Mortgage & Refinancing Guides
Loan-term and refinance decisions with real numbers — break-even math, total interest, and borrowing against equity.
5 published guides
15 vs 30-Year Mortgage: A Real-Numbers Comparison
Both loans side by side at this week's Freddie Mac averages (6.58% and 5.96%) for three loan sizes — payment, total interest, and principal paid by years 5 and 10, with the amortization math shown — plus the invest-the-difference argument treated fairly.
Is Refinancing Worth It? The Break-Even Math
Closing costs divided by monthly saving is the whole decision. The formula worked with July 2026 rates, the rate drop you need to break even in 2/3/5 years, the term reset that raises your total interest at a lower rate, and what forecasters actually expect.
HELOC vs Cash-Out Refinance for Renovations
Why the higher-rate option is usually the cheaper one: a cash-out refinance reprices your whole balance, a HELOC prices only the new money. Worked with July 2026 rates, plus what IRS Publication 936 actually lets you deduct.
Pre-Approval vs. Prequalification
Prequalification is a self-reported estimate; pre-approval is a verified, documented commitment. What each requires and which one a seller's agent accepts.
Should You Pay Off Your Mortgage Early?
Guaranteed return vs. expected return, the liquidity trade-off, the mortgage interest deduction in 2026, and where extra payments fit your priorities.
Other guide categories
Home Buying
20What buying a home actually costs, start to finish — down payments, loan types, closing costs, contingencies, and cash needed at signing.
Selling a Home
3What it costs to sell, what commission really runs after the NAR settlement, and how to decide between selling and renting your place out.
Renovation & Repair
6What projects cost in 2026, where the money goes line by line, how to read and compare contractor bids, and when repairing beats replacing.
Home Systems & Energy
3HVAC, furnaces and winterization — replacement costs by system type, efficiency payback, and the repair-or-replace call.
Insurance & Taxes
2The tax credits and insurance costs that move a homeowner's yearly number, with sourced figures you're free to cite.