About Bryan Dornan

Bryan Dornan is a financial journalist and currently serves as Chief Editor of RefiGuide.org. Bryan has founded several mortgage and marketing companies and has worked as a loan officer and mortgage broker in the industry for nearly 30 years and has a wealth of experience in providing mortgage clients with the highest level of service in the industry. Bryan's continual focus is to educate homeowners how to leverage home equity while also promoting affordable home-ownership to consumers like you across the United States. He also writes for RealtyTimes, Patch, Buzzfeed, Medium and other national publications. Find him on Twitter, Muckrack, and Linkedin

What is the Pave Action Plan, Will it Impact the Mortgage Industry?

In June 2021, the Biden Administration announced it had created the Interagency Task Force on Property Appraisal and Valuation Equity (PAVE) to develop actions to reduce ethnic and racial bias in home valuations. The White House reports that the PAVE Action Plan is a wide-ranging set of reforms that will improve equity in the home… Read More »

When Should I Refinance My Home Mortgage?

One of the hardest things to gauge as a homeowner is when is the ideal time to refinance your home mortgage. If anyone could precisely predict when mortgage rates will rise and fall, they could probably retire very wealthy. But even seasoned real estate and stock experts cannot predict the variability of mortgage rates. The… Read More »

Fix and Flip Loans in Today’s Home Market

People who want to fix and flip houses for a profit are moving into an exciting business, but you have to know what you’re doing to have success. Most people need to work with private and hard money lenders to get the money they need for a fix and flip loan. This is because most… Read More »

How to Buy a Second Home and Get the Best Rate

Buying a second home can be an adventure for Americans but you need to make sure you are aligned with the right mortgage lenders. Have you done well with the equity in your home in the last year or two? You may be thinking about buying a second home so you can live in a… Read More »

Top 9 US Spots to Retire and Buy A Home

Are you thinking about moving to a new city when you retire? You are in good company! About 65% of retirees say they want to move when they stop working or already moved. Most retirees say they want to stay near where they retired when they move, but about 40% say they want to live… Read More »

2nd Home Loan Program by Fannie Mae

If you are thinking about buying a home with your parents or other family member, you should know you aren’t alone. Buying a home with a family member besides your spouse can be a fantastic option to support your family and to ease caregiving responsibilities. And it can make it more affordable to buy a… Read More »

Good Reasons to Refinance Your Home Mortgage

Did you not refinance your mortgage yet? If not, you should know that the days of 2.5% mortgages are probably behind us. However, rates are not still historically low anymore, but many economists are forecasting lower rates on the horizon. If  you bought a home this year then should take a strong look at refinancing… Read More »

Understanding Loan to Value Ratios

There’s a reason that lenders often reemphasize one common phrase throughout the homebuying process: it’s one of the most expensive purchases you’ll ever make. With that purchase comes risk, as real estate transactions are often established through financing that runs 30 years or more. The reality is, that financing is established on properties that can —… Read More »

Conventional Mortgage Loans vs. FHA

Are you house hunting? If so, there’s something else you should be thinking about before locking in your mortgage: wealth building. In a perfect world, you’d find a lender who could outline hypothetical outcomes and give you the lay of the land when putting a comparable Federal Housing Administration (FHA)-insured mortgage against a conventional mortgage… Read More »

How Does a VA Mortgage Loan Work?

Are you currently serving your country or a recently discharged military veteran? If so, you know your branch of service has likely instilled discipline, strong values, a sense of duty, and loyalty. Among those numerous positive outcomes that can result from military service, there’s also another one you might not have thought of — homeownership. … Read More »