The guide shelf

Plain-English guides. No email walls.

Written by Gavin Guthrie, mortgage broker · NMLS #928960 · New guides added regularly

The First-Time Homebuyer's Guide to Arizona & Utah

All 13 pages in one place — credit, down payments, loan types, the five-number payment math, and the seven costly mistakes. Download it, print it, hand it out.

Loan strategy

The 2-1 Buydown, Explained Like a Human

How a 2-1 temporary buydown actually works: year-by-year payments, who pays for it, and when a price cut beats it. Plain English, real math.

Scenario library

Getting a Mortgage When You’re Self-Employed (1099, Contractor, Business Owner)

How lenders actually read self-employed income — tax returns, add-backs, the two-year rule, and bank-statement options. From a broker who does this daily.

Arizona

Arizona Down Payment Assistance: The Programs That Actually Exist

HOME Plus, Home in Five Advantage, Pima Tucson Homebuyer’s Solution, and how Arizona DPA really works — soft seconds, forgiveness, and who qualifies.