References
Everything explained in one place: short guides with a live calculator attached, a plain-language glossary, and the methodology behind every number this site produces.
Guides
Each one answers a single question and embeds the calculator, preset to the scenario being explained — so you can change the numbers to yours while you read.
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What PMI is, what it costs, and how to get rid of it
Why lenders charge it below 20% down, what your credit score does to the price, and the two dates it can come off.
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15-year vs 30-year: the real trade-off
The monthly increase against the lifetime interest saved, priced on a live scenario you can change.
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Minimum down payment in Canada, by price
The 5% / 10% / 20% tiers, what they mean at $500k, $800k and $1.5M, and how the CMHC premium changes your loan.
Methodology
- How we calculate every number — the formulas, the two places the US and Canada genuinely differ, where the data comes from, and what we do not model yet.
- The rate feed — the current published averages this site uses, with their observation dates and sources.
Glossary
13 terms in plain language, for both markets. Read the full glossary or jump straight to one: