Short guides for New Hampshire buyers and homeowners
68 plain-language guides to the questions Tom hears most, each one a few minutes to read and written by a licensed loan officer.
Guides for each step, from first budget to owning
Just starting
Budget, pre-approval and who to work with
Shopping for a home
What a home really costs in New Hampshire
Under contract
From accepted offer to closing day
Already own a home
Refinancing, equity, PMI and tax bills
New and refreshed guides
InvestorsFix-and-flip and bridge loans
How short-term loans to buy and renovate an investment property work, what lenders look at, and how investors plan the exit.
InvestorsFinancing a short-term rental (Airbnb)
How lenders count Airbnb and VRBO income, Fannie Mae's 2026 rules, DSCR options and NH's meals and rooms license.
InvestorsInvestment property loans: conventional vs DSCR
How conventional loans count rent, the 10 financed property limit, reserves and gifts, and when a DSCR loan fits better.
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Buying a home
25 guidesFrom your first budget to the day you get the keys, including a move from Massachusetts.
First-time buyer guide for NH
Budget, programs, pre-approval and the New Hampshire costs to plan for.
Pre-approvalHow to get pre-approved in NH
Documents to gather, the steps and what happens after you apply.
The loan processWhat happens after you apply
Each step from application to closing day, and the disclosures you'll get along the way.
CreditCredit and your mortgage
Checking your reports, shopping lenders without extra hits, and avoiding surprises before closing.
Buying a homeMortgage denied? What to do next
Why loans get turned down, the notice and free credit report you're entitled to, and the steps that often lead to a yes.
Mortgage brokersMortgage broker vs. bank
How a broker differs from a bank or online lender, and how each is paid.
Buying a homeHow to choose a loan officer in NH
What a loan officer does, how to check a license, the questions to ask before you apply, and the warning signs to avoid.
Buying a homeHow to read a Loan Estimate
What each page of a Loan Estimate shows, which costs can change, where NH transfer tax appears and how to compare two offers.
Mortgage ratesNH mortgage rates explained
What moves mortgage rates, why your quote differs from the average you see online, and how to compare offers the right way.
Buying a homeRate locks explained
What a rate lock is, when you can lock, how long it lasts, what can undo it, and how it shows on your Loan Estimate.
The loan processFinancing contingency and earnest money
How your deposit, the financing contingency and the lender's commitment letter fit together between offer and closing.
Buying a homeIf the appraisal comes in low
What a low appraisal means for your loan, your options under contract, how to ask for a reconsideration of value, and FHA and VA protections.
The loan processClosing day in New Hampshire
What happens at a New Hampshire closing, what to bring, how to send your funds safely, and what comes after you get the keys.
Pre-approvalGetting a mortgage with a new job
How lenders look at a job change, a change in pay type, a job offer you haven't started yet, or a gap in work.
Buying a homeOvertime, bonus and commission income
How lenders count overtime, bonuses, commission, tips, a second job and seasonal work, and why a two-year history matters.
Buying a homeSelf-employed? How lenders count your income
How a traditional mortgage reads your tax returns when you own a business, the two-year history, and what to gather before you apply.
CreditBuying a home with student loans
How conventional, FHA and VA loans count student loan payments, including income-driven plans, deferment and loans someone else pays.
Buying a homeGetting a mortgage in retirement
How lenders count Social Security, pensions and retirement savings, and what to know about downsizing or moving to New Hampshire.
Buying a homeBuying a home from family
How a family sale works, what a gift of equity is, how loan programs treat sales between relatives, and the steps to closing.
RelocatingMoving from Massachusetts to NH
Taxes, town-by-town costs and buying before you sell.
Moving to NHMoving to New Hampshire checklist
License, registration, voting, taxes and home checks for your first months in NH.
SeacoastBuying on the NH Seacoast
Seacoast towns side by side, higher county loan limits, flood zones, beach condos and working at the Shipyard or Pease.
Buying a homeBuying a home in a New Hampshire winter
Inspections under snow, heating checks, winter appraisals, escrow holdbacks for repairs that wait for spring, and year-end tax bills.
Move-up buyersBuying before you sell
Ways to buy your next home first, and how lenders count the home you're leaving.
Assumable loansAssumable FHA and VA mortgages
How a buyer can take over a seller's FHA or VA loan, and how to cover the gap to the price.
For local businessesThe NH Business Hub
Free tools to share with your customers and a free Service Connect listing, whether or not you ever work with Tom.
Loan programs
14 guidesHow each loan program works in New Hampshire, who it tends to fit and the 2026 limits.
Compare NH loan programs side by side
Conventional, FHA, VA, USDA, NH Housing, jumbo and self-employed options in one table.
Conventional loansConventional loans in NH
What makes a loan conventional, the 2026 limits, mortgage insurance and how it compares with FHA.
FHA loansFHA loans in New Hampshire
How FHA loans work, with 2026 limits for southern NH counties.
VA loansVA loans in New Hampshire
Eligibility, the funding fee, VA appraisals and NH veterans' tax credits.
USDA loansUSDA loans in southern NH
Who qualifies, how the income limits work and how to check an address.
Down payment helpNH Housing down payment help
How NH Housing programs work, who they may fit and how to apply.
Loan limits2026 conforming and jumbo limits in NH
Where a conforming loan ends and a jumbo begins, by county.
Jumbo loansJumbo loans in New Hampshire
Where jumbo loans begin in each county, what lenders look for and how to compare offers.
Buying a homeWhere your down payment can come from
Savings, gifts, a 401(k), selling something you own, assistance programs and crypto: what lenders accept and how to document it.
Down payment helpUsing gift money for your down payment
Who can give, what the gift letter says and how to keep the paper trail clean.
Credit setbacksBuying after bankruptcy or foreclosure
Waiting periods for conventional and FHA loans, when the clock starts and how to rebuild credit before you apply.
Renovation loansRenovation loans: 203(k) and HomeStyle
Buy a home that needs work and finance the repairs in the same mortgage, with FHA 203(k) or a conventional renovation loan.
Construction loansBuilding a home: construction loans
How construction-to-permanent loans work in New Hampshire: one closing or two, draws to the builder, the appraisal and what to gather.
Loan programsBuying with a co-borrower or co-signer
The difference between a co-borrower and a co-signer, how a parent can help, what it means for their credit, and how to remove them later.
Refinancing, home equity and PMI
7 guidesLowering your payment, using your equity, dropping mortgage insurance and keeping the house after a divorce.
When does refinancing make sense?
Good reasons to refinance, how to figure your break-even point, what a refinance costs and how the process works.
FHA streamlineFHA streamline refinance
How a streamline refinance works for homeowners who already have an FHA loan.
Cash-out refinanceCash-out refinance in NH
How a cash-out refinance works, how long you need to own the home, and NH costs.
Home equityHELOC vs cash-out refinance
Two ways to use your equity, side by side.
Mortgage insuranceHow to remove PMI
When private mortgage insurance can be cancelled, when it ends on its own, and what about FHA.
Divorce and separationKeeping the home after a divorce
How a buyout refinance works, how to get a former spouse off the loan and what lenders need to see.
RefinancingInherited a home? Keeping it or buying out family
What happens to the mortgage when someone dies, how probate fits in, and how a refinance can buy out a sibling's share.
New Hampshire costs and home checks
11 guidesClosing costs, property taxes and the home checks that matter here: wells, radon, flood zones and heating.
NH closing costs and transfer tax
What buyers and sellers pay at closing, with a transfer tax example.
Closing costsSeller credits and rate buydowns
How a seller credit can lower your cash to close or your payment, and the limits to know.
Property taxesNH property taxes and your payment
How rates work, why they change and how escrow handles them.
Property taxesNH property tax relief: abatements, credits and exemptions
Abatement deadlines, veterans' credits and exemptions for older, blind and disabled owners.
Property taxesNH tax bills and your escrow
Why your mortgage payment can change after the fall tax rate is set, and how escrow shortages and refunds work.
Buying a homeRadon, arsenic and NH home checks
What New Hampshire buyers test for beyond the home inspection, and how results fit your dates.
Buying a homeHomes with a well or septic system
What to test and ask for when the home has a private well or septic system.
Buying a homeFlood zones and flood insurance on the Seacoast
How to check a home's flood zone, when a lender requires flood insurance and how it fits your closing.
Buying a homeBuying land or acreage in current use
What New Hampshire's current use program means for a buyer, and the land use change tax to ask about.
Moving to NHHeating a New Hampshire home
Oil, propane, gas and heat pumps: what NH buyers should ask about heat before they buy.
Closing costsHomeowners insurance for your mortgage
What insurance a lender requires, how it's paid through escrow, condo and flood coverage, and how to shop it before closing.
Property types and investing
11 guidesCondos, multi-families, lake homes, in-law apartments, manufactured homes and investment property.
Condo financing in NH
What lenders check on a condo, from FHA approval to the association questionnaire.
Multi-familyBuying a 2 to 4 unit home
Live in one unit and rent the others: how owner-occupied multi-family loans work.
ADUsADUs and in-law apartments
What NH's 2025 ADU law allows and how lenders treat a home with an accessory unit.
Lake homesLake homes and second homes
Second-home loans, shoreland and dock rules, and flood insurance for NH waterfront homes.
InvestorsInvestment property loans: conventional vs DSCR
How conventional loans count rent, the 10 financed property limit, reserves and gifts, and when a DSCR loan fits better.
InvestorsDSCR loans for NH rental investors
How a rental's income can qualify the loan, and what to ask before you apply.
InvestorsFinancing a short-term rental (Airbnb)
How lenders count Airbnb and VRBO income, Fannie Mae's 2026 rules, DSCR options and NH's meals and rooms license.
InvestorsFix-and-flip and bridge loans
How short-term loans to buy and renovate an investment property work, what lenders look at, and how investors plan the exit.
Self-employedBank statement loans
How self-employed buyers can qualify using bank deposits instead of tax returns.
Property typesManufactured home mortgages
When a manufactured home can get a regular mortgage in NH, and what to check before you make an offer.
Property typesBuying a foreclosed or bank-owned home
How bank-owned and HUD homes are sold, why condition decides the loan, and how to plan the inspection, appraisal and financing.
Self-employed or investing? See bank statement and DSCR loan options
Tools and references
NH payment calculator
Your full payment with property taxes and insurance.
ToolBuying power by town
How far one monthly budget goes in each town.
ToolNH property tax calculator
Yearly and monthly tax in each town.
ToolNH transfer tax calculator
The buyer's and seller's shares at closing.
ToolMA vs NH taxes calculator
Income and property taxes, before and after a move.
ChecklistDocuments to gather
What to have ready for pre-approval.
GlossaryMortgage terminology
Plain-language definitions, with search.
Reviewed October 27, 2026
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