Looking for licensed mortgage loan officers (especially first-time-buyer specialists), HUD-certified housing counselors, mortgage brokers, and real estate attorneys with foreclosure or loss-mitigation experience. Please answer one or more of these (a few specific sentences each is perfect): 1. The PITI gap. A reader uses an online mortgage calculator, sees $1,800/month, and budgets accordingly — then their first lender quote comes back at $2,400/month. What's the single sentence you'd tell them about why calculators undercount, and what's the most common surprise add-on for first-time buyers in 2026? 2. The prepayment-penalty myth. Buyers still ask, "Will my lender penalize me if I pay off the mortgage early?" Based on your experience originating loans under Dodd-Frank / the ATR/QM rule, what share of the loans you've closed had a prepayment penalty — and what's your blunt answer when a borrower asks if they should worry about one? 3. PMI cancellation, in practice. Most articles say "PMI goes away at 20% equity" but don't explain the difference between a borrower request at 80% LTV and automatic termination at 78% LTV under the Homeowners Protection Act. Walk us through the steps a homeowner must take, and share an example of when PMI cancellation didn't go smoothly. 4. The 120-day rule. Federal rules (12 CFR § 1024.41) generally prohibit a servicer from initiating foreclosure until a borrower is more than 120 days delinquent. What does that window look like from the borrower's side — what should someone do in months 1, 2, and 3 of delinquency that most people don't know they can do? 5. The closing-cost number. CFPB data puts median total closing costs around $6,000 (2022 HMDA), with rises of 36%+ since 2021. What's a realistic 2026 number for a first-time buyer on a median-priced home, and what's the line item buyers are most surprised about? 6. The preapproval fear. Some buyers hesitate to contact a lender because they "don't want to waste a broker's time if they can't qualify." How do you reframe that for a nervous first-time buyer — and what should they know about how much time and commitment a preapproval really requires? 7. Which loan type, in one sentence. When a first-time buyer asks "Which kind of mortgage do I want?", what's the single decision tree you walk them through?