Path 01
Pre-Qualify.
A ten-minute conversation. We pull a rate range based on what you tell us, compare against your current loan, and tell you whether the breakeven math could work.
Start the conversation →Refinance is the most over-marketed product in mortgage. We don't recommend it unless the numbers say to. If the breakeven works, we run the file. If it doesn't, we tell you that too.
No commitment, no hard pull. Pick the door that fits where you are - quick check, formal estimate, or run-the-numbers tool.
A ten-minute conversation. We pull a rate range based on what you tell us, compare against your current loan, and tell you whether the breakeven math could work.
Start the conversation →The official document. Real rate, real fees, real terms - backed by verified income, credit, and equity. The number you can plan with and that we can hold during application.
Apply with the studio →Your existing loan against today's rates. Breakeven months, total interest saved, monthly payment difference - taxes and insurance factored in. No email gate.
Open the calculator →Closing costs are real. Rate drops alone don't justify a refi. Before we open a file, we work these four numbers with you on the phone.
Your current rate vs. what you'd qualify for today. A 0.5% drop on a $500K loan is roughly $150/month - but the math depends on the size of the loan, the remaining term, and the closing costs.
A refi has real friction: origination, title, appraisal, escrow setup. Lender credits can offset some of it, but those credits raise the rate. We'll quote it both ways.
Closing costs ÷ monthly savings = months to break even. If you'll be in the home longer than the breakeven, the refi pays off. Shorter, and it doesn't.
Rate reduction is one reason. Cash-out for renovation or investment is another. Removing PMI, switching from ARM to fixed, shortening the term - all legitimate. None of them are "because rates dropped."
We don't push refinances. If the math doesn't work, we say so on the first call. If it does, we run the file. A refi is a tool - not a product we're trying to sell you.
The standard refinance. Replace your existing first-lien rate, term, or both, without taking equity out of the property. The most common reason: rates have moved enough since you closed that the breakeven math works.
Less common but just as valid: shortening the term. Moving from a 30-year to a 15-year fixed can dramatically reduce total interest paid over the life of the loan - and often raises monthly payment less than people expect, because 15-year rates are typically lower than 30-year.
We'll model both scenarios - keep the term, shorten the term - and show you the lifetime interest cost on each before you decide.
Replace your existing first lien with a larger one and take the difference in cash at closing. The cash is technically a loan - secured by your home - and the rate applies to the full new loan balance, not just the cash-out portion.
Use cases that justify the math: major renovation (improves the asset), debt consolidation (when high-interest unsecured debt makes a mortgage-rate trade compelling), education, and investment redeployment. We're less enthusiastic about cash-out for consumption - vacations, cars, lifestyle - because the rate trade rarely pencils.
Most conventional cash-out refis cap at 80% LTV on primary residence. VA cash-out can go higher for eligible borrowers. Investment property cash-out has tighter LTV limits and higher pricing.
A streamlined refinance for existing FHA borrowers. The "streamline" refers to reduced documentation and - in most cases - no new appraisal. That makes it one of the fastest refinance paths in mortgage when rates drop.
The tradeoffs: it's only available to existing FHA borrowers, the loan must result in a "net tangible benefit" (typically a meaningful payment reduction), and you can't take cash out beyond minor escrow refunds. Mortgage insurance continues - both upfront (often partially refunded from your existing MIP) and monthly.
For FHA borrowers in a lower-rate market, this is usually the most efficient path to a lower payment.
The VA's Interest Rate Reduction Refinance Loan - the VA equivalent of the FHA Streamline. Available to existing VA borrowers and arguably the most efficient refinance product available to any homeowner in America.
Streamlined documentation. No appraisal in most cases. No income or employment verification. The loan must reduce the interest rate (or move from an ARM to a fixed-rate loan) and meet the VA's net tangible benefit test.
VA charges a reduced funding fee on IRRRLs (typically 0.5% of the loan amount, financed), and many disabled veterans are exempt from the funding fee entirely. For VA borrowers in a lower-rate market, this is the right tool.
Refinancing a jumbo loan - or refinancing a conforming loan into a jumbo because of cash-out - requires the same considered underwriting as a jumbo purchase. Credit, reserves, and income are examined in depth. Pricing is sharper for stronger files.
Jumbo refis pencil most clearly when there's a meaningful rate gap, a structural change (ARM to fixed, term shortening), or a significant equity withdrawal that's well-positioned (renovation, asset purchase, business capital). For high-balance loans, even small rate improvements move large dollar amounts.
This is where the studio model earns its keep. Jumbo refi files often involve pledged assets, deferred compensation, or complex liquidity structures. We build the file by hand.
A refi is a tool. We use it when the file calls for it. We don't sell it because rates moved an eighth.
Twenty minutes on the phone. Your current loan, today's rates, your timeline in the home. We'll tell you honestly whether a refi is worth opening a file for.