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Guides

Understand your options before you decide

Researched, sourced and dated guides from the Clavesta Editorial Team. Educational information, not legal, tax or financial advice.

Selling and buying directly

What agents cost, what closing costs cover, and the steps of a direct sale from match to keys.

House keys, a pen and a stack of documents on a kitchen table, with a couple in the background.Closing Costs Explained: Who Pays What, by Deal TypeTypical closing costs for buyers and sellers, by how the buyer pays: cash, bank loan, assumable mortgage or seller financing. Sourced ranges with dates.Updated Read the guide A seller showing a young couple around a sunny living room.Direct Home Sale Steps: From Match to KeysThe steps of a home sale without agents, who handles each one, and typical timelines: about 30 to 50 days with a bank loan, often 1 to 2 weeks in cash.Updated Read the guide A smiling homeowner looking at a laptop at her kitchen counter.How Much Does a Realtor Cost? Commissions in 2026What agents typically charge, what changed after the 2024 rule changes, and what you keep selling or buying directly. Sourced ranges with dates.Updated Read the guide

Seller financing

How owner-financed sales work, the rules that apply, and what each side should check.

A young couple reviewing a payment plan on a tablet on their porch swing.Balloon Payments in Seller Financing: How They WorkWhat a balloon payment is in an owner-financed home sale, why sellers use them, and how buyers should plan for the due date.Updated Read the guide A buyer couple and a seller going over closing papers at a table.Closing a Seller-Financed Home: What to ExpectWho's involved in closing an owner-financed home sale, roughly how long it takes, what it costs, and who gets paid.Updated Read the guide A homeowner and a buyer shaking hands over paperwork at a kitchen table.Seller Financing: How It Works for Buyers and SellersA plain-language guide to seller-financed home sales: how payments work, who it fits, the real risks, and the questions to ask before you sign.Updated Read the guide

Buying without a bank

Paths to ownership when standard mortgage rules don’t fit your income or credit history.

A young self-employed couple standing in front of their new starter home.Buying a Home Without a Bank MortgageTurned down by a bank, or self-employed with irregular income? Real paths to homeownership: seller financing, loan assumption, non-QM loans, and more.Updated Read the guide

Assumable mortgages

Taking over an existing FHA, VA or USDA loan, and how to handle the equity gap.

A homeowner welcoming a young family at the front door of a suburban home.Assumable Mortgages: How Loan Assumption WorksFHA, VA and USDA loans can often be assumed at the seller's rate. Who qualifies, how long it takes, and the equity-gap problem that sinks most deals.Updated Read the guide

Home sale taxes

The home sale exclusion, installment sales, and when timing changes the tax picture.

A calculator, reading glasses and a cup of coffee on a home office desk.Capital Gains Tax on a Home Sale, ExplainedHow the $250K/$500K home-sale exclusion works, when an installment sale helps, and how a big gain year can trigger Medicare surcharges.Updated Read the guide

Retirement income from home equity

Comparing a seller note with other ways to turn home equity into income.

A retired couple walking hand in hand on a tree-lined suburban street.Turning Home Equity Into Retirement IncomeComparing a seller-financed note, reverse mortgage, home equity investment, annuity, and CDs: how each turns home equity into income, with real tradeoffs.Updated Read the guide

State guides

Seller-financing rules, interest rate limits and foreclosure basics that differ by state.

FLFloridaHow seller (owner) financing works in Florida: RMLO rules, documentary stamp and intangible taxes, usury limits, judicial foreclosure and homestead protections.Read the Florida guide TXTexasHow seller (owner) financing works in Texas: RMLO licensing exemptions, contract-for-deed rules, usury limits, foreclosure and homestead protections.Read the Texas guide

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