Articles and appearances
Mortgage articles for airline pilots and veterans
I have written a mortgage column for airline pilots in Aero Crew News since October 2023. Every article is listed below with a link to the full piece on their site.
Pilot income, moves and investing
- The Upgrade Effect: What a Captain Upgrade, Airline Switch, or Equipment Change Does to Your Mortgage (June 2026). How a change in seat, airline or aircraft affects the income a lender can use.
- The Lock-In Trap: Why Pilots Are Perfectly Positioned to Move When Other Homeowners Can’t (October 2026). Why a low existing rate does not have to keep a pilot from moving.
- Investment Properties for Airline Pilots: How to Use Your Layover Cities to Build Wealth (April 2026). Financing rentals in the cities you already know from the line.
- Navigating Home Financing (November 2023). Getting a home loan when your pay is structured like a pilot’s.
- How Much Home Can You Afford with Airline Pay? (October 2023). Pre-qualification as the first step in a pilot’s home search.
VA loans for veteran pilots
- Veteran Airline Pilots: Smartest Way to Use Your VA Loan When Moving (May 2025). Using your VA benefit well when a base change means a new home.
- VA Loan Gouge: What You Need to Know (November 2024). Why VA quotes vary so much between lenders and how to compare them.
Costs, credits and choosing a lender
- Being Offered Seller Credit when Buying a Home? Some Options for Airline Pilots to Consider (February 2024). Ways to put seller concessions to work.
- Understanding Closing Costs: A Guide for Homebuyers (June 2024). What closing costs are and what to expect to pay.
- Rates and Fees (October 2024). Reading a quote so you can compare lenders on equal terms.
- How to Choose the Right Home Lender (August 2024). What to weigh when picking who handles your loan.
- Financial Pitfalls to Avoid During the Home-Buying Process (July 2024). Money mistakes that can derail a loan between contract and closing.
- Considering Refinancing? (January 2024). How to decide whether a refinance makes sense.
- 2026 Conforming Loan Limits (February 2026). Why the conforming limit matters for pilots buying in 2026.
Mortgage rate outlook
- Mortgage Outlook: A Transfer of Control at the Fed and What the Warsh Era May Mean for Rates (August 2026). New Fed leadership and the rate outlook.
- What to Expect for Mortgage Rates in 2026 (January 2026). Where rates looked headed going into the year.
- Mortgage Outlook: Q1-Q3 2025 Review and What’s Next (October 2025). Rate trends through the third quarter of 2025.
- Mortgage Outlook: Q1 and Q2 2025 Review and What’s Next (July 2025). The first half of 2025 measured against earlier predictions.
- Mortgage Rates: Market Dynamics to Date in 2025 (March 2025). Early 2025 volatility and what was driving it.
- What to Expect for Mortgage Rates in 2025 (January 2025). The outlook at the start of 2025.
- Understanding Mortgage Interest Rates: What Drives Them and What You Should Watch (April 2024). The forces that move mortgage rates.
Directories and features
VeteranPCS. I am a listed VA lender for Kansas and Missouri on VeteranPCS, which connects military families making a PCS move with real estate agents and lenders who know VA loans. See the VeteranPCS lender directory
Have a question I have not written about yet?
Send it to me. The best columns start as a pilot or veteran asking something specific.