Estimate Lens method
How we research
What it means
Every page on Estimate Lens starts from a question a reader is likely to ask and ends with the primary source that answers it. The CFPB's Loan Estimate explainers and Regulation Z tolerance rules are the references for every box explained here, and they are rechecked first.
Last reviewed against the primary sources listed below.
Where questions come from
Topics come from the questions people type into search engines about this subject, gathered from free public autocomplete suggestions, then narrowed to the ones this site's focus can answer well.
Sources we rely on
Pages cite these primary sources, among others. Each guide lists the exact sources it used at the bottom of the page.
How a page is checked
- Each factual statement is matched to a primary source.
- Plain-language wording is compared back to the source so meaning is not lost.
- The review date at the top of the page is updated only after that check.
Pages written this way
- Loan Estimate page 1 explained: terms, payments, closing costs
- Loan Estimate page 2: closing cost sections A through J explained
- Loan Estimate page 3: In 5 Years, TIP and other items
- Loan Estimate tolerances: which closing costs can change
- Loan Estimate vs Closing Disclosure: how to match the two forms
- How to compare two Loan Estimates line by line
- When do you get a Loan Estimate? Timing and what triggers it
- What is intent to proceed on a Loan Estimate?
About the Estimate Lens Loan Estimate box decoder
The Estimate Lens Loan Estimate box decoder uses only what you type, works entirely in the browser and keeps nothing.