Laurie Sepulveda is a MarketWatch Guides team senior writer who specializes in writing about personal loans, home equity loans, mortgages and banking. She lives in North Carolina and has taught and ...

Buying a home in North Carolina can be more affordable than you think. The state’s housing agency offers down payment help of up to 3% or $15,000, and some city programs go even further, with ...

Buying your first home can feel like a huge leap. With rising home prices, a competitive housing market, and the weight of all those extra costs, it's easy to feel overwhelmed. Over half of ...

Buying a home for the first time is a big undertaking that can be exciting, frustrating and expensive. Saving up for a down payment, getting approved for a mortgage and covering closing costs are just ...

The path to homeownership often seems daunting, particularly for first-time buyers facing rising prices and strict lending requirements. Yet numerous programs exist to ease this transition, many of ...