The questions I get asked most.

This is usually the first question, and I’d gently suggest it’s the second one worth asking. The amount you can qualify for and the amount you’ll be comfortable paying every month are often different numbers, and the gap between them is where people get stretched.

So we start at the other end. You tell me the monthly payment that fits your life, and I work backward into the price range that produces it. Then we look at what you qualify for and see how the two compare. Sometimes they line up. When they don’t, at least you’re choosing with both numbers in front of you.

Finding out takes a conversation and a look at your income, debts, and credit. Our payment calculator is a good place to start on your own.

Straightforward, and your part is shorter than most people expect:

That’s roughly thirty minutes of your time. The reason people put it off usually isn’t the paperwork itself, it’s not knowing how much there is.

Once I have a complete file — application submitted and documents uploaded — you’ll have your pre-approval letter within 24 hours. Often sooner.

The letter is backed by real underwriting rather than an estimate, which is what makes it hold up when your offer is on the table.

More than the down payment, and usually less overall than people assume. The full picture includes your down payment, closing costs, and prepaid items like property taxes and homeowners insurance that get collected at closing.

Some of that can be offset. Seller-paid closing costs are negotiable in many transactions, and there are programs that help with the down payment for buyers who qualify. Send me a price range and I’ll map out the whole number so nothing surprises you.

Your credit score tends to affect your pricing more than whether you’re approved at all. Different programs set different thresholds, and a score that doesn’t work for one may work comfortably for another.

It also isn’t judged in isolation. Your down payment, your debt-to-income ratio, your reserves, and how long your credit has been established all factor in, and strength in one area can offset a weakness in another. That’s why a number on its own doesn’t answer the question honestly.

If you’re unsure where you stand, it costs nothing to ask. I’ll tell you what’s realistic today, and if waiting a few months would put you in a better position, I’ll tell you that too.

The general expectation is a two-year history, but that’s a guideline rather than a rule, and the details matter more than the headline. Salaried income is treated differently from hourly. Full-time is treated differently from part-time. Gaps, promotions, career changes, and returning to school all have their own guidance.

There are also more exceptions than people realize. Plenty of buyers who assumed they needed to wait another year didn’t.

This is one where a short conversation beats reading about it. Tell me your work history and I’ll tell you how it will be viewed.

Usually, yes. I work with income of nearly every kind:

• Self-employment and 1099 income
• Commission and bonus income
• Part-time and second-job income
• Rental and investment property income
• Retirement, pension, and Social Security income
• Assets used in place of traditional income

The question is rarely whether the income counts. It’s whether it can be used yet — how long you’ve received it, how consistent it’s been, and how it’s documented. Each type has its own rules, and they differ by program.

If your income doesn’t fit a standard W-2 box, that’s a normal conversation here rather than a complication.

Your payment is more than principal and interest. A complete estimate includes property taxes, homeowners insurance, and mortgage insurance where it applies. HOA dues, if the home has them, are billed separately by the association but still count toward what you qualify for and belong in your budget.

Our payment calculator includes all of it, and you can run it without giving up an email address. For a specific home, send me the address and I’ll look up the actual taxes and dues instead of estimating them.

Almost always less than people expect. There are programs with minimums well below twenty percent, and some that require nothing down for buyers who qualify. Utah also has down payment assistance available through certain programs.

What you need depends on the program, your credit, and the property. You can see the minimums for each program on the loan programs page, and a conversation will tell you which ones you actually fit.

Closing costs cover lender fees, title and escrow charges, the appraisal, recording fees, and prepaid items like taxes and insurance. They vary by loan amount, by program, by title company, and — a detail that surprises people — by the day of the month you close, since prepaid interest is calculated per day.

Because of that, I’d rather quote you a real number for a real house than publish a range that turns out to be wrong for your situation. Send me a property or a price range and I’ll put together an itemized estimate.

There isn’t one rate. Your rate depends on your credit, your down payment, your debt-to-income ratio, the loan program, the property type, how you intend to occupy the home, and the length of your rate lock — and it moves with the market throughout the day.

Any number published on a website is an average for someone who isn’t you. Call and I’ll quote a rate for your actual scenario, and explain what’s driving it.

There isn’t a best one, only a best one for your situation. Two buyers with identical credit scores can belong in completely different programs depending on their down payment, their plans for the home, and how long they expect to keep it.

The loan programs page walks through what each one does well and where it doesn’t fit. If you’d rather skip the reading, tell me your situation and I’ll narrow it down for you.

When it leaves you measurably better off, and that isn’t always obvious from the rate alone. The questions worth answering first:

• How long until the monthly savings cover the cost of doing it?
• Does restarting the loan term cost more in total interest than the lower rate saves?
• Are you removing mortgage insurance, changing the term, or taking cash out — and is that worth it on its own?
• How long do you plan to keep the home?

Sometimes the numbers work clearly. Sometimes they don’t, and I’ll say so. I’d rather tell you to wait than put you through a refinance that doesn’t help you.

No. You can call, text, or send a message and get a real answer without filling anything out. Plenty of my conversations are with people who are six months or a year away from buying and want to know what to work on between now and then.

If it turns out the timing isn’t right yet, I’ll tell you that as well.