Martini Mortgage Podcast

If a mortgage sounds too good to be true… it probably is. In this episode, Kevin Martini pulls back the curtain on one of the most common — and costly — traps homebuyers fall into: builder "special financing." You know the offer. The low headline rate. The incentive that feels like free money. The promise that this deal is too good to pass up. But here's the uncomfortable truth: many of these incentives don't lower your cost — they repackage it. Kevin explains why builder incentives often work more like a sales tactic than a savings strategy, how this approach mirrors the automotive industry, and why buyers frequently pay far more than they realize — sometimes tens of thousands more — without seeing it on paper. You'll also learn: Why incentives that only work with one lender tell you everything you need to know How focusing on the payment can quietly mask a higher total cost The simple question that instantly reveals whether an incentive is real Why new construction can look like a deal while actuall