Mortgage Hacking
5 Days
·Cohort-based Course
Search and customize mortgage deals to make homebuying more affordable. Take control and live the American dream. Build wealth.
Mortgage Hacking
5 Days
·Cohort-based Course
Search and customize mortgage deals to make homebuying more affordable. Take control and live the American dream. Build wealth.
Hosted by
Sukesh Shekar, Ph.D.
Mortgage Coach | Startup Founder | Ex-McKinsey | Notre Dame Alum
Course overview
From novice to expert homebuyer
🏠 Gain confidence to become a homeowner amidst uncertainty
🎙 Cut down payments by 40% and save cash upfront to settle-in
🔍 Reduce interest rates up to 1% with factors within your control
💰 Leverage your largest purchase to build generational wealth for your family
Who should become a mortgage hacker
01
First-time homebuyers. Make the best financial decision for your family and become a home-owner. "You want to know this."
02
Millennials who are starting families, but delaying a home purchase due to high interest rates. "Marry the house, date the rate."
03
Preparing for a live event? Job change, sending kids to college, or preparing for retirement. Mortgages can help.
Learn for a week, save for a lifetime.
Analyze rates across 3 channels: banks, brokers, and marketplaces
Mortgage rates can vary as much as 1% by lender. Some show fees, while others include them in the rate. We'll use rates, APR, and Loan Estimates to compare apples to apples. Reducing rate variance is critical with mortgage rates above 5%. It's just the first step.
Control loan factors that matter. Save 0.5% with proactive actions.
Mortgages undergo price adjustments based on borrower & loan factors. We'll use the same LLPA matrix used by lenders to understand the sensitivity of each variable like FICO scores, Down Payments, and Mortgage Insurance Premiums. Then take proactive actions to move the needle.
Defy convention. Customize your mortgage with 7-12% down and "bona fide" points
Discount points help lower interest rates permanently. They follow non-linear trends and breakevens can vary from 18 months to 5+yrs. Know exactly how much to buy, when to stop, and make your mortgage more capital efficient. Save cash upfront & pay less interest over time.
Accelerate pay-off by 5-10yrs. A little bit of slope can make all the difference
Learn techniques for fast refinancing and how to stay "in the money" by tracking rates. Create optionality to lower payments without restarting your loan. Explore time-weighted extra payments to accelerate debt pay-off and take advantage of principal compounding.
Mortgage Hacking
What homebuyers are saying
Thomas Hickey
Vaibhav Srivastava
Paul Dietz
William Schoeffler
Meet your instructor
Sukesh Shekar, Ph.D.
Founder, CEO - Altgage
As an immigrant, I am passionate about the American dream. Every person, parent, and child deserves a place to call home. The mortgage process is not transparent or optimized. Small changes can alter the trajectory of wealth over decades.
As a McKinsey consultant, I improved the bottom line for big corporations. Now, I'm dedicated to helping every household improve its mortgage. Mortgages should not just be a large liability, but leverage to build a better life.
Course syllabus
01
Mortgage Mechanics: Build Wealth with Leverage
- Why US mortgages are essential to building wealth
- Who are the players in primary & secondary mortgage markets
- What determines mortgage rates: factors you can & cannot control
- How to breakdown Loan Estimate costs to compare apples to apples
02
Mortgage Math: Optimize, Optimize, Optimize
- Credit scores and how to change them before applying
- Product selection based on time horizon & rate spread: Fixed vs. ARMs, Jumbo vs. Conventional, 15 vs. 30, Cash-out Refi vs. HELOC
- Tune down payments to conserve cash upfront
- Optimize the use of "bona fide" discount points to reduce rates
03
Mortgage Management: A Smarter Way to Autopay
- Learn low-cost "Fast" Refinancing to always stay "in the money."
- Understand "rate arbitrage" to shorten loans or improve cash flows.
- Accelerate mortgages by 5-10yrs with time-weighted contributions to the principal. It's 2x better than one extra payment a year.
Course schedule
5-6 hours total
Monday | Wednesday | Friday
1:00pm - 2:30 pm EST
We'll cover important topics, do breakdowns, and spend 30 mins for Q&A
Oct 31, 2022
Cohort kick-off. Come ready to learn and look up your credit score
Office Hours
90 mins
Q&A to review specific scenarios or deep dive into mortgage math.
Mortgage hacking is better with others
Active hands-on learning
We'll compare our estimates with others to find even better deals
Interactive with models
We'll use a few simple inputs to guide our decisions, understand constraints, and challenge misconceptions
Learn with a cohort of homebuyers
Homeownership is the quintessential American dream. Together we'll go far.
Frequently Asked Questions
What happens if I can’t make a live session?
I work full-time, what is the expected time commitment?
What If I'm already under contract?
Stay in the loop
Sign up to be the first to know about course updates.