Monthly planning
Mortgage Payment Planner
Principal, interest, taxes, insurance, and dues in one estimate.
Open calculatorThe home finance desk
Clear numbers for the financial side of homeownership
Independent explanations and private planning tools for mortgage payments, escrow, equity, insurance, property taxes, refinancing, and paying a home off. No rates, offers, or contact forms are attached to the calculations.
Mortgage & escrow
Understand payment changes, escrow statements, principal, interest, mortgage insurance, and payoff records.
Calculators
Use rates and figures from actual documents to model payments, terms, extra principal, refinancing, equity, and closing cash.
Insurance & taxes
Prepare for renewals, roof-related underwriting questions, assessment reviews, and changes that affect monthly housing costs.
Home equity
Compare HELOCs, home equity loans, cash-out refinancing, project cash, and the risks of securing debt with the home.
Private browser tools
Home-finance calculators
Term comparison
15- vs. 30-Year Loan Comparison
Compare payment and scheduled interest across two terms.
Open calculatorPayoff planning
Extra-Payment Payoff Planner
Estimate months and scheduled interest saved by extra principal.
Open calculatorDecision planning
Refinance Break-Even Planner
Compare payment change, costs, and a simple break-even period.
Open calculatorEquity planning
HELOC Payment Planner
Model draw-period and repayment-period payments with a rate stress test.
Open calculatorCash planning
Closing-Cost and Cash Planner
Organize down payment, costs, prepaids, deposits, and credits.
Open calculatorReported and reviewed
Home-finance guides
9 min read
Why did the mortgage payment increase? Diagnose the changed component
Treat the new payment as a bundle: principal and interest, escrow deposit, shortage repayment, insurance, taxes, mortgage insurance, and loan features can move separately.
10 min read
How to annotate an escrow analysis line by line
Mark each line as prior balance, actual disbursement, projected bill, required cushion, shortage, surplus, or new monthly collection.
10 min read
Homeowners insurance nonrenewal over roof age: build the response file first
A nonrenewal notice creates a deadline, not a universal verdict on the roof. Confirm the reason, policy date, state process, roof record, and replacement-coverage options immediately.
17 min read
How to appeal a property tax assessment: build the evidence file first
Preserve the local deadline, identify the value and date actually under review, correct the property record, and submit only evidence the assessor or appeal board accepts.
12 min read
HELOC vs. home equity loan vs. cash-out refinance
Decide which debt changes before comparing rates: a HELOC or home equity loan sits beside your current mortgage; a cash-out refinance replaces it entirely.
10 min read
When does PMI go away? The 80% / 78% LTV rules
Federal law sets two conventional-PMI thresholds — 80% LTV to request cancellation, 78% automatic — both measured against original value, not today's estimate.
14 min read
Extra mortgage payments to principal: a payoff and debt-priority framework
Define principal-only payments, verify how the servicer will apply them, model payoff assumptions, and compare mortgage prepayment with reserves and other debt before cash leaves your account.
10 min read
How to calculate a refinance break-even point—and what it leaves out
Cash closing costs divided by monthly savings gives one checkpoint. It skips a longer payoff date, financed costs, equity withdrawn, and other real tradeoffs.
8 min read
How much home equity is there? Use three numbers, then add uncertainty
Estimated equity is property value minus all debt secured by the property. Usable proceeds can be lower after valuation differences, lender limits, existing liens, closing costs, and the need to preserve a margin.
9 min read
The mortgage is paid off. Here is the recordkeeping that comes next
A final payment should be followed by a payoff statement, lien release, escrow refund, insurance and tax payment reset, and a secure permanent file—not just a zero balance online.