by Shawn Selanders | Nov 4, 2026 | Mortgage Tips
Read this first • 30 seconds▶Under $1.5 million, the minimum down payment is small: 5% of the first $500,000 plus 10% of the rest, with mortgage insurance. At $1,499,000 that is just under $125,000.▶At exactly $1.5 million, insurance is...
by Shawn Selanders | Oct 28, 2026 | Mortgage News
Read this first • 30 seconds▶Raised to 2.50%. First increase since 2023. Prime is expected to follow, from 4.45% to about 4.70%.▶Variable rate: about $14 a month per $100,000. On $400,000, roughly $55.▶Fixed rate: nothing changes until renewal. Fixed...
by Shawn Selanders | Oct 26, 2026 | Mortgage Tips
Read this first • 30 seconds▶A paid-off Foothills home is $500K to $1M of equity doing two things: growing and protecting you. It cannot move. You cannot spend a bedroom.▶The question is not "could I." It is "what is it for?" If that...
by Shawn Selanders | Oct 19, 2026 | Mortgage Tips
Read this first • 30 seconds▶The bank does not take your house. You stay on title. Your estate never owes more than the home sells for.▶It is expensive money. Nothing is paid, so the interest compounds on itself every month.▶It is the fourth door, not the...
by Shawn Selanders | Oct 13, 2026 | Rates & Renewals
Read this first • 30 seconds▶$350,000 from 2021 at 2%: $1,482 a month. Renew the $293,200 left at 4% over 20 years: $1,772. Up $290.▶The 5-year bond went from about 3.3% to 3.69% in a month. Fixed rates jumped up to a full point at some lenders.▶Four ways...