Mortgage calculators
Every calculator shows its work line by line, so you can check my math and change any number you want.
Most mortgage calculators hand you one big number and hide how they got it. Mine show the math. Every result comes with the worksheet underneath, written out line by line the way I’d do it with you at a kitchen table, so you can see what’s inside the number and what would change it.
A few things hold for all of them. Every rate is an example you type in, not a quote, because rates move all day and I’d rather price your actual deal. Property taxes use the posted rates for Richmond-area cities and counties, from Chesterfield and Henrico to Petersburg and Hopewell. Mortgage insurance and program fees come from published rate cards and the agencies’ own tables, and each calculator’s page says which ones and from when. They’re estimates, mostly on the careful side, and each page says where one runs light. Junk in equals junk out, so use your real income, your real debts and a real insurance quote.
Buying? Start with the mortgage payment calculator to see a full monthly payment, then the affordability calculator to see what your income supports, then cash to close to see what you’ll bring on closing day. Already own? The refinance break-even calculator tells you whether a lower rate pays for itself. Veterans can price the VA funding fee, and homeowners thinking about keeping the house as a rental can run the Blue Collar House Hack.
The appraisal gap calculator sits last on purpose. It’s built for bidding wars, and in my read, late 2026 isn’t a bidding-war market.
Buying
Principal and interest, Richmond-area tax rates, PMI or program fees and HOA dues, with every line shown.
Gross income times your DTI limit, minus debts, caps the all-in payment, and that payment sets your price.
Down payment, closing costs, recordation taxes, prepaid interest and escrow, minus credits and earnest money.
Rates and points
Buying points pays off only if you keep the loan past the break-even, the cost of the points divided by your monthly savings.
Each year’s payment and what a 2-1, 3-2-1 or 1-0 temporary buydown costs the seller, plus the full payment you qualify at.
Refinancing
Closing costs divided by monthly savings, in months, plus what a new term does to the interest you pay and what you owe.
Veterans
Purchase, cash-out and IRRRL fees for first and later use, how a down payment lowers the fee, and who’s exempt, as of 2026.
Building wealth
Enter your rent, payment, next home and HELOC to see how fast rents pay the line and add doors.
For a seller's market
Size the loan for a low appraisal so your payment holds and your cash stays inside one budget.
Not seeing your situation?
Text me the details. If it’s a question other people will have, it becomes the next guide on this site, with your details left out.
Call or text (804) 617-6830