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Configuring Property Taxes and Insurance in Your Loan Scenario

Control exactly how property taxes and homeowner's insurance appear in your loan presentations by choosing from multiple calculation methods that auto-calculate across all related fields.

Updated over 2 months ago

Overview

Every property comes with tax and insurance costs that directly impact your client's monthly payment. Deal Details gives you three flexible ways to enter this data: pull from recent tax records, enter a flat dollar amount, or calculate based on a percentage of property value. The system automatically converts between monthly, annual, and factor-based views so you can work in whatever format makes sense for your situation.


Before You Start

Requirement

Details

Active loan scenario

You need an existing property card with basic property information already entered

Property value

The purchase price or appraised value must be set for factor-based calculations to work

Tax/insurance data

Have your client's recent tax bill, insurance quote, or local tax rate ready


Step-by-Step: Setting Property Tax Method

Property tax settings are found at the bottom of your property card in the Property Scenario Data section.

1. Choose Your Tax Calculation Method

Method

When to Use

Recent Tax Bill

Best for refinances or when you have the actual tax bill from the county

Flat Dollar Amount

Use when you know the exact annual or monthly tax amount

Factor of Value

Ideal for purchases where you need to estimate based on local tax rates

2. Enter Tax Data Using Recent Tax Bill

  • Select the Recent Tax Bill option from the County Tax Method dropdown

  • The system pulls in the monthly amount, annual amount, and calculates the tax factor automatically

  • This gives you the most accurate representation based on actual recorded taxes

3. Enter Tax Data Using Flat Dollar Amount

  • Enter the annual amount in the Annual field (example: $7,200)

  • The Monthly field automatically calculates (example: $600)

  • Or enter the monthly amount first and the annual calculates in reverse

⚠️ Important: When you enter a value in one field, the corresponding field updates automatically. You only need to fill in one box, not both.

4. Enter Tax Data Using Factor of Value

  • Enter the tax rate as a decimal in the Factor field (example: 0.65 for 0.65%)

  • The system calculates the annual and monthly amounts based on your property value

  • This is useful when working with county assessor rate sheets or comparing properties across different areas


Setting Homeowner's Insurance

The insurance section works identically to property taxes, giving you the same flexibility in how you enter the data.

1. Choose Your Entry Method

Field

What It Does

Annual Amount

Enter the yearly premium and monthly calculates automatically

Monthly Amount

Enter the monthly cost and annual calculates automatically

Factor of Value

Enter a percentage and both amounts calculate from property value

2. Enter Your Insurance Data

  • Type the known value into the appropriate field

  • All related fields update instantly

  • For most purchase scenarios, entering the annual premium from an insurance quote is the fastest approach


Finishing Up / Next Steps

1. Verify Your Numbers

  • Check that the monthly amounts shown match what you expect for the market

  • Confirm the factor percentages align with local norms for the property type

2. Review the Full Payment Picture

  • Navigate back to your loan scenario summary

  • Verify that PITI (Principal, Interest, Taxes, Insurance) displays correctly

  • The property scenario data flows into all your client-facing presentations


Quick Reference

Property Card → Property Scenario Data → Choose Method (Tax Bill/Flat Amount/Factor) → Enter One Value → Other Fields Auto-Calculate → Verify PITI

Tips for Success

  • Start with what you know — if you have the tax bill, use it; if you only have a rate, use the factor method

  • Let the math work for you — never manually calculate monthly from annual; enter one and let the system do the conversion

  • Use factors for quick estimates — when comparing multiple properties, using a consistent tax factor makes side-by-side comparisons easier

  • Update before presenting — if you started with estimates, replace them with actual insurance quotes before your client meeting

  • Document your source — make a note in the scenario if you used county averages versus actual bills so you remember during underwriting


Related Topics

  • Setting Up Property Information on Loan Scenarios

  • Understanding PITI Calculations

  • Creating Client-Ready Loan Comparisons

  • Working with Escrow Estimates

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