Christian Allred
Contributing writer
Christian Allred has been a professional writer since 2020. After honing his skills as a ghostwriter for an SEO agency, he started focusing on covering residential and commercial real estate. Since then, he’s written for some of the industry’s top brands and publications, including Rocket Mortgage, PropStream, Agora, Buildium, Propmodo, and CRE Daily. He’s also written about personal finance for publications like Rocket Money and Investopedia. In 2025, he launched a boutique content marketing agency called CRE Writer.
Recent Articles
2-minute read
A guide to the housing expense ratio
Wondering how mortgage lenders calculate the housing expense ratio? Learn how to find your results by comparing your housing expenses to your pretax income.
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4-minute read
Understanding fully amortized loans
A fully amortized loan isn’t as confusing as it may sound. Read about how fully amortized loans work, what they’re for and what the payments consist of.
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4-minute read
What is the loan-to-value ratio and how is it calculated?
Your loan-to-value ratio measures your loan amount against the value of the home you’re buying. Figure out how your LTV ratio is calculated.
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5-minute read
What is a down payment and how does it work?
A down payment is the percentage of a home's purchase price you pay up front. Learn how down payments work and how much you should put down on a house.
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4-minute read
Can I look at a house without mortgage preapproval?
While you can tour homes without it, mortgage preapproval makes it easier to find a real estate agent and it can persuade sellers to take your offer seriously.
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5-minute read
Gift tax in real estate: How it works
The gift tax can apply when you transfer property without receiving full market value in return. Learn about gift tax in real estate and how to avoid it.
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5-minute read
First-time home buyer qualifications: What to know
First-time home buyers should learn what lenders require to get a mortgage as well as the resources available to help making buying a home more affordable.
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6-minute read
How to prepare a real estate counteroffer
Sellers don’t have to reject a buyer’s offer: you can negotiate with a counteroffer. Here’s how to create one that works best for everyone.
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8-minute read
How much does it cost to refinance a mortgage?
The cost to refinance a mortgage depends on your closing fees, which can be 2% – 6% of the loan balance. Learn more about average refinancing costs.
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