Equity strategy
Keep & add, or cash-out refinance?
The tool serious investors say YES to.
Compare keeping your low-rate first mortgage and layering a HELOC or second against replacing everything with a single cash-out refinance — monthly payment, blended rate, and the difference, side by side.
Second vs. refi
No credit pull
Estimates only
Fill the input fields — every result updates automatically.
A First mortgage
Keep in place$
%
The low-rate loan you keep in the “keep & add” scenario.
B Second / HELOC
New junior lienSecond loan — fully amortized (leave blank if using HELOC below)
$
%
Interest-only loan / HELOC (optional)
$
%
C Cash-out refinance
Replaces firstA single new loan that replaces everything above.
$
%
First mortgage / mo
$2,528
Second loan / mo
$841
HELOC (interest-only) / mo
$0
Monthly cost is only one factor — a cash-out refi resets your first mortgage rate on the whole balance, while a second lien leaves a low first-mortgage rate untouched.
Interest-only payments are lower but don't reduce principal. Weigh payoff goals and how long you'll hold.
