Last week, the Federal Reserve announced that it would be winding down its $1.25 trillion effort to purchase mortgage-backed securities later this year -- ending a program that has been instrumental in driving mortgage rates to record lows, which helps make homes more affordable with lower monthly payments. What does this mean for you?

Nearly every personal finance guru in America will tell you that it's important to build and maintain a high FICO score -- and that good credit is a sign of financial prudence and responsibility. Lenders will reward you for that responsibility with a lower interest rate loan.

President Obama's Making Home Affordable mortgage modification plan is getting quite a bit of press lately, most of it focusing on how it can help borrowers who are having trouble with their payments. But here's one downside to having your mortgage modified:

The Federal Housing Administration is going to permit its lenders to allow home buyers to use the $8,000 tax credit as a down payment. Here's what this means:

Now that one in eight people are behind on their mortgages, the "it's not so bad" crowd seems to have quieted down a bit. But here's the reason that we should relax:

In a piece on selling your home in a hurry, Money Magazine staff reporter Beth Braverman offers some good tips -- but then there's this clunker...

Are you thinking about buying a home in the near future? Regardless of your credit, the first thing you should do is get your financing in order with a mortgage pre-approval. Everything from credit score requirements to PMI has changed in the last 12 months, so you may be facing a surprise or two.

As someone who has been without a full-time job for more than a year, I've wondered how to refinance my home while being unemployed. It's a tough situation to be in. You can't get a home loan without a steady income, and without a job you can't afford your home.

Casey Serin, an infamous online entrepreneur we previously profiled at Walletpop, has come a long way on the dark road of how to get out of debt -- and he still owes $190,000. That's the amount left over after his crazy year of failing to "flip" houses in Sacramento, succumbing to foreclosures and divorce.

Taking online banking a step further, tenants who use PayYourRent.com now can not only pay their rent and apartment utilities online, they can also file a request for maintenance on the same site. And since their email goes directly to Joe Toolbelt's Blackberry -- in theory anyway -- there is the presumption that their leaky faucets will get fixed faster.