About NexStepHome
What Next Step is
Next Step (NexStepHome) is a free tool for people who are weighing a home purchase and want to understand the real numbers before they commit. It lets you build out side-by-side scenarios — different homes, down payments, loan types, and rates — and see how each one actually plays out over the life of the loan.
It was built out of a simple frustration: most online mortgage calculators stop at a single monthly payment. Real decisions involve trade-offs — fixed versus adjustable, paying points to buy down a rate, making extra payments, the drag of PMI and property taxes. Next Step is meant to make those trade-offs visible and comparable.
What it models
- Fixed & ARM loans — including the worst-case payment path for adjustable-rate mortgages under your own rate assumptions.
- Discount points and their effect on cash-to-close.
- PMI, applied automatically below 20% down and dropped at 80% LTV.
- Taxes, insurance, and HOA dues rolled into the monthly carrying cost.
- Extra payments — monthly, annual lump sums, and biweekly schedules — with the interest and time they save.
- Full amortization tables and a side-by-side comparison view.
Who makes it
Next Step is an independent project, built and maintained by a small team that cares about clear, honest financial tools. We don't sell your data, and the calculator works fully as a guest — signing in with Google is purely an optional convenience.
A note on accuracy
Every figure here is a planning estimate. Taxes and insurance are held flat, ARM paths follow the assumptions you enter, and PMI uses the standard 80%-LTV rule. None of it is financial advice — always confirm real numbers with your lender before making a decision.
Get in touch
Questions, corrections, or feedback are welcome — see our Contact page.