortgage faster Skip up to two house payments Use proceeds to consolidate and pay off credit card debt, student loan debt, and other loans Use proceeds to install energy-efficient features Believe it or not, some people can still reduce their interest rate Apply here: www.chandlercrouch.com/refi 2) Reduce Your House Payment by Easily Restructuring Your Escrow Shortage: The most common reason for an increased house payment is caused by an escrow shortage Escrow shortages are caused by rising property taxes and insurance rates By default, lenders automatically assign escrow shortages a 12-month payment plan which causes your house payment to skyrocket To reduce your payment, simply call your mortgage company and ask them to extend the escrow shortage payment plan for over 24 months. Most mortgage companies will grant this extension without the borrower having to fill out an application or prove a hardship — simply by request 3) Remove Costly PMI You Might Not Even Realize You Are Paying: If you purchased your house in the last 5 years with less than 20% down payment, there's a good chance your mortgage company still bundles private mortgage insurance (PMI) into your house payment As home prices increase, you gain equity, which means you might be entitled to cancel your PMI Depending on your situation, removing PMI may be as simple as submitting a request Reach out to your lender and ask what documentation they require to request the removal of PMI, potentially saving you a significant amount each month. It might be as simple as filling out a form. 4) Slash Your Electricity Costs: Chandler says Energy Ogre has saved him well over $1000 per year Get an unfair advantage by letting Energy Ogre's algorithm cut through all teaser rates and match your unique electricity usage with the plan that will save you the most money for only $10/month Get a 10% discount when you sign up through our link here Also, they donate $2/month to support our free tax protest service when you sign up through our link

  Take 5 minutes to call your lender… no really, it's easy. If your monthly mortgage payment has increased in the past year or so, it’s likely because your taxes and/or insurance have gone up. Your mortgage company likely uses a 12-month payment plan by default to pay off your escrow shortage, but they usually don't tell you that you have additional options. To help lower your payment, call your mortgage company and simply ask them if you can pay out the escrow shortage over 2-3 years. Most of the time they just say yes without any issue or pushback. A 10-minute phone call could drop your payment by hundreds.    Ask the Tax Assessor’s Office to split your tax payment throughout the year. The first installment must be paid on or before Nov. 30. The second installment must be paid on or before June 30. Those who qualify for the over 65 or disability exemptions may pay quarterly: Jan. 31, March 31, May 31 and July 31. Taxes not paid by Jan. 31 will incur penalties and interest unless the half payment or a quarterly installment is applied to the account. Contact the tax assessor before Nov. 30.    Triple check to make sure your exemptions are in place. The appraisal district can actually cancel your exemptions anytime without a great reason, such as, if mail they send you is returned undeliverable. This video shows how to verify your homestead exemption is in place in Tarrant County.  If you find out you need to file, this video provides the application link and, step by step instructions. Refinance your mortgage. Money is on sale! Interests rates are low and even lower. Get free quotes from your bank, an online company, and an independent lender. Then you can confidently choose who will meet the needs of your unique situation. We always recommend and trust Alex Varela, a branch manager for   Prime Lending. He's innovative and magical to get you into your dream home. Fill out this form if you would like more information.   Ask us for a free insurance quote. Your house payment includes taxes, insurance, principle, and mortgage interest. If your payment has increased, there is a good chance your insurance rates have increased. Many people are significantly overpaying. Talk with one of our expert insurance agents on staff to get you a free quote for home and auto. We shop A-rated insurance carriers to get the best coverage for best rate. Fill out this form .   Reduce your utility costs. Chandler saved a bunch of money with Energy Ogre, so he partnered with them to offer the same service to you.    Reduce your utility consumption. Your monthly electricity bill is often the second-largest expense after your mortgage. Making some simple changes around your home could add up to big savings. We have 27 tips to cut energy costs here.    

  My tax bill is too high. I can’t afford the house!!! Here is a list of options to consider... Reduce your insurance cost. Your house payment likely includes taxes, insurance, principle, and mortgage interest. If your payment has increased, there is a good chance your insurance rates have increased. Many people are significantly overpaying. We have expert insurance agents on staff that shop A-rated insurance carriers and get them to compete to provide the best quote… for free. We save some clients a ton of money. Just send us an email and we’ll be happy to get you a free quote.   Reduce your utility cost. This company is saving Chandler over $250/mo on average (and it only costs $10/mo!!!). It’s borderline magical. We wanted to offer the same service to you, so we partnered with them. Use this link to sign up, and you get the exact same service paying the exact same as you would if you went directly to them. The only difference is by using our link they agree to contribute $2 to help fund our free tax protest service for every person that signs up. Go here to see how much you can save.  Drop your PMI. Ask your lender if they are charging you mortgage insurance (or PMI). This is a cost that lenders charge if you have less than 20% equity. With house prices increasing so rapidly, there's a good chance you already have enough equity to force the lender to drop PMI even if you purchased your house last year. All you have to do is call them and ask what documentation they need. It may be much easier thank you think.  Reduce your utility consumption. Here are 50 ideas that can help reduce your electricity consumption.  Ask your mortgage company to spread out your escrow shortage over 24 months. If you have a mortgage and your monthly payment has increased in the past year or so, it is likely due to an escrow shortage because your taxes and/or insurance have gone up. Your mortgage company likely uses a 12-month payment plan by default to pay off your escrow shortage, but they usually don't tell you that you have additional options. To help lower your payment just call your mortgage company and simply ask them if you can pay out the escrow shortage over 2-3 years. Most of the time they just say yes without any issue or push back. A 10-minute phone call could drop your payment by hundreds. I’m keeping track of which companies agree to this and which ones won’t. Please let me know if your mortgage company agrees to spread out your escrow shortage or refuses. It will help me help others. Here’s what I have so far: Status on Mtg co’s Triple check to make sure your exemptions are in place. The appraisal district can actually cancel your exemptions anytime without a great reason, such as, if mail they send you is returned undeliverable. This video shows how to verify your homestead exemption is in place in Tarrant County.  If you find out you need to file, this page provides the form you need, step-by-step instructions, and a video to that answers all your questions.  Go here to get the form you'll need and a tutorial video that will answer all your questions and demonstrate how to fill out the form.  Buy a smaller house - Obvious, but it's still an option. Hard times call for hard decisions. Moving far enough away so you would be in a different tax district. Either a… Different county Different school district Move out of your neighborhood if it has a PID (public improvement district) Move to a rural area so you avoid city tax all together Rent. Would it help if I had a list of every rent house and every apartment in the area that fits your price range? Move into a house that doesn’t have an HOA Move-in with a friend/family Buy bigger so you can rent out rooms Buy a house with a garage apartment and rent out the apartment Live in an RV (sounds crazy, but I routinely sell houses because people are doing this more and more) Consider a condo or townhouse Buy a barndominium Move into a tiny house Build a shipping container house Buy with land so you can raise animals, crops, eggs, and sell stuff to offset housing expenses. Rent out your current house and move into another home to create extra income. Biggest issue: Solve the cash-flow crunch by making extra income This article & video covers at-home in-quarantine ideas Sell your possessions (garage sales / online classifieds etc) Eliminate debt Cut down on luxury items Rent out space in your garage to allow (item or vehicle) storage for other people Rent out an extra bedroom on Airbnb  Start an in-home business - childcare, adult care (skilled nurses/caretakers), pet care (boarding, walking), sell home-baked goods, make crafts to sell on Etsy, volunteer to host parties for MLM friends Profit from your yard: Plant berries, vegetables, flowers to sell, make compost from worms Provide fulfillment (boxing and shipping) services for other home-based entrepreneurs Allow people to shoot movies/film at your house: https://gov.texas.gov/film/page/your_property_in_films Have more ideas? We want to share them. Please email them to us at chandler@chandlercrouch.net Options we’re trying to avoid, but are still viable options to consider Stop making payments… forbearance, bankruptcy, foreclosure

Ask Your Mortgage Lender These Five Questions Before You Refinance With mortgage rates at a relative low, more homeowners than ever are looking for a solution to save on their significantly higher home payments. For many, this means turning to home mortgage refinancing. However, refinancing isn’t for everyone, and may even wind up costing you more in the future if you fail to consider some crucial details. How can you find out if a refi makes financial sense for you? Consult Your Mortgage Lender The financial sense of a mortgage refi depends much more on your personal situation and your mortgage terms than on current mortgage rates. For that reason, it’s essential to discuss all aspects of a potential refi with your mortgage lender before making your decision. Here are some key questions to ask during the discussion: 1.Can I Qualify? A mortgage refinancing application should be prefaced by what is potentially the most important part of any conversation with your mortgage lender — do you have what it takes to qualify? Walk into the discussion with a knowledge of your credit score, debt-to-income ratio, and the loan-to-value ratio of the home. These three aspects of your financial health are the three most important parts of any application for a mortgage backed by agencies like Freddie Mac or Fannie Mae. If your credit isn’t stellar or you’ve accumulated a great deal of other debt since the purchase of your home, you’re not necessarily disqualified from refinancing. However, your refi rates may not be low enough to justify the process. Alternatively, you may wind up needing to refi for a longer term than you’d like to offset a lower rate. Related: How to Get a Free Credit Report 2. Do I have the equity to refinance? Equity is the difference between the current value of your home and the amount you owe on the mortgage. Mortgage lenders prefer to see that you’ve built up equity in your home to refinance it, and the more equity you’ve accumulated, the better. With home values in general on the rise, chances are you have at least some equity to work with.  In order to qualify for a new mortgage refi loan and avoid paying private mortgage insurance (PMI), you’ll need to have at least 20% equity. If you don’t, the cost of PMI can negate any potential interest savings you’d see with a new refi loan. For those without enough equity to warrant a traditional refinance, a cash-in refi where you pay down your mortgage at closing and reduce your balance while capturing a lower rate may be an option. 3. What are the terms of my quote? If you’ve qualified and have plenty of equity available for a new refi mortgage, it’s crucial to request a quote and study its terms. After all, a refi is a brand-new loan with a different rate than your previous mortgage, and it comes with new terms and amortization schedule in the process. As with any new loan, your interest rate and the term length of the loan work in conjunction to determine how much you’ll pay over its life.  If your goal is to reduce your monthly payment, you’ll want to ensure you have the lowest rate possible spread out over a longer period — consider a 30-year loan to minimize your payment. However, the longer you pay on a loan, the more you’ll pay in interest, even if your rate is relatively low. If you’re interested in reducing your total costs over the term of your loan, look for a low interest rate over a shorter term; this practice results in higher monthly payments but avoids extra years of interest payments. Related: Is a Bigger House Within Your Budget? 4. What does my quote include? Aside from interest rates and mortgage term, your mortgage lender's quote should include a breakdown of all other related costs. Typically, a more detailed quote will list the amount of your monthly payment that goes toward the principal, what's paid toward interest, and any monthly payment that's reserved for other expenses. Specifically, ask your lender if your quote includes taxes and insurance.  5. What are my costs? Refinancing a loan usually comes at a cost — on average, expect to pay two to three percent of the loan amount. When you’re working with a loan of $200,000, those percentages can add up to $4,000 to $6,000 depending on your home cost and your area. Closing costs often include bank fees, appraisals, attorney fees, and other expenses you may not have anticipated.  Ask your lender what funds you need to bring to closing. If you’re looking to save money month to month and have the cash on hand, consider paying closing costs outright. However, if you’re not comfortable paying costs at closing, you can roll them into your loan. Unfortunately, this increases your principal and has the potential to raise your payments. Refinancing is an attractive option for many homeowners looking to take advantage of currently low interest rates. However, it’s important to ask your mortgage lender the right questions to make sure it’s a smart financial move for you. If you follow the above list and add in questions unique to your financial situation, you’re off to a solid start.   Sources: Forbes Realtor.com Bankrate.com Investopedia.com Destinpropertyexpert.com Nichemarket.co.za Merrimackvalleymarealestate.com Moneylend.net