Home Equity Loans and HELOCs: Which Option Is Right for You?

By Stephen | May 16, 2025
Image of Stephen Palermo with Gold Standard mortgage standing in Visalia discussing What Is a Credit Score?

Understanding Home Equity Loans and HELOCs: What You Need to Know As a homeowner, you’ve likely heard of home equity loans and HELOCs (home equity lines of credit). These financial tools let you tap into the value of your home, but knowing the difference between them helps you choose the right one for your needs.…

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How Student Loan Defaults reporting will impact your Credit score

By Stephen | May 9, 2025
Image of Stephen Palermo standing in front of GSM sign at our Hanford location explaining Is it a Good Time to Buy?

—Student Loan Defaults Hurt Credit: What It Means for Visalia Homebuyers—with Stephen Palermo Credit Scores Are Dropping Fast Student loan defaults & collections have resumed. The U.S. Department of Education restarted collections on defaulted federal student loans. This change happened after a pause that began in March 2020. Now, many borrowers are seeing immediate credit…

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What is the Accuracy of Zestimate’s?

By Stephen | May 6, 2025
Image of Stephen Palermo sitting in front of Visalia Office Gold Standard mortgage Logo explaining Buy With No Down

How accurate are the online third party Home estimates like Zestimate’s—with Stephen Palermo Mortgage calculators and online home estimates, like those from Zillow or Redfin, are popular tools for potential homebuyers. These calculators give quick, rough estimates of monthly payments or property values, but what is the accuracy of Zestimate’s? As your trusted Visalia loan…

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