Real cost of ownership
Principal, interest, escrow, PMI, HOA, utilities and a maintenance reserve added into one honest monthly figure.
How it works
From mortgage statement to full financial picture in three minutes
No credit check, no bank linking and no sales call. You enter the numbers you already have, and The Penny Planter does the arithmetic your lender never shows you.
The process
Three steps, and the third one is optional
You get real value from step two alone. Step three is what turns a one-off calculation into a record of progress.
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1
Enter what you know
Purchase price and date, current loan balance, interest rate and term. Then add the extras if you have them: property tax, insurance, PMI, HOA dues, utilities and a maintenance allowance.
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2
Read your snapshot
Your true monthly cost broken down line by line, the equity you hold today, your estimated capital gain, and a payoff table showing what extra payments would save you.
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3
Come back each year
Save the result as a dated annual review. After two or three checkpoints you can see the trend line of your own net worth rather than a single moment in time.
Before you start
Everything you need is on one page of your mortgage statement
Five required figures, and five optional ones that make the picture sharper. Rough estimates are fine to begin with — you can refine them any time and the snapshot recalculates instantly.
| Figure | Where to find it |
|---|---|
| Purchase price & date | Closing disclosure or settlement statement |
| Current loan balance | Latest mortgage statement |
| Interest rate & term | Mortgage statement or note |
| Taxes & insurance | Escrow section of your statement |
| HOA, utilities, upkeep | Your own records — estimates are fine |
Your report
Four things your lender never puts in one place
Equity snapshot
What you own versus what you owe today, as a dollar figure and as a percentage of the home.
Capital gain estimate
How much the property has appreciated since you bought it, and what that means for your position.
Payoff accelerator
Years removed and interest avoided for any extra amount you would add to the monthly payment.
Questions
About the process
How long does the snapshot actually take?
Most people finish in two to four minutes. The only figures you must supply are purchase price, purchase date, current loan balance, interest rate and loan term — all of which appear on a standard mortgage statement.
What if I do not know my current home value?
Leave it blank and the calculator estimates it by applying a conservative appreciation rate to your purchase price from your purchase date forward. If you have a recent appraisal or a figure you trust more, enter it and that number is used instead.
I refinanced. Will the numbers still be right?
Yes. Enter the refinance date and the new loan terms. The calculator amortises the current loan from the refinance date, while growth and capital gain are still measured from your original purchase date — which is the correct basis, and a distinction many calculators get wrong.
Do I have to create an account?
No. You can run the calculator and download the PDF without signing up. An account only matters if you want to save results, track more than one property, use the net worth tracker or document vault, or build a year-over-year history.
Can I use this for more than one property?
Yes, up to ten properties on a free account. You set one as active, and the calculator, net worth tracker and annual review all operate on whichever property is active.