When you are using a mortgage to buy a home, there’s a good chance that your lender will require something called an escrow account. While you’ve likely heard the word “escrow” while watching real estate reality TV shows, you still might be wondering: “What is an escrow account?” First, you’ll need to understand what escrow means. Escrow is a legal concept that refers to financial instruments held by a neutral third party on behalf of two parties who are engaged in a financial transaction. An...

Like fashion, slang changes with the times. A word that seems current one year can feel wildly dated as time goes on. (Just think of how weird it would be to say something is “da bomb” in 2017.) With the help of the Oxford English Dictionary and a few other archival resources, we’ve rounded up the slang words that defined every year. Though some words really reflect their time period, you might be surprised by how old some of our go-to slang actually is. 1950: Beautiful People Hollywood lingo...

The best part of the homebuying process might just be the moments before you seriously start your search, as you dream of all the fantastic features you’d love to have in your new home. A few weeks later, you’ve possibly visited dozens of properties without finding a single one that checks every box on your list that is also within your budget. Now it’s time to get real about your wish list and organize it into “must have” and “nice-to-have” features. In the meantime, connect with a loanDepot...

A hotel isn't just a place to rest between dinner reservations and sightseeing. The right accommodations can make or break your vacation, especially when they have luxurious amenities (or even just a really good mattress). Facing competition from Airbnb and an increasing demand for unique experiences over same-in-every-city consistency, the best new hotels of 2017 have embraced the character of their locations through decor and dining. Here are just some of the openings that have caught our...