08/11/2026
Here’s the actual math behind this reel 👇
Take a $1M home with 20% down, leaving an $800K, 30-year mortgage. At 6.75%, principal + interest is about $5,189/month. At 6.125%, it’s about $4,861/month, a difference of roughly $328 every month. That works out to about $59K over 15 years and $118K over 30 years if the loan is held for that long.
And 20% down is not mandatory. Eligible Fannie Mae programs offer financing with as little as 3% down, while FHA loans can go as low as 3.5% down. With less than 20% down, you’ll typically have mortgage insurance and a larger loan balance, so the total monthly cost needs to be evaluated properly.
For perspective, on that same $1M example, 3% down would mean a $970K loan. Comparing 6.75% versus 6.125% on that balance changes principal + interest by about $398/month, before PMI, taxes, insurance or other costs.
The point isn’t that everyone gets the same number. It’s that you may have more options, and more money available to work with, than you think. DM RATE and we’ll run your actual numbers.