Tools
5 tools for the questions people ask before they buy or sell: what you can afford, what a house will really cost each month, whether today’s rate is a good one, what to know about an address, and what a home is worth.
The tools
What will this house cost each month?
The whole payment, not only principal and interest: property tax at the town’s own rate, insurance, HOA dues and mortgage insurance, with an amortisation view. Change the price, the down payment or the rate and see the effect at once, before you write an offer.
What can we really afford?
Start from the rent you pay today and work back to a price range you can live with. It sets the payment-based limit beside the debt-to-income limit a lender applies, and shows the gap between them, so you shop in the right range from the first showing.
Are rates high or low right now?
Every week of the Freddie Mac survey since 1971, from the 18.63% peak of 1981 to the record low of 2021. It puts today’s rate in context, which helps when you weigh buying now against waiting, or think about refinancing later.
Tree-lined street in Walnut Creek, ornamental cherry and valley oaks on Jones Road, by the Iron Horse Trail, Photo: Utilizer, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0What should we know about this address?
Type any address and see what federal data says about it: flood zone, earthquake shaking, wildfire hazard, nearby EPA-listed sites and fair-market rents. The questions to ask before an offer, answered in a minute instead of found out at disclosure.
The Buehler House in Orinda, designed by Frank Lloyd Wright, Photo: Sanfranman59, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0What is our home worth today?
Tell us the address and we value it: a current range, the estimated rent, the house’s recorded sales and how its value has moved with the local market over the years. It lives in your account, and we let you know when it changes.
When to use which
Before you look
An honest price range saves weeks of viewing homes that were never going to work, and makes the pre-approval conversation shorter.
While you shop
Two homes at the same price can differ by hundreds a month in tax, HOA and insurance. Run each one you like through the payment.
Before you offer
Flood zone and wildfire hazard change insurance costs and sometimes the loan itself. Know them before your offer, not after.
Get in touch
The tools give you the figures. When you want a second opinion on a price, a payment or an address, call or text our team.
