Good Debt
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Independent mortgage broker

You’re not afraid of the mortgage.
You’re afraid of the wrong decision.

The wrong structure can follow you for decades. You shouldn’t have to navigate confusing loan options, hidden tradeoffs, and sales pressure just to avoid that. With us, you won’t.

Book a strategy sessionSee the tools
0+Clients
$0M+Funded
0/5Across 200+ reviews
100%Independent advice
Payment paths
Same borrower. Three structures. Very different long-term consequences.
30-year fixed
Lowest friction now, highest lifetime cost.
$3,486
7/1 ARM · recommended
Better fit when the timeline is actually shorter.
$3,214
Buy-down
Only useful if the hold period is real.
$3,328
Break-even on recommended19 months
No credit pull to start
Your numbers, not a sales call
3 structures compared every time
Not just the one the lender has on offer
As featured & recognized
Licensed in TN · TX · WA · FL · AL · OH
15.3
Avg. days to close
0+
Lenders
6
States licensed
The problem

Most people choose a loan structure without realizing it.

The mortgage industry is built to get you approved. It is not built to get you the right structure.

They asked about rate, compared a payment, and got a house. Two years later the payment feels tight. Savings is thinner than they expected. What would a different down payment have changed? Did the structure they picked actually fit how long they planned to stay? Was there a better way to structure their loan to begin with?

That’s the moment we’re built to prevent. We ask different questions before anyone starts running numbers. Your timeline, your cash position, what comes next. When the structure is right, the payment becomes a non-event. It just fits. Life moves forward in peace. You never find yourself wondering what if.

Before the Numbers0:38

We help home buyers and real estate investors choose the right loan structure, not just the one they can qualify for.

VAFHAConventionalJumboRefinanceNon-QMInvestment Property
The plan

What we do that most lenders don’t.

Most lenders start with your income. We start with you.

01

We ask the questions most lenders skip.

You shouldn't have to know the right questions before you talk to a lender.

Most people don't. They get a rate, a payment, and an approval before anyone asks how long they plan to stay, how much cash they want to keep, or what life may look like two years from now.

We start there, so the loan structure fits your life, not just your income.

The right loan feels calm before it ever feels official.
02

We show you what each option actually means.

You shouldn't have to understand every loan option to make a confident decision.

Temporary buydown. Permanent buydown. Adjustable rate. Shorter term. Lower down payment. Higher cash reserves. Each one changes the math in a different way.

We model the tradeoffs against your timeline, cash position, and future plans, so you can see what each option costs, saves, and protects.

You choose the tradeoff before the tradeoff chooses you.
03

We find options most lenders never put on the table.

You shouldn't have to apply with twenty lenders or turn mortgage guidelines into your new personality.

Most borrowers get one quote, one structure, and a polite little shrug from the machine.

We compare lenders, guidelines, structures, and pricing so you can see a clear path forward without doing the research project yourself.

Get clarity without the research becoming a second job.
The plan, in action
$500,000 purchase · 5 of many possible structures

Every structure has a trade.
Most people only see one.

Bad loans don’t announce themselves. They just quietly reshape your life for the next 30 years.

The right structure does the opposite. It disappears into the background. The payment hits, life moves forward, and you never find yourself wondering what a different structure would have cost you.

So we start with your goals: payment comfort, cash available at close, how long you plan to stay. Then build the comparison around those.

Payment Ceiling
$3,100/mo
Max Cash to Close
$100,000
Timeline
5–7 yr stay
Meets all goals
Low entry
5% Down, 30-Yr Fixed
$3,360/mo
incl. PMI · drops at 20% equity
Cash to close$34,000
✗ Payment Goals$260 over goal. PMI pushes it past $3,100
✓ Cash to close$34k total, 5% down + closing costs
✓ Planned StayWorks any duration
  • Lowest cash to close of any option
  • Preserves cash for reserves

PMI adds $198/mo until you reach 20% equity

Meets all goals
Strategic
10% Down, 7/1 ARM
$2,959/mo
incl. PMI · fixed 84 months
Cash to close$58,500
✓ Payment Goals$141 under goal, PMI included
✓ Cash to close$58,500, 10% down + closing costs
✓ Planned StayFixed 7 yrs, right for this plan
  • $141 under payment goal with PMI included
  • Moderate cash to close

PMI until 20% equity · adjusts after year 7

Meets all goals
Seller-funded
10% Down, 2-1 Buydown
$2,603/mo
yr 1 · $2,886 yr 2 · $3,182 yr 3+
Cash to close$58,500
~ Payment GoalsMeets yr 1–2, over goal at yr 3+
✓ Cash to close$58,500, seller covers the buydown
✓ Planned StayWorks for 5–7 yr stay
  • Lowest payment year 1
  • Seller covers buydown cost

Exceeds $3,100 goal starting year 3

Meets all goals
Accelerated
15% Down, 15-Yr Fixed
$3,876/mo
incl. PMI · highest of any option
Cash to close$83,500
✗ Payment Goals$776 over goal, significant monthly stretch
✓ Cash to close$83,500, 15% down + closing costs
~ Planned StayHigh payment limits future flexibility
  • $140k+ less total interest paid
  • Paid off in 15 years

$776 over payment goal, real cash-flow pressure

Meets all goals
Traditional
20% Down, 30-Yr Fixed
$2,661/mo
no PMI, lowest monthly
Cash to close$108,000
✓ Payment Goals$439 under goal, no PMI at 20% down
✗ Cash to close$108k, just $8k over the $100k goal
✓ Planned StayWorks any duration
  • Lowest monthly of any structure
  • No PMI, ever

$8k over the cash-to-close goal

Your goals change the whole picture. Payments include estimated PMI where applicable. Actual numbers vary by credit, lender, and market conditions at time of lock. Run your actual numbers →

Meet your guide
David Kakish, independent mortgage broker

David Kakish

Independent Mortgage Broker  ·  NMLS #2357325

Most borrowers leave feeling like they approved a loan they didn’t fully understand. David spent 17 years as that borrower before becoming the broker. He builds free tools, publishes his methodology, and tells clients to wait when that is the right call.

Independent broker, not a bank120+ lendersLicensed TN · TX · WA · FL · AL · OH
What it looks like when it works

You become the person who knew what they signed.

You stop running the mental math at 2 a.m. wondering if the other structure would have been better.

You handled a 30-year financial decision well. That matters.

“I knew what I was signing.”

Most reviews say the same thing in different words. That sentence is the one that keeps showing up.

“David is a teacher. He doesn't push you. He provides the information and finds the smartest option for your situation. Without a doubt the smoothest loan experience I've ever had.”
CW
Chuck Wine
Home purchase
After listening to my full situation I wasn't pressured to pursue something I couldn't afford just because I could technically qualify. I was told what was actually in my best interests. This will be my first call when the time is right.
NA
Nick Alford
Consultation
What stood out most was how much he genuinely cared. Not just about getting us a loan, but about making sure we felt confident and supported throughout the entire process.
MB
Mia Baker
Home purchase
What you’re probably wondering

Questions before you call.

You’re one call away from being the person who actually understood what they signed.

That's the fear worth naming. The wrong structure doesn't announce itself. It quietly reshapes your cash flow for years. That's why every scenario sheet we build compares three structures against your actual goals, in writing, before anyone decides anything. You see the tradeoffs. You choose the tradeoff.
No. About 1 in 5 clients books before they're sure they want a mortgage at all. The first call is 20 minutes, no credit pull, no obligation. If the numbers say wait, that's what we say.
Not on the first call. We work from a soft estimate of your credit profile until you decide you actually want to move forward. A hard pull only happens once you've seen the numbers and chosen to apply.
A bank can only offer their own products at a retail cost. If their loan fits your situation, great. If it doesn't, they'll sell it to you anyway. A broker works across the wholesale market, which means we're not defending any single lender's product. We can tell you when something doesn't fit. We can show you what different structures actually mean for your life over the next five years, not just which one closes fastest. Same reason you'd hire a buyer's agent instead of walking into the builder's office alone. One of them works for you.
The lender pays us. You don't write us a check. We work in the wholesale mortgage market, where lenders offer pricing they don't make available to the public. Because we bring them qualified borrowers and handle the origination work, it costs them less than running a retail operation. They pass that savings along in the pricing and pay us for the work. What that means for you: access to wholesale pricing, an advisor who isn't tied to one lender's products, and someone whose job is to think about your whole financial picture, not just close a loan. No bill. No hidden cost. Just a different way to get a mortgage.
VA, FHA, conventional, jumbo, non-QM, and investment property. Non-QM covers bank statement, DSCR, 1099, asset-based, and foreign national loans. If you're not sure which category your situation falls into, that's exactly what the first call is for.
Yes: rate-and-term, cash-out, and term shortening. The honest answer is that we model the break-even before recommending one. A refinance that saves $200 a month but costs $8,000 to close takes over three years to pay off. If you're not staying that long, it's not worth it. Bring your current loan details and we'll tell you what the numbers actually say.
Licensed in Texas, Tennessee, Florida, Washington, Alabama, and Ohio. If you're outside those states, the strategy call is still on us. We'll point you to a broker we trust.
The strategy call is 20 minutes. If you decide to move forward, our average close is 15 days. Some clients sit on their scenario sheet for months and come back when the timing is right. There is no rush built into this process.
Bring it. That's exactly what Keep Lenders Honest was built for. We'll benchmark it against the live wholesale market and tell you if the rate, fees, and terms are fair. Whether or not you end up working with us, you'll know what you're looking at.

The structure you choose now will follow you for the next 30 years. The call is 20 minutes.

No credit pull, no obligation. Just your numbers and a clear answer about what move makes sense right now.

Book it →