House

https://zaq.us/buy-house/

美国买房 | 在美国看房买房贷款全攻略
https://zaq.us/buy-house/

https://bettermoneyhabits.bankofamerica.com/en/home-ownership/buying-mortgage-points-lower-rate

Mortgage points, also known as discount points, are fees paid directly to the lender at closing in exchange for a reduced interest rate. This is also called “buying down the rate,” which can lower your monthly mortgage payments.

• The interest rate reduction you receive for buying points is not set and depends on the lender and the marketplace.
• Buying points may give you a tax benefit. Contact a tax professional to see whether doing so might affect your tax situation.
• Points for adjustable-rate mortgages (ARMs) typically provide a discount on the loan’s interest rate only during the initial fixed-rate period. Run the numbers to ensure that your break-even point occurs well before the fixed-rate period expires. For Bank of America customers, however, if rates go up during the adjustable period, your rate will be lower based on the points you initially purchased.
• If you need to decide between making a 20 percent down payment and buying points, make sure you run the numbers. If you make a lower down payment, you may be required to carry private mortgage insurance (PMI). Check to see if this additional cost would cancel out the benefit you’d get from buying points and lowering your interest rate. The Affordable Loan Solution® mortgage from Bank of America can help eligible low- and moderate-income borrowers secure a home loan with a down payment as low as 3 percent and no PMI required.

https://www.fool.com/mortgages/2017/02/28/30-year-vs-51-arm-mortgage-which-should-i-pick.aspx

For most borrowers, the 30-year fixed-rate mortgage is a better option

As of January 2017, only 5.4% of borrowers are choosing adjustable-rate loans, and for good reason. Simply put, with interest rates still just above record lows, the probability that rates will be lower once the initial teaser rate expires is not good.

At the current average of just 4.17%, 30-year fixed-rate mortgages are cheap enough that it's simply not worth taking the risk of a big increase in the mortgage payment a few years down the road.

To illustrate this point, consider that although the overall percentage of buyers who currently choose ARMs is still low, it has gone up considerably in recent months, in response to rising interest rates. In January 2017, the average 30-year mortgage rate was 4.31%, and 5.4% of buyers chose an ARM. Just two months prior, in November 2016, the 30-year mortgage rate averaged 3.81%, so just 3.9% of buyers found an ARM appealing enough to use.

As I mentioned, the 5/1 ARM mortgage comes with a lower interest rate, but its cost is certain only for the first five years. For this reason, it could be the best choice for a buyer who knowsthat he or she will own the home just for a few years and wants to keep expenses as low as possible.

http://blog.sina.com.cn/s/blog_9ce16ddd0102w52l.html
北湾(North Bay)

主要区域： Marin County, Sonoma County, Napa County, Solano County

在金门大桥 (Golden Gate Bridge)北方的旧金山湾区通常被称做北湾(North Bay)。除了一小部份地区外，北湾是一个极为富有的地方：马林县经常被列为全国最富有的行政区，这里有着最好的眺望旧金山市的豪宅。北湾是美国著名的酒 乡和美食之都，据全美称90%的葡萄酒都产于此，阳光，温暖，葡萄酒，吸引了很多富人选择在北湾养老，湾区的米其林三星级餐馆，大多都藏匿在这个酒乡里， 最大名鼎鼎的要算美国著名厨师Thomas Keller的法国餐馆French Laundry了。北湾也是湾区里唯一没有通勤铁路服务的地区；较小的人口密度与跟湾区其他地区无陆地直接相连是北湾缺乏公共交通工具的主要原因，金门大 桥是此区往旧金山唯一的道路。

旧金山市区(The City of San Francisco)

旧金山或称“圣 弗朗西斯科”、“三藩市”。 重要海军基地和著名的贸易港。工商业发达，也是美国西部最大的金融中心。 位于美国西海岸圣弗朗西斯科半岛，面积47平方英里，三面环水，环境优美，是一座山城。气候冬暖夏凉，阳光充足，年平均气温在20℃左右，被誉为“最受美 国人欢迎的城市”。随着越来越多的高科技公司驻进旧金山，如今（2013年）城市里许多大型项目都在如火如荼的建设中，最让人期待的要属跨湾客运站工程 Transbay Terminal，有时间我会详细介绍旧金山市区的发展动向及主要开发项目。

东湾(East Bay)

主要房产热点城市： Fremont, Berkeley, Newark, Union City, Emeryville, Albany, San Ramon Valleys. Dublin and Pleasanton

东湾的华人社区 传统上以Oakland华埠为中心，但近年来在其他小城市也发展了华人购物中心，尤其以Fremont最为吸引华裔。这里有湾区最好的学区之一 Mission San Jose，也有湾区最受欢迎的爬山之地Mission Peak，Pleasanton Hill山上布满了远离城市喧嚣的豪宅，随着消费群体的增长，去年感恩节Livermore新开了一家高品质的outlets购物中心。

相较于湾区其他地方，东湾的房价比较便宜，但是气候却是最宜人的；没有旧金山的冷，也没有南湾的热。

半岛(The Peninsula)

包含城 市：Atherton, Belmont, Brisbane, Burlingame, Colma, Daly City, East Palo Alto, Foster City, Half Moon Bay, Hillsborough, Los Altos, Los Altos Hills, Menlo Park, Millbrae, Mountain View, Palo Alto, Pacifica, Portola Valley, Redwood City, Redwood Shores, San Bruno, San Carlos, San Mateo, South San Francisco and Woodside. 这里是湾区房产最热门的区域。

介于旧金山和南 湾的地区是旧金山半岛，当地常简称为“半岛”(The Peninsula)。这地区由圣马刁县的数个中小型城市和近郊社区和圣塔克拉拉县西北部份所组成，也包含数个太平洋岸边的城镇。2013年全美房价十大 右邮编，仅半岛就占3席，且高居榜首前两位，分别是邮编为94027的Atherton和邮编为94022的Los Altos Hills，两地房价中位数高达670万美元和540万美元。另外邮编为94028的Portola Valley排名第9，这是Palo Alto的后山。虽然有许多富有家庭居住在此，半岛居民的组成是相当多样化的。这里许多城镇在二次世界大战后时期前仅是乡村生活的中心，战后，许多中产和 富有家庭迁移至此，也带动当地发展。自1980年代起，中产和富有家庭的数量因硅谷高科技产业的繁荣而急速成长。来自外国的许多当地家庭，也是居民组成多 样化的原因之一。

南湾 (South Bay，San Jose and Silicon Valley)

包含城市：核心城市San Jose, 郊区:Santa Clara, Milpitas, Cupertino, Sunnyvale, Saratoga, Campbell, Los Gatos 远郊：Morgan Hill and Gilroy