Guides & articles
The numbers worth understanding before you sign
Short, plain-English guides on the home-buying decisions that actually move money — each one with the matching calculator built right in, so you can run your own numbers as you read.
Your first home, with a plan
Two steps give you a clear number to shop with and a strategy for building wealth — a free, soft-credit pre-approval, then a consultation covering programs, credit, down payment, tax savings and more.
Read the guideYes, rates are high. Here’s what the payment really is
The headline payment isn’t the real cost. Walk a $1M purchase from the scary number down to the real after-tax monthly cost — buydown, deductions, effective rate, and all.
Read the guideThe cost of waiting to buy a home
“I’ll wait for rates to drop” has a price tag — a higher price, a higher payment for 30 years, and the equity you don’t build. See the real number for your purchase.
Read the guideSelf-employed and feel capped? There’s a better way to qualify
Your write-offs shrink the income tax returns show — and that’s what a traditional loan counts. See how bank statement and P&L loans qualify you on real cash flow instead.
Read the guideProp 19: move without losing your low property taxes
If you’re 55 or older, you can take your low Prop 13 tax base with you to a new home — anywhere in California, up to three times. Most homeowners don’t know it exists.
Read the guideRent vs. own: it’s not the payment, it’s where you end up
Renting isn’t throwing money away, and neither is buying. Compare both paths as net worth — including what your down payment would earn invested.
Read the guideThe real cost of moving up
Your payment goes up when you move up — your total cost may not. See what clearing debt, the bigger deduction, and Prop 19 do to the real difference.
Read the guideMore guides are on the way — rent vs. own, the real cost of moving up, and how a rate buydown beats a price cut. In the meantime, every calculator stands on its own.