Blog Articles - Tevis Durbin

The Right Debt Paydown Order Strengthens Your Mortgage Profile

The sequence in which you pay down debt before applying for a mortgage matters more than most buyers realize. Learn how credit utilization management and strategic debt paydown order can improve your credit score, lower your rate, and get you to closing faster.

A Seller-Paid 2-1 Buy-Down Goes Further for Most Buyers

A seller-paid 2-1 buy-down reduces your rate by two points in year one and one point in year two. Unused funds never disappear. Indiana buyers are using this tool to negotiate better monthly outcomes than a standard price reduction delivers.

Seller-Paid Rate Buy-Downs Save Indiana Buyers More Than Price Cuts

Most Indiana buyers negotiate a price reduction without knowing a seller-paid rate buy-down delivers more monthly savings at a lower cost to the seller. Here is the side-by-side math that changes how you write your next offer.

How Loan-Level Price Adjustments Shape Your Mortgage Cost

Your credit score doesn’t just determine whether you qualify for a conventional loan. It determines what you pay at closing. Loan-level price adjusters create real cost differences between score tiers, and a rapid rescore can close that gap in days.

Young Indiana Buyers Can Build Equity Without 2% Mortgage Rates

Young Indiana buyers are stuck comparing today’s rates to pandemic-era lows instead of running the real equity math. The rent vs. own tipping point arrives around year five to six, consistently worth $60,000 to $80,000 in real money. Here is what the numbers actually show.

New Construction Rate Locks Cost Hamilton County Buyers More Than They Expect

New construction timelines in Fishers and Westfield regularly run 12 to 14 months, but standard rate locks last 30 to 60 days. Here is what that gap costs buyers who are not prepared, and how to build a rate lock strategy before construction begins.

Pay Off Debt in This Order to Maximize Mortgage Buying Power

Most homebuyers pay off debt in the wrong order and shrink their mortgage approval without realizing it. Here is the sequencing strategy Tevis Durbin uses with buyers who have 12 to 18 months to prepare – and why it works where the avalanche method falls short.

Mortgage Recasting in Hamilton County Beats Extra Payments

Hamilton County homeowners with sub-4% rates have a powerful and underused option when a lump sum arrives: mortgage recasting. It lowers your monthly payment immediately without changing your rate or restarting your loan term. Here’s what the numbers actually look like.

The Conservative Appreciation Rate Keeps Rent vs Own Analysis Honest

A rent-versus-own analysis is only as reliable as the appreciation rate behind it. Tevis Durbin explains why he always uses the conservative forecasted number and what that honesty means for buyers in Fishers, Carmel, and across Hamilton County.