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Own your home without getting squeezed.

Mortgage rates, refi math, and home equity strategies — all run against your real numbers. We show the break-even, not just the monthly payment.

See today's mortgage rates Estimate your tappable equity

Rates pulled from 30+ lenders, daily
We show the break-even, not the rate
No lender pays for placement

Bright modern house exterior at golden hour

30-yr fixed · today

6.38%

Down 0.15 bps since Friday

Start by intent

Pick the path that matches where you are

I'm buying my first home

Down payment, closing costs, pre-approval

I want to refinance

Break-even math + lender-shop checklist

I want to tap home equity

HEI vs. HELOC vs. cash-out refi

I'm investing in real estate

Rentals, house hacking, REITs

Featured · updated weekly

HEI vs. HELOC vs. cash-out refi — which one actually fits you?

Three ways to turn your home into cash. Each one hits a different part of your life. We ran the numbers across 8 household scenarios so you can spot yours.

HEI: no monthly payment — fits cash-tight homeowners with strong equity.
HELOC: flexible line — best for ongoing projects, not single lump sums.
Cash-out refi: resets your note — only wins if rates moved meaningfully in your favor.

Read the full comparison

HEI

$0/mo

Share of appreciation

HELOC

8.1%

Avg APR · variable

Cash-out refi

6.88% · resets 30-yr clock

Browse by category

Every homeowner move, organized

6 categories, each with tested lenders, honest trade-offs, and a calculator to pressure-test your assumptions.

Mortgages

Today's rates across 30+ lenders, break-even math, and our lender-shop checklist.

Browse category

Refinancing

When refi actually pays off — and when it just moves closing costs to your next decade.

Browse category

Home equity

HEI, HELOC, cash-out refi. Tap your equity without wrecking your cash flow.

Browse category

First-time buyer

Down payment programs, pre-approval scripts, and the costs nobody mentions at closing.

Browse category

Real estate investing

Rentals, house hacking, REITs. Which paths actually cashflow in 2026.

Browse category

Renovations & ROI

Which projects recoup their cost at resale — and which ones are just lifestyle spend.

Browse category

Hub tools

Calculators for homeowners

Mortgage payment calculator

Principal, interest, taxes, insurance — PMI included.

Refinance break-even

When do closing costs pay for themselves?

Home equity estimator

How much equity is actually tappable right now.

Rent vs. buy

5-year total cost, side-by-side for your zip.

Latest in Home

Fresh guides from the team

All home guides

Updated

Home · mortgages

When is refinancing actually worth it? 6 break-even rules that hold up.

Most refi calculators skip closing costs. Ours doesn't. Here's the math that decides if you should pull the trigger.

9 min readRead →

New

Home · home equity

Splitero review: Is a Home Equity Investment actually a good deal?

We modeled the full 30-year picture. HEI makes sense for a narrow band of homeowners — here's how to tell if you're in it.

12 min readRead →

Guide

Home · first-time buyer

The 14 closing costs nobody warned you about

Line-by-line breakdown on a real $425K purchase. Which fees are negotiable, which are set, and which are padding.

11 min readRead →

Market pulse

What we're tracking this week

Rates update daily; equity models refresh monthly.

30-yr fixed

6.38%

↓ 0.15 bps since Friday

15-yr fixed

5.71%

Flat week-over-week

HELOC avg APR

8.12%

Variable · prime + 0.61

Median home price

$418K

NAR · March 2026 existing-home

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