Disclosures

This payment calculator is provided by Zach Taylor Real Estate and Colten Mortgage for general informational and educational purposes. The following disclosures apply to all results it produces.

1. Estimate only — not a commitment to lend

Outputs are estimates, not a Loan Estimate, pre-qualification, pre-approval, commitment to lend, rate lock, or offer to enter into any agreement. Final figures depend on credit approval, verified income and assets, property type and appraisal, occupancy, program guidelines, and final loan terms, and may differ materially.

2. Interest rate vs. APR

The calculator defaults the interest rate to a recent U.S. national average for the selected loan type, based on daily Optimal Blue® Mortgage Market Indices for conforming, FHA, and VA loans, and lets you edit it. This is a market average provided for estimation only; it is not a rate quote, offer, lock, or guarantee, and your actual rate will differ based on your credit, loan details, and the lender's pricing at the time. The rate shown is a nominal "note rate," not an Annual Percentage Rate (APR). APR expresses the cost of credit as a yearly rate that includes certain finance charges and is generally higher than the note rate. A Loan Estimate from your lender will disclose the APR for an actual loan offer. Rate data is obtained through the FRED® API; this product uses the FRED® API but is not endorsed or certified by the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis (see the FRED® API Terms of Use).

3. Estimated property taxes and homeowners insurance

Property taxes are estimated by applying the selected county's typical effective property tax rate — the county's median annual tax bill as a percentage of median home value, compiled from public county records — to the home price. Actual taxes are set by the county assessor and vary by property, taxing district, exemptions (such as homestead exemptions), assessment practices, and reassessment. In a small number of counties where no county-level figure was available, the state median is used and the calculator says so. Homeowners insurance is estimated at approximately 0.4% of the home price per year; your actual premium will vary, so obtain a quote from a licensed insurance provider. Amounts shown do not include closing costs, prepaids, or escrow reserves.

4. HOA dues

Homeowners association dues default to $0 because most resale properties' dues vary by community. If the property has an HOA, enter its actual annual dues; the calculator shows the annual amount divided by twelve. Dues are set by the applicable association and are subject to change.

5. Mortgage insurance by program

Conventional: Private mortgage insurance (PMI) generally applies when the down payment is under 20% and is removable as the loan reaches 20%–22% equity under applicable rules. PMI rates vary by credit score and loan-to-value.

FHA: Includes an Upfront Mortgage Insurance Premium (UFMIP) of 1.75% of the base loan amount, financed into the loan, plus an annual Mortgage Insurance Premium (MIP) paid monthly. Annual MIP depends on the loan term, loan amount, and loan-to-value: for standard-balance 30-year loans it is 0.55% (or 0.50% with 5% or more down), 15-year terms run 0.15%–0.40%, and high-balance loans (base loan above $726,200) run 0.65%–0.75%; this calculator auto-sets the applicable tier and lets you override it. With less than 10% down, MIP generally remains for the life of the loan; with 10% or more down, it ends after 11 years. FHA loans are also subject to county loan limits set by HUD. The 2026 one-unit floor is $541,287; many counties served by this tool — including the Nashville-area counties in Tennessee, the Atlanta- and Athens-area counties in Georgia, a number of Florida counties, the Charleston- and Hilton Head–area counties in South Carolina, the Denver-metro and mountain-resort counties in Colorado, and every Hawaii county — have higher limits, and the calculator applies the 2026 limit for the county you select and warns when a scenario's base loan exceeds it.

VA: Includes a one-time VA funding fee, financed into the loan, and no monthly mortgage insurance. The fee varies by down payment and whether it is first or subsequent use, and is waived for many veterans receiving VA disability compensation and certain other borrowers.

USDA: USDA Rural Development guaranteed loans allow 0% down and include a one-time upfront guarantee fee of 1.00% of the loan amount, typically financed into the loan, plus an annual fee of 0.35% of the outstanding principal balance, paid monthly for the life of the loan (this calculator estimates the monthly amount from the starting balance; the actual fee is recalculated each year as the balance declines). Eligibility requires a property located in a USDA-designated rural area and household income within program limits for the county; verify a specific address with the USDA eligibility tool. Fee levels reflect USDA fiscal-year 2026 and are subject to change.

Program figures are current as of June 2026 and are subject to change by HUD/FHA, the VA, investors, and applicable agencies.

6. Your right to choose a lender (RESPA)

Advertisement — joint marketing. Zach Taylor Real Estate and Colten Mortgage are separate, independent companies, and this co-branded website is a joint marketing arrangement between them. Zach Taylor Real Estate is not a mortgage lender or broker and does not take loan applications; Colten Mortgage does not provide real estate brokerage services.

You are not required to use Colten Mortgage as a condition of buying or selling a home with Zach Taylor Real Estate. You may shop for and choose any lender. Any business arrangement, marketing relationship, or incentive between the brokerage and the lender does not obligate you to use the lender, and you should compare offers from multiple lenders.

7. Not a government agency

Colten Mortgage and Zach Taylor Real Estate are private companies and are not acting on behalf of, or at the direction of, FHA, the VA, HUD, USDA, or any other government agency. FHA, VA, and USDA loans are government-backed loan programs, but this tool and these companies are not government entities and this site is not a government website.

8. Equal Housing Opportunity

Colten Mortgage is an Equal Housing Lender. We do business in accordance with the Federal Fair Housing Law and the Equal Credit Opportunity Act, and do not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, sex, marital status, familial status, disability, age, because income derives from a public assistance program, or because of the good-faith exercise of any right under the Consumer Credit Protection Act.

9. Licensing

Colten Mortgage is a division of All Western Mortgage, Inc., Corporate NMLS #14210. Lending products are subject to credit and property approval, are not available in all states or areas, and program availability and terms are subject to change without notice. Verify licensing via NMLS Consumer Access (www.nmlsconsumeraccess.org). Zach Taylor Real Estate is a licensed real estate brokerage; real estate brokerage services are provided by Zach Taylor Real Estate, not by Colten Mortgage, and mortgage lending services are provided by Colten Mortgage, not by Zach Taylor Real Estate.

10. Data sources and currency

County property tax estimates reflect county median effective tax rates compiled from public records as of 2026. FHA county loan limits are the 2026 one-unit limits published by HUD. The default interest rate reflects market conditions as of the date shown next to the rate. Where a county-level tax figure was unavailable, a clearly labeled state-median estimate is used; confirm actual figures before relying on them.

11. USDA property eligibility checker

The USDA Property Eligibility Check on this site is an informational convenience, not an eligibility determination. It geocodes the address you enter with the U.S. Census Bureau geocoder and checks the resulting point against USDA Rural Development's published eligibility map service. Geocoding can be imprecise, particularly near eligibility boundaries; the published map data may lag official USDA designations; and USDA eligibility also depends on household income limits, property condition, occupancy, and other program rules. USDA and your lender make the final determination — verify any address on the official USDA eligibility site. Addresses you check are relayed to the government services above solely to produce the result and are not stored by this site.

12. Temporary buydowns (1/0, 2/1, 3/2/1)

A temporary buydown reduces your interest rate — and therefore your monthly principal and interest — for the first one to three years of the loan, after which the payment steps up to the full note-rate payment. A "3/2/1" reduces the rate by 3% in year one, 2% in year two, and 1% in year three; a "2/1" reduces it by 2% then 1%; a "1/0" reduces it by 1% in year one only. The reduction is funded up front by a one-time buydown amount that is held to cover the payment difference during the buydown period. Your loan is still underwritten and amortized at the full note rate, and qualification is based on that full rate — a temporary buydown does not permanently lower your interest rate or loan balance. The buydown cost and payments shown by this tool are estimates; actual amounts depend on final loan terms.