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VA loan fees, mortgage comparisons, and neighborhood research before you buy.
Buying a home is the largest financial decision most people ever make, and an astonishing amount of it gets decided on vibes. The house felt right, the payment seemed okay, the lender said it was fine. I am not against trusting your gut about the house itself. But the financing deserves cold arithmetic, because a quarter point here and a fee there compound into tens of thousands over 30 years.
If you are buying with a VA loan, start with the funding fee, because it is the most misunderstood line item in the process. First-time VA borrowers with no down payment pay 2.15 percent of the loan amount, which on a $400,000 loan is $8,600. Most buyers roll it into the loan without a second thought. But veterans with a service-connected disability rating are exempt entirely, and many eligible buyers never realize it. The VA funding fee calculator handles the exemption logic and shows the finance-versus-pay-cash tradeoff in real dollars.
Before you sign, model life after closing too. That escrow estimate in your loan disclosure is a guess, and when the real tax bill arrives your payment can jump $200 a month overnight. The escrow calculator shows you both repayment options so a shortage letter never blindsides you. And the recast calculator is worth running on day one: if you expect a bonus, RSU vest, or sale proceeds in the next few years, knowing you can drop a lump sum and recalculate the payment changes how you think about the loan.
One more move that costs nothing: research the ZIP code before you fall in love with the house. Tax rates, price trends, and commute math vary enormously within a single metro. The ZIP code database gives you the raw geographic data to sanity-check the listing agent's pitch.
A final word on timing: run these numbers before you fall in love with a house, not after. Pre-approval tells you what a lender will lend you, but these calculators tell you what you should actually spend and what the loan will really cost. Buyers who do the math first negotiate harder, waive less, and sleep better after closing. The house will still be there after a weekend of arithmetic.
Estimate your VA loan funding fee, including disability exemptions.
Open the tool →Compare recasting vs refinancing vs extra payments on your mortgage.
Open the tool →Your escrow went up? Model lump-sum vs spread repayment options.
Open the tool →Estimate savings from appealing your property tax assessment.
Open the tool →For first-time VA borrowers with no down payment, it is 2.15 percent of the loan amount. With a 5 percent or larger down payment it drops. Veterans with a service-connected disability rating are fully exempt. On a $400,000 loan, the difference between paying the fee and being exempt is $8,600.
Financing it preserves cash for moving costs and reserves but means paying interest on the fee for 30 years. At 6.5 percent, an $8,600 fee financed costs about $12,000 in total. If your emergency fund can absorb paying cash without going thin, cash usually wins.
Recasting means paying a lump sum toward principal, after which your lender recalculates a lower monthly payment while keeping your rate and term. It typically costs about $250. It makes sense when you receive a windfall after buying and want payment relief without refinancing costs.