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Guides
All guides →Financing
Why I'm Straight With You About Down Payment Assistance
An honest, balanced look at down payment assistance: the real pros, the real cons, and why a lot of DPA isn't the deal it sounds like for the borrower.
Read guide →Buying
The First-Time Homebuyer Guide, No-BS Edition
Everything you actually need to know before buying your first home: what to do first, how much you really need, credit basics, the steps, and the mistakes that cost real money.
Read guide →Buying
How to Buy a House: The Full Step-by-Step
The complete path from 'I'm thinking about it' to 'keys in hand,' explained in plain English with no jargon and no skipped steps.
Read guide →Process
Mortgage Pre-Approval: What It Is and Why It Matters
What pre-approval actually is, why it makes your offer stronger, what I need from you, and how it differs from pre-qualification.
Read guide →Calculators
All calculators →Mortgage Payment
Estimate principal, interest, taxes, and insurance.
Affordability
See an estimated max home price for your budget.
VA Loan
Estimate a $0-down VA payment with the funding fee.
Refinance Break-Even
Find how many months until a refi pays for itself.
Rent vs. Buy
Compare renting against owning over time.
Temporary Buydown
See how a 2-1 or 3-2-1 buydown lowers early payments.
Debt-to-Income (DTI)
Estimate the DTI ratio lenders look at.
Closing Costs
Ballpark the cash you may need at closing.
Debt Consolidation (Blended Rate)
Compare your blended rate and payments before consolidating.
Market Updates
All updates →National Average Mortgage Rates
6.48%
30-Yr Fixed
5.79%
15-Yr Fixed
Market data, not a rate offer or quote. Week of June 4, 2026.
down0.05 vs last week
These are average note rates and exclude points and fees; they are not APRs. Source: Freddie Mac PMMS via FRED.
Get My Personal RateArticles
All articles →Self-Employed
How Self-Employed Buyers Qualify Conventional (Without Non-QM)
Business owner or 1099? Here's how I structure self-employed files to qualify for conventional loans, instead of pushing you into a pricier non-QM product.
First-Time Buyers
7 First-Time Homebuyer Mistakes That Cost You Real Money
The first-time buyer mistakes I see most often, and exactly how to avoid each one. Straight talk, no jargon, from a mortgage loan officer who's seen it all.
Glossary
Browse all terms →Amortization
Amortization is how your loan gets paid off over time through regular payments. Early on, more of each payment goes to interest and less to principal. As the years pass, that flips, and more goes toward the balance. By the end of the term, the loan is fully paid off.
APR
APR, or annual percentage rate, is the yearly cost of your loan including certain fees, not just the interest rate. Because it folds in some closing costs, the APR is usually a bit higher than your rate. It's meant to help you compare loan offers on a more apples-to-apples basis.
Closing Costs
Closing costs are the fees you pay to finalize your home purchase, on top of your down payment. They include lender fees, title and escrow charges, an appraisal, and prepaid items like taxes and insurance. Closing costs commonly run roughly 2% to 5% of the purchase price, though it varies by location and loan.
Conforming Loan
A conforming loan is a conventional loan that meets the guidelines and loan limits set by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. Staying within the conforming limit often means more competitive terms. Loans above that limit are called jumbo loans and follow different rules, since they can't be sold to those agencies.
Conventional Loan
A conventional loan is a mortgage that isn't backed by a government program like FHA or VA. It often needs solid credit, but it can allow down payments as low as 3% and lets you drop mortgage insurance once you build enough equity. It's the most common loan type for many buyers.
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