Conventional wisdom is that you should pre-pay your mortgage — at the very least, you should break your monthly payment in half and pay it twice per month. Doing so can dramatically shorten the period of your loan and save you a bunch of money in the long haul. But as with all things, conventional wisdom isn’t necessarily the right answer. Liz Weston writes for CBS MoneyWatch, and addresses four reasons you very well may be better off doing something with that money other than pre-paying your mortgage. Plus, she uncovers some pre-payment scams you should avoid.

There has been a lot of talk around the differences in buying patterns for Millennials — everything from not owning televisions, to living (much) longer with their parents, to not buying homes even when they do move out of the basement. Particularly over the last decade, the rabid increase in student-loan debt has been used as a partial explanation for these differences. However, it looks like that isn’t true. CNBC reports on a study by TransUnion which seems to show that, while Millennial buying patterns may differ from those of previous generations, it does not appear that student-loan debt has any impact on home buying.

Just as you’ve finished spring-cleaning and are preparing to enter prime BBQ season, one last thing is here to stress you and your family before you can relax for the summer: your children’s school exam season. Thankfully, we’re not just reaching exam time here in the U.S., but the U.K. is as well, and our friends across the pond have assembled this list of 10 tips to keep your family sane and sensible at this time of stress for your teenagers. Actually, these 10 tips are good advice year ‘round, but they’re particularly apropos at this time when a case of spring fever can result in more-last-minute-than-usual paper-writing and cram sessions.

A few months ago, this blog covered plans by U.S. lawmakers to try and push through some mortgage reform — clearly an uphill battle. According to MarketWatch, any such legislative overhauls may take a while — Congress appears to be in no hurry. However, just because congress isn’t acting doesn’t mean the government isn’t. Last year, the Federal Housing Finance Agency requested feedback on some proposals, and after having received “mostly positive feedback,” is planning to move forward some transformations that may allow borrowers to pay less.

There are countless areas in our lives where spending a little bit of money now can save us a great deal in the long run. This Mashable Article covers the basics, like buying a coffee machine instead of forking over $4 to Starbucks every day. But it also covers a lot of other ground, including tax advantages of high-efficiency appliances, the benefits of regular household maintenance, and more. 

Sorry to mix metaphors, but, “The sky is falling!” Actually, the real problem is, whether you’re making allusions to Chicken Little or Lost in Space, it’s very difficult for experts, never mind laymen, to differentiate from real vs. imagined crises in the complicated world of mortgage regulation. Today, the Financial Times reports that “Democrats raise the roof over mortgages”. Whether the alarmist title is a reasonable caution against repeating the problems that occurred before the 2008 collapse, or is a case of Aesop’s boy calling wolf is an exercise for the reader.

U.S. Senator Richard Shelby (R-Ala.), Chairman of the United States Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs, released the text of the discussion draft of “The Financial Regulatory Improvement Act of 2015.” Key highlights from the draft include easing regulations for small banks (those under half-a-trillion dollars in assets), some changes to the Fed, and — most apropos to this blog — changes to Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. If you’re the kind of person who is so inclined, read the draft for yourself, and consider letting your senator and representative know your thoughts.

Many first-time home-buyers may not have heard of home owners associations (HOAs), but they’re very common for a lot of properties. You’ll almost certainly see them if you’re purchasing a condominium or townhouse, but they’re also frequent in gated communities, and sometimes exist even in regular subdivisions. Investopedia covers nine things you need to understand about your HOA (which you may be obliged to join, and to which you may have to pay dues). Review their coverage and take their advice — the most important of which may be to understand whether you want to live in a community that has one or not.

Everyone who’s ever purchased a home can remember how overwhelming the experience was the first time he or she did it. There is a lot of ground to cover, and the landscape is continually changing. Recent blog posts have covered some mortgage terminology, and some changes in the industry. Today, the Boston Globe provides some higher level advice for first time borrowers: get educated, pay your bills, shop around, be sensible, consider your options, and trust the process. Take a look at the article, then delve deeper into this blog to get started with the education process.

Have you heard of Porch or Houzz? If not, and you’re considering a remodel, you should probably check them out. CNBC provides in-depth coverage of the now booming remodeling digital app industry. Both Porch and Houzz allow you to connect with local professionals, but each provides a slightly different service beyond that. Porch gives you historical data on homes you may be looking to buy or renovate, while Houzz provides a Pinterest like “idea book” for products and designs you may want to use. These are just two of the players entering the $300 billion remodeling industry.