Finvest

Your guide to buying a home, from search to keys

From "are we ready?" to the keys in your hand: affordability, down payments, loan types, offers, inspections, closing costs, and the first year of owning, explained in plain English with calculators for your own numbers.

Start reading: Chapter 1

15 chapters · 7 calculators · 2026 figures · www.getfinvest.com

Educational material only. This guide is not individualized mortgage, tax, legal, or investment advice. Rates, limits, and program rules change; figures here reference 2026 rules with sources throughout.

Part I · Decide

Are you ready to buy?

The two questions that matter more than rates, a readiness scorecard, and the honest math on waiting for rates to drop.

Rent vs buy, the honest comparison

Owning's unrecoverable costs against renting's, the 5% shortcut, and the column nobody prices: flexibility.

What you can actually afford

The lender's 28/36 math, why the approval letter is a ceiling and not a target, and the budget that protects your savings rate.

The down payment decision

The 20% myth, what PMI really costs and when it ends, and the tradeoff between waiting and buying sooner.

Free money: assistance programs

1,600+ programs pay $5,000 to $35,000 toward down payments. Who qualifies, what the catches are, where to find them.

Part II · Finance the deal

The mortgage menu

Conventional, jumbo, FHA, VA, USDA, 15 vs 30, ARMs: every loan type decoded, with the 2026 limits.

Rates, points, and the art of shopping

Why the advertised rate is not your rate, how to compare Loan Estimates, and the breakeven math on discount points.

Part III · Find and win the house

Your team and the search

Hiring an agent under the new commission rules, pre-approval, and a search system built on comps instead of crushes.

Making the offer

Earnest money, contingencies, escalation clauses, appraisal gaps, and what each waiver actually risks in dollars.

Inspection and appraisal

Two exams with different masters: reading an inspection report without panic, and the playbook when the appraisal comes in low.

Part IV · Close and own

Closing: every cost, line by line

The 2–5%, itemized: lender fees, title, prepaids, transfer taxes, plus the wire-fraud warning that saves down payments.

The first year of owning

Escrow true-ups, reassessment, the 1% maintenance budget, and what not to do in year one.

Refinance, recast, and life after closing

When refinancing pays, the underused recast, extra-principal math, and how PMI actually comes off.

Part V · Special cases & playbook

Special situations

Condos and HOAs, new construction, co-buying, self-employed qualification, buying remotely, buying in retirement.

The playbook: timeline, checklists, numbers

The 6-month timeline as checklists, a 35-term glossary, and every 2026 number in one table.