7 Strategies to Choose Between a Float Down Option vs Rate Lock
Choosing between a float down option vs rate lock is a fit problem, not a market-timing guess. This guide walks through seven strategies, from matching your lock period to your real closing timeline to aligning the tool with your cash position, budget tolerance, and borrower profile.
How to Complete a Home Loan Estimate Request Form and Compare Your Options with Confidence
This guide walks you through completing a home loan estimate request form as the first strategy step in your mortgage, not a rate hunt. You’ll learn what to gather, which decision to test (points, loan term, or program fit), and how to read the standardized Loan Estimate you receive within three business days.
7 Strategies to Use Down Payment Assistance Programs by State Without Overpaying Long-Term
Down payment assistance programs by state can close a cash gap, but some are second liens or raise your first mortgage rate. This guide from licensed mortgage broker Duane Buziak walks through seven strategies for choosing the structure that fits how long you plan to stay, so you see the long-term cost before you sign.
Property Tax Escrow Shortage Adjustment: What It Means and How to Handle It
A property tax escrow shortage adjustment is a timing correction, not a penalty, but it raises your monthly payment. This guide explains why shortages happen, how servicers calculate them, and the math behind paying in one lump sum versus spreading it over 12 months, so you can choose based on your cash position and your next loan.
15-Year vs. 30-Year Mortgage: The Real Total Cost Difference
A practical guide to total cost difference between a 15-year and 30-year.
How to Use a NoTouch Credit Pull: What It Is and How It Works Step by Step
This step-by-step guide explains the NoTouch Credit Pull and how does it work, from what it is and what it does to your score to what information comes back and when a full credit check enters the process. Duane Buziak (NMLS #1110647) shows how it serves as the first move in a program-fit strategy, so you can explore which mortgage programs suit you without a hard inquiry.
Non QM Versus Jumbo Financing: Which Fits?
Compare non QM versus jumbo financing by income, documentation, down payment, reserves, and long-term goals to choose a mortgage strategy that fits you.
How to Read a Loan Estimate Form: A Step-by-Step Walkthrough for Comparing Loan Structures
This step-by-step walkthrough shows you how to read a loan estimate form, from confirming the basics on page 1 to weighing costs against how long you plan to keep the home. Mortgage broker Duane Buziak turns the three-page document into a practical decision tool, so you can judge whether a loan’s structure truly fits your plans.
Earnest Money Deposit Refund Conditions: When You Get It Back and When You Don’t
Whether your deposit comes back depends on your contract’s contingencies and deadlines, not on good intentions. This guide explains the earnest money deposit refund conditions that protect you, the mistakes that forfeit your deposit, and how to choose your level of risk deliberately before you make an offer.
7 Strategies to Choose Between a Correspondent Lender and a Direct Lender (and Why a Broker Changes the Math)
Choosing between a correspondent lender vs direct lender comes down to program access, underwriting rules, closing control and total cost rather than the label. This guide walks through seven strategies for matching your loan to the right channel, with a worked dollar example, a program-fit comparison and a look at where an independent broker changes the math.