Built to answer the mortgage questions you actually have.
Run the numbers first. Understand the path. Send Blake the scenario when you want a real second opinion. A bookmark-worthy strategy hub for buyers, homeowners, investors, and self-employed borrowers who want to understand the math before anyone asks them to apply.
1:1Personal scenario review
$500M+ Funded volume*
*160+ reflects the lender relationships available through West Capital Lending’s broker platform. *$500M+ reflects Blake’s career funded volume.
Four steps. Apply only if it fits.
Run the numbers
Use the tool that fits the question: buying, refinancing, HELOC, DSCR, or payment comparison.
Compare the paths
Look at payment, cash to close, costs, tradeoffs, and what changes if the assumptions move.
Send the scenario
When you want a second opinion, send the summary straight to Blake.
Apply if it fits
If the path makes sense, then the full application collects the real underwriting picture.
A quick payment check, no contact info required.
Thirty seconds, four fields, and a realistic monthly — including a credit-tiered mortgage insurance estimate. Refine everything in the full tools whenever you’re ready.
Calculator assumptions last reviewed June 2026.
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Assumes 30-yr fixed, ~1.15%/yr property taxes, $175/mo insurance, a 740–759 credit range for PMI, and ~2.25% closing costs plus prepaids in the cash-to-close estimate. Educational estimate only — not a Loan Estimate, approval, rate quote, APR disclosure, or commitment to lend.
What are you trying to do?
Every path links two ways: learn it in plain English, or jump straight to the calculator that answers it.
Buying a homeAffordability, payment, and which loan type actually fits — before you shop.Learn →Run numbers →
RefinancingThe monthly change and exactly how long the costs take to pay for themselves.Learn →Run numbers →
Cash-out or HELOCIncluding the blended-rate math most lenders skip when you hold a low rate.Learn →Run numbers →
DSCRFinancing that qualifies on the property’s rent, built to scale with a portfolio.Learn →Run numbers →
Comparing loan optionsThree structures side by side, with a verdict for how long you’ll keep the loan.Learn →Run numbers →
Self-Employed or Difficult IncomeNot everyone fits in a box. If your income is hard to prove, there are endless ways to make it work.Learn →Run numbers →
Banks show you their box. I help you understand the strategy.
The goal is not to make every person apply today. The goal is to make the numbers clear enough that the next step is obvious.
One menu. One box.
- Limited to that lender’s programs, pricing, and overlays.
- Can make the file feel impossible when it only fails one lender’s box.
- Often starts with application first, strategy second.
- May focus on rate without fully explaining structure, credits, cash to close, or timeline.
Options first. Application when it fits.
- Compare conventional, FHA, VA, jumbo, Non-QM, DSCR, and equity paths.
- Review the structure before a full application.
- Explain tradeoffs between rate, credit, cost, payment, cash to close, and flexibility.
- Sometimes the best advice is to wait, restructure, or not touch the first mortgage.
I built this site so you can understand the numbers before anyone asks you to apply.
“You don’t need another quote. You need the right plan — and sometimes the right plan is to wait.”
I spent eight years in the Marines before mortgages found me. The easy files taught me the basics. The hard files taught me the business.
The loans that stuck with me were the ones other loan officers turned down because the file needed more time, more creativity, or a better understanding of the fine print.
This site is built for people who are still researching, still comparing, or still trying to figure out what is realistic. Use the tools as long as you need. When you want a real set of eyes on the scenario, send it to me and I’ll give you an honest read.
Useful from your very first question.
Most people are not ready to apply the first time they visit. That is fine. Use the calculators, compare your options, stress-test the monthly payment, and come back whenever you want.