Worksheet
Compare two mortgage offers side by side before a lower rate, lower payment, or lower cash-to-close number gets too much power. The goal is not to crown a lender automatically; it is to make the tradeoffs visible.
Side-by-side offers
Lender option
Loan structure
Use the loan amount, not the home price.
Years on the loan.
Days the rate is locked.
Rate and payment
The note rate.
Use this to spot cost hidden behind the rate.
Principal and interest only.
Enter 0 if none.
Include escrow if shown.
Closing and five-year view
Origination and lender-controlled fees.
Credits reducing cash due.
Loan Estimate cash-to-close number.
From page 3 comparisons.
Principal reduction in the same section.
Lender option
Loan structure
Use the loan amount, not the home price.
Years on the loan.
Initial fixed-rate period.
Days the rate is locked.
Rate and payment
The note rate.
Use this to spot cost hidden behind the rate.
Principal and interest only.
Enter 0 if none.
Include escrow if shown.
Closing and five-year view
Origination and lender-controlled fees.
Credits reducing cash due.
Loan Estimate cash-to-close number.
From page 3 comparisons.
Principal reduction in the same section.
Comparison lens
Comparison memo
Monthly gap
$109
Offer B has the lower total monthly payment.
Cash-to-close gap
$6,500
Offer A needs less cash at closing.
5-year cost gap
$8,240
Offer B shows the lower five-year borrowing cost.
Structure
Review
Normalize structure before relying on the result.
Side-by-side comparison
A highlighted row is not always the final decision. It shows which offer leads on that specific metric.
Different product structures should be normalized before price decides too much.
Offer A
Fixed-rate
Offer B
ARM (7 yr intro)
Offer A
$450,000
Offer B
$450,000
Offer A
30 years
Offer B
30 years
Offer A
6.5%
Offer B
6.13%
Offer A
6.72%
Offer B
6.45%
Offer A
$2,844
Offer B
$2,735
Offer A
$0
Offer B
$0
Offer A
$12,400
Offer B
$18,900
Offer A
$102,400
Offer B
$108,900
Calculated as total paid in five years minus principal paid in five years.
Offer A
$143,240
Offer B
$135,000
Offer A
45 days
Offer B
45 days
Use this before letting a headline rate or payment decide the whole mortgage choice.
1
Enter matching offer details
Keep loan amount, term, and product type aligned when possible so the comparison is not distorted.
2
Choose the decision lens
A lower payment, lower cash to close, and lower five-year cost can point to different offers.
3
Use the memo to ask better questions
Before choosing, confirm lender costs, credits, lock terms, prepaid items, escrow assumptions, and ARM risk.
This tool compares two mortgage offers across payment, APR, lender-controlled costs, cash to close, and five-year borrowing cost.
Mortgage offers often move cost between rate, points, credits, prepaid items, and cash due at closing. A side-by-side view makes those tradeoffs easier to see.
The stronger fit is based on the numbers and priority you entered. Treat it as a comparison read, not an automatic instruction to accept a loan.
This worksheet does not verify lender disclosures, predict underwriting, compare every tax or escrow detail, or replace lender, legal, tax, insurance, or financial advice.
Offer comparison notes