ERIC HAMILTON | MORTGAGES REIMAGINED

My first home plan

Private educational draft. Company review pending. Not a loan approval or certified education program.

Six lessons. One plan you understand.

Use this alongside the first home class. The worksheet is for your own thinking. All examples are hypothetical.

My three numbers

Comfortable monthly housing payment

Estimated total cash used to buy

Cash I want left afterward

LESSON 1

Choose the payment before the house

An approval tells you what may be possible. Your budget tells you what feels comfortable.

Think of a mortgage payment as one passenger in your monthly budget. It needs room alongside other obligations, saving and the way you want to live. Start by writing a comfortable housing range. Then write a number that would feel too tight.

The whole housing picture includes principal, interest, property taxes, insurance and any HOA dues or mortgage insurance. An advertisement showing only principal and interest is not your full budget. The payment tool lets you put those pieces together.

Illustration: $2,000 principal and interest + $600 taxes + $150 homeowners insurance + $100 mortgage insurance + $50 HOA = $2,900 a month.

My next step

Write your comfortable monthly range and one financial goal that must still fit beside it. Then change the tax and insurance assumptions in the payment tool.

What I want to ask Eric

Reference: CFPB consumer education. Checked September 16, 2026.

LESSON 2

Give your cash three jobs

Cash to buy. Cash for costs. Cash that stays yours.

A down payment is only one part of the purchase cash. Your closing figures may also include loan and settlement costs, prepaid expenses and an initial escrow deposit. Deposits already paid and applicable credits can reduce what remains due.

Draw three boxes: money used for the purchase, other closing amounts, and cash remaining afterward. Ask which quoted total includes which box. Do not count earnest money twice or assume a credit can pay any expense without limits.

Illustration: $50,000 available minus $35,000 total cash used for the purchase leaves $15,000. That remaining cash has a job too.

My next step

Use the downloadable workbook to record estimated cash used and the amount you want left. Confirm final figures on the Closing Disclosure.

What I want to ask Eric

Reference: CFPB consumer education. Checked September 16, 2026.

LESSON 3

Build your starting point

Replace guesses with a conversation and verified information.

A Discovery Call starts with your goals, timing and questions. It is not a credit decision. A later application and document review can help the lender evaluate specific options. Ask what any preapproval has actually reviewed and what conditions remain.

Check your credit reports for errors and discuss your income, debts and source of funds through an approved secure process. Before a major purchase, new credit account or job change during a loan process, ask how it could affect the plan. Do not email sensitive documents or upload them to this education site.

A useful question is: What has been verified, what is still assumed, and what could change before closing? A label alone does not answer those three questions.

My next step

Write your target timing and the questions you want answered before looking at homes. Keep account numbers and documents out of this workbook.

What I want to ask Eric

Reference: CFPB consumer education. Checked September 16, 2026.

LESSON 4

Look past the rate

Compare the whole offer on the same footing.

A lower interest rate can come with a higher upfront cost. Start with matching loan amounts, terms and loan types. Then compare points, lender charges, credits, total payment and cash to close. Ask whether each quote is locked and what assumptions it uses.

Use the points tool to screen how an added upfront cost compares with a payment change. Then ask about remaining balances, your planned time in the loan and what else you could do with the cash. The lowest displayed payment is not automatically the lowest cost.

Illustration: paying $3,000 more upfront for a $50 monthly payment reduction gives a simple screening period of 60 months. That does not account for every cost or future change.

My next step

Write three questions you would ask before accepting the lower rate. Use the CFPB Loan Estimate explainer to locate the items you want to compare.

What I want to ask Eric

Reference: CFPB consumer education. Checked September 16, 2026.

LESSON 5

Know what happens before the keys

Your offer, financing and closing need to work together.

Before making an offer, ask your real estate and lending team to review the property payment, cash needs and timing. Price is only one part of the decision. A property with a different tax bill or HOA can change the monthly picture.

Read the Closing Disclosure and compare it with what you expected. Ask about differences before signing. Discuss contract protections with your qualified real estate or legal professional. Verify payment instructions independently through a trusted contact before sending closing funds.

Two homes with the same price can have different monthly costs. Put the actual taxes, insurance and HOA estimates into each comparison before deciding which fits.

My next step

Write who you will contact about loan terms, contract questions and closing funds. Do not store wire instructions or account numbers here.

What I want to ask Eric

Reference: CFPB consumer education. Checked September 16, 2026.

LESSON 6

Keep your plan working after closing

The closing is a milestone. The plan keeps going.

Find the verified servicer contact and payment instructions in your loan documents and statements. The servicer handles billing and escrow. Keep your planning relationship with Eric for future mortgage decisions.

When the payment changes, compare the components before assuming your rate changed. When your goals change, review whether your mortgage still fits. Extra principal, a recast, a refinance or keeping the current loan may each deserve a different conversation.

Your first return visit could be simple: open the payment change guide when your escrow analysis arrives, then write down the one line you want explained.

My next step

Bookmark the customer library. Choose the topic you want to understand next: escrow, insurance, extra principal or your future move.

What I want to ask Eric

Reference: CFPB consumer education. Checked September 16, 2026.

Keep this worksheet private. Do not write account numbers, passwords or identifying financial details. Nothing entered on paper is sent to Eric.

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