Trevor Higgins | Loan Officer (@trevmortgage)

A one-bedroom apartment: $1,800. A private bedroom with its own bathroom: $1,000. That gap is why co-living works. It's not a loophole. It's the affordable housing shortage in most major metros, and a room with a private bath is a real answer to it for a nurse, a city employee, a kid out of…

Two years ago this changed and most buyers still don't know. Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac now allow as little as 5% down on a 2-, 3- or 4-unit property if you live in one of the units. It used to be 15–25%. Buy a duplex, live on one side, rent the other. That's house hacking with a conventional…

Nobody goes full throttle without knowing the car, the corners, and the plan. 🏁 Buying a home works the same way. Before you start touring houses, get clear on three numbers: ▪️ A monthly payment you’re comfortable with ▪️ The cash you’ll need to close ▪️ What you’ll have left in reserves…

Conventional loans won't let you close in an LLC. DSCR loans will, from day one. Second thing most people don't know: the majority of DSCR loans don't report to your personal credit. So when you go to buy your next primary residence, that rental mortgage isn't sitting in your debt ratios. I'm not…

By the time I bought my fifth house, my second one was paying for it. I call it the snowball. Once a few properties have built equity, that equity funds the next purchase, and the amount of your own cash going into each deal drops toward zero. Tenants paying down the loan and the market doing the…

The lowest rate isn’t always the best move. When it comes to a mortgage, the rate matters—but so does the bigger picture. Your monthly payment, upfront costs, loan terms, and long-term goals all deserve a spot in the conversation. The goal isn’t just to find a rate that looks good on paper. It’s…

Nobody gave me a green light to start. Nobody will give you one either. You don't have to be the smartest guy in the room. You don't have to know the whole industry on day one. You have to be willing to learn, and you have to outwork the people who already know more than you. That's it. That's the…

Have you heard of co-living? By renting out individual bedrooms, you can tackle high housing costs while maximizing your investment. With average rents skyrocketing, it’s an affordable solution that’s here to stay. Ready to dive into this strategy?

Every landlord has the same enemy. It isn't tenants, taxes or repairs. It's an empty room. I own a co-living rental. The thing I've learned is that the member experience decides how long people stay, and a conversion almost never gets you a bathroom for every bedroom. Purpose-built does. Fewer…

You own a co-living rental. It's full. The market crashes. What happens? If the rent still covers the payment and you have reserves: not much. You don't have to sell a cash-flowing property because the number on Zillow went down. And when people get squeezed, demand for a $1,000 room with its own…

He house hacked five times. I only did three. If I didn't have kids, I'd still be doing it. Moving every couple of years gets harder once there's a family involved. The strategy doesn't stop working; your tolerance for packing boxes does. So if you're single or it's just the two of you: this is…

Your home’s sale price gets all the attention. Your net proceeds do the real work. 💡 Before you buy your next place, find out what you’ll actually walk away with, then plan for three things: 🏡 Down payment, which can also change your mortgage insurance and pricing 🧾 Closing costs, so your savings…

Early in lending, a low appraisal would wreck my whole week. What changed: figuring out what I actually control. I can't control the appraiser. I can't stop a buyer from financing a new car two weeks before closing. What I can control is how early I have the hard conversation, and how well I've…

Owned a house 10 years ago and sold it? You're a first-time homebuyer again. The definition most programs use: no ownership interest in a primary residence in the past 3 years. That reopens first-time buyer programs, lower down payments and down payment assistance, including on multi-unit…

Six numbers. In this order. Skip one and you bought a bill with a tenant in it. 1. Rent ÷ price. Around 1% = keep going. 2. Real rent. Three comps that LEASED in 90 days, not asking rents. 3. Full payment. Principal, interest, taxes, insurance, HOA. 4. What's not in the payment. Vacancy (1…

I tried flipping. I lost a lot of money. That doesn't make flipping wrong. Plenty of people do it well. It just wasn't my strategy, and it took losing money to learn that I don't have to run everybody's playbook. The thing that actually changed my results was surrounding myself with people who'd…

Your CPA hates me at the end of a conventional investor loan. 400 pages of tax returns. Blood samples. Hair samples. A DSCR loan skips all of it. No W-2s, no tax returns, no personal income review. We underwrite one thing: does the rent cover the mortgage payment? Credit score still matters, but…

I’m no mind reader. 🔮 But I do know that guessing doesn’t work for a home purchase either. A mortgage shouldn’t be about quoting a rate and hoping it fits. It should be about understanding your options, building a plan, and creating opportunities, whether you’re buying your first home, adding to…

I rented out two bedrooms in my first house before "co-living" was a word. Buy a 3- or 4-bedroom, rent a couple of rooms, and it's realistic to cover 50, 60, 80% of the payment. Some people cover all of it. I didn't plan it. It just worked, and it still works in Charlotte today. That house became…

I've done commercial. I've done land development. I've tried most of it. If you're new and want in, I still don't think there's a better way to start than hopping houses and renting rooms. Co-living keeps the property cash-flowing after you move to the next one. That's not theory. It's exactly…

Your agent might be giving you the wrong advice! 🤔 Instead of asking for a lower price, consider a credit. It can cover closing costs and lower your monthly payment more than just $100. Let's chat about your best option!

Some people race cars. I race to get your file to clear to close. 🏎️ Call me first and I’ll take care of the rest.

Before you fall in love with 37 houses, calculate a payment that may not tell the whole story, and mentally move into a house you haven’t toured yet… let’s talk numbers first. A quick conversation can make the house hunt a whole lot easier.

Want to cut your mortgage rate? Make sure you know what that lower number is costing you. A lower rate can look great on paper, but it may come with points or additional upfront costs. That’s why comparing only the interest rate doesn’t always tell you which option makes the most sense. Look at…

When she didn’t get approved and suddenly I’m emotionally invested too. Not every mortgage conversation ends with an immediate “yes.” Sometimes there are a few things we need to work on first. The good news? Not approved today doesn’t always mean not approved forever. Let’s figure out what needs…

Your tax return can tell a lender more than you might think. When you’re applying for a mortgage, especially if you’re self-employed or have income that isn’t a straightforward salary, your tax returns can play an important role in determining qualifying income. And here’s where buyers can get…

A little weekend fun! #racecar #race #speed

A lower rate is only half the refinance math. 👇 Check your loan type. Investment loans like DSCR often carry prepayment penalties, while most conventional, FHA, and VA loans don’t. Find your break-even. Divide your closing costs by your monthly savings to see how long it takes the refi to pay off…

Client: “How many days are you available?” Me: Yes. Weekday question? I got you. Weekend question? Probably still got you. Because homebuying doesn’t always happen neatly between 9 and 5.

I’m doing great, thanks for asking. Oh wait… you wanted the interest rate.