Real Estate DeskIssue #12 · Jul 9
When to refinance, when to sit still, and how to know the difference.
A one-page decision framework for the rate environment you're actually in — not the one Twitter is telling you about.
The old rule of thumb — refi when rates drop 1% — was built for a different world. The real test is break-even: divide the total closing cost by the monthly savings, and if you're staying in the house longer than that number of months, refinance. If you're not, don't.
The other question nobody asks: are you resetting a 30-year clock you're seven years into? Sometimes the right answer is a shorter-term refi at the same rate, not a lower rate on a longer term.