How Long Does Mortgage Pre Approval Take?

Getting pre-approved for a mortgage is one of the biggest steps you’ll take toward buying a home. It’s also one people misunderstand the most. Some buyers brace themselves for weeks of waiting. Others are shocked to hear it can happen in a single day. The truth lands somewhere in the middle, and honestly, most of […]
How Much House Can I Afford with 80k Salary?

Buying a home is probably the biggest money decision you’ll ever face. On an $80,000 salary, you’ve got a real shot at it. The tricky part is pinning down how much house that actually buys, and no calculator on its own will give you the honest answer. So let’s go through the whole thing, piece […]
Why Did My Mortgage Payment Go Up?

There’s a particular sinking feeling that comes with opening a mortgage statement and finding the payment higher than you remembered. You didn’t refinance. You didn’t miss anything. So what happened? The good news is that mortgage payments rarely climb for mysterious reasons. Usually there’s a clear cause behind the change, and once you know what […]
Single Mother Housing Assistance Programs SC: How to Qualify

Raising a family on one paycheck is hard, and the part that keeps most parents up at night is housing. Here in South Carolina, the cost of living keeps climbing, and finding a safe, affordable place for your kids feels harder every year. We work as local mortgage brokers at BrickWood Mortgage, and we see […]
What Credit Score Do You Need to Buy a Home in South Carolina?

Buying a home in South Carolina is a thrill. The financial side of it? That part can knock the wind out of you. And at the center of it all sits your credit score, that little three-digit number that lenders trust far more than they’ll ever trust your charm. It tells them how reliable you […]
How the Homebuyers Privacy Protection Act Changes Trigger Leads

Apply for a mortgage, and your phone might start buzzing within hours. Lenders you’ve never heard of, calling about a loan you only just started looking into. If that’s happened to you, you’ve met mortgage trigger leads. The practice has annoyed borrowers and muddied the lending world for years. The Homebuyers Privacy Protection Act (HPPA) […]
How Many VA Loans Can You Get in a Lifetime?

Many veterans and active military consider their VA home loan to be a one-time benefit. Such thoughts are shared quite often by our clients from the mortgage brokerage business. Perhaps, you have bought your house some years ago under the terms provided by this benefit, and now think that the next property can be obtained […]
Who is Responsible for a Reverse Mortgage After Death?

Sadly, the loss of a loved one is devastating. To make things worse, sorting through their finances can bring an entirely new level of stress, especially when dealing with a reverse mortgage after death. Our office has received calls from families who worry about what happens to a family home under a reverse mortgage, so […]
Mortgage Insurance vs Homeowners Insurance: Are They the Same?

Becoming a homeowner is always a difficult process. Throughout this journey, you will inevitably find yourself dealing with a whole mountain of paperwork as well as a brand-new glossary of financial terms. Among others, we have noticed two phrases causing a lot of trouble for our clients – namely, mortgage insurance and homeowners insurance. They […]
Can I Pay My Mortgage with My Credit Card?

That sizable mortgage payment has gone out of your bank account, and you might find yourself asking whether there is a smarter way to handle such a thing. At BrickWood Mortgage, we get asked this question pretty regularly by our clients in regard to their monthly payment statements. Their question is whether they can just […]