Real Estate & Mortgage
DTI Calculations With Foreign Income and Assets
Foreign rental income, foreign debts, and foreign down-payment funds affect your mortgage DTI differently than lenders' marketing pages suggest.
First-Time Homebuyer Programs Immigrants Qualify For
Most first-time homebuyer assistance checks your SSN, work authorization, and legal residency, not citizenship. Here's what's realistically open to you.
Can H1B Holders Get a Conventional Mortgage?
H1B holders qualify for conventional and jumbo mortgages on the same terms as U.S. citizens, including rental properties. Sourced from Fannie Mae's guide.
Why HELOC Interest Works Differently Than a Mortgage
Variable rates, interest-only draw periods, and IRS deductibility rules that don't apply to your first mortgage — with the real dollar difference shown.
How to Qualify for a HELOC as an Immigrant Homeowner
The combined loan-to-value formula lenders actually use to size your HELOC, plus how visa status, ITINs, and EAD self-employment change what you get.
ITIN Mortgage Loans: Buy a Home Without an SSN
ITIN mortgage loans let you buy a home using an IRS-issued taxpayer number instead of a Social Security number, at a real cost. Here's how they work.
The 'Mostly Interest in Early Years' Mortgage Myth
Amortization really does front-load interest, but that fact gets used to justify the wrong conclusion. Here's the actual math on early extra payments.
Prepay Your Mortgage or Invest the Extra Cash?
Extra mortgage payments earn a guaranteed, risk-free return equal to your rate. Investing earns an uncertain but historically higher one. Here's the math.
Renting vs. Buying on a Visa: The Math Changes
The standard 5-year rule of thumb for buying a home assumes you control your own timeline. On a work visa, you often don't — here's how to adjust it.
The Case for Skipping an HOA: What It Costs You
The real math on HOA dues as opportunity cost and reduced mortgage eligibility, plus the condo-financing risk immigrant buyers hit: non-warrantable buildings.
What to Do After Signing Your Home Purchase Contract
The inspection, appraisal, and financing deadlines that decide whether you keep your earnest money, plus fund-sourcing paperwork for money from abroad.
What to Do Before You Start House Shopping
The gap between what you think you qualify for and what you actually get preapproved for can run into six figures. Here's what to line up first.
When Should You Refinance as an H1B/Green Card Holder?
The break-even math on refinancing, plus visa-specific timing traps — job changes, EAD gaps, and DTI shifts — that can sink an approval mid-process.