Holiday Shopping Security Tips

Experts are warning holiday shoppers who buy their gifts online to use a little caution when they hunt for bargains. The FBI has said, if a deal offered by an unfamiliar merchant seems too good to be true, it probably is. Michael Kaiser, executive director of the National Cyber Security Alliance, agreed. "If you're looking at new sources of buying gifts that are offering deals that just seem tremendously below what everybody else is offering for the same merchandise, that could be a red flag," he said. According to the NCSA, approximately 52 percent of shoppers used their phones last year to make purchases. That's why Kaiser said shoppers should be careful of purchases made over public Wi-Fi networks, and use multi-step verification to access bank and credit accounts. "There's no such thing as perfect security, but certainly I think that after last year's major retail data breaches, I think there is a lot more focus on protecting information." he said.

10 Credit Tips Designed Specifically to Help Qualify for a Mortgage

The following steps are designed to get your credit in the best condition possible to qualify for a mortgage. Credit scores can range from 350 to 850 -- a score of 700 or better is considered to be good credit. 1. Make sure the info on your credit report is accurate.  Up to 25% of credit reports have errors serious enough to result in being turned down for a loan! 2. Dispute errors with the credit bureau that reports it. (Transunion, Experion, or Equifax) 3. Make all of your debt payments on time, early is even better. 4. Adding your name to a relative's credit account may improve your score. 5. Limit the number of times anyone "pulls" your credit report. 6. Pay off any collections, liens, or judgements against you. 7. Keep your credit account balances under 30% or at least under 50%.   8. Keep accounts you've had for a long time, even if they have zero balance.  The longer you have an account, the more it will help. 9. Use a variety of credit types.  Having only credit cards or only car loans does not show use of diverse types of credit.  It's good to show a variety of types over time, for example: a car loan, a credit card, store accounts, and a line of credit with your bank. 10. Don't make changes to your credit before discussing them with your Mortgage Professional.

4 Reasons Why Winter Is the Best Time to Buy a Home

"The early bird gets the worm," as the saying goes, and the holidays create a perfect opportunity to avoiding competition, and benefit from lower prices and motivated sellers.

Reason #1: Lower competition means lower prices

During the holidays buyers can take advantage of the low prices this natural lull in the marketing cycle creates. Shopping for a home in the winter months makes you one of the special few spending their time looking at houses.

Reason #2: Serious sellers

Less competition means that people are motivated to sell their house. In the holiday season, buyers are a precious commodity. Sellers know that fewer feet will be treading on their carpet, so this small window of opportunity turns you into a buyer with a serious edge. 

Reason #3: Better interest rates on mortgages

The drop in demand to buy a home during the holiday season means that lenders experience less requests for mortgage money at this time. This phenomenon usually manifests itself in favorable mortgage terms and lower interest rates.

Reason #4: Faster closings

Faster closings are historically more available in December, because of fewer overall transactions in the industry. Because lenders want to close their books at the end of the year, they may be inspired to close a transaction more quickly for people buying homes at this time.