Free first-time homebuyer course

Get mortgage-ready before you start house hunting.

Six short, interactive lessons that show you exactly what a lender looks at, and how to fix it before it costs you. Built from 40 years of helping buyers get to the closing table. Free, online, at your own pace.

Unlock the free course

Tell us where to send your access link. No credit check, no obligation.

First name Last name Email Mobile phone (optional) State you're buying in When are you hoping to buy? Are you working with a real estate agent yet?

Yes, Ellie Mortgage and Realty85 may call or text me at the number above about my home purchase, including by automated means. Consent is not required to get the course. Msg and data rates may apply; reply STOP to opt out.

We use your information to send the course and follow up about your purchase. We never sell it. Privacy

Inside the course

Six lessons. Real calculators. No sales pitch.

Each lesson ends with a quick quiz so you know you've got it. Most people finish in an evening or two, on their phone or computer.

Lesson 1

Credit, decoded

How FICO and VantageScore are built, what lenders pull, and the fastest legitimate ways to raise a score.

Tool: score dial and factor explorer

Lesson 2

No credit? Thin file?

How rent, utilities and other nontraditional credit can still get you approved.

Tool: utilization meter

Lesson 3

Debt-to-income

The ratio that decides how much house you can buy, and the limits for each loan type.

Tool: DTI calculator

Lesson 4

Down payment help

How down payment assistance programs work, who qualifies, and the strings that come attached.

Tool: program eligibility check

Lesson 5

Pick the right loan

FHA, conventional, VA, USDA and non-QM side by side, with real payment comparisons.

Tool: payment breakdown

Lesson 6

Your game plan

A month-by-month timeline from today to the closing table, plus the document checklist.

Tool: personal checklist

What you get

Finish the course and it keeps paying you back.

Everything here is free. You're never required to use Ellie Mortgage or Realty85 to take the course or keep what you learn.

FreeThe full course

All six lessons and tools, yours to revisit as often as you like.

Free1-on-1 readiness call

A one-on-one review of your credit, income and savings with a licensed Ellie Mortgage loan officer, plus a written action plan.

Graduate offerClosing-cost credit

Course graduates who close their purchase loan with Ellie Mortgage receive a credit toward closing costs, where permitted by law.

Graduate credit is offered by Ellie Mortgage, LLC. It is available only where permitted by law, applies to purchase loans that close with Ellie Mortgage in a state where Ellie Mortgage is licensed, and is shown as a credit on your Loan Estimate and Closing Disclosure. It does not depend on using Realty85 or any other real estate company, is not redeemable for cash, cannot be combined with other Ellie Mortgage offers, and is not conditioned on referring anyone. Subject to credit approval and loan program guidelines. Offer may change or end without notice.

Who's teaching

Forty years of getting people to the closing table.

"Most of the buyers I couldn't help weren't short on money. They were short on time to fix something small they didn't know about. This course is everything I wish they'd heard a year earlier."

Mike Chapman · founder of Educate85 · in real estate and lending since 1985

1985First brokerage opened

6Interactive lessons

6States Ellie Mortgage lends in

ArizonaColoradoIndianaKentuckyTennesseeTexas

Questions

Before you sign up

Is it really free?

Yes. The course, the tools and the readiness call cost nothing, and you don't have to use either sponsor to take the course.

Who are Ellie Mortgage and Realty85?

Ellie Mortgage is a licensed mortgage broker and Realty85 is a real estate brokerage. They sponsor Educate85 and share common ownership. Loan questions go to a licensed Ellie Mortgage loan officer; home-search questions go to a licensed Realty85 agent. You're free to use any lender and any agent.

Will this hurt my credit?

No. Signing up doesn't pull your credit. If you later apply for a loan, you'll be told before any credit check happens.

Does this count as the homebuyer education some programs require?

Not by itself. Many down payment assistance programs require a certificate from a HUD-approved housing counseling agency. The course explains how those requirements work, and we'll point you to an approved provider if your program needs one.

What if I'm buying in another state?

Take the course anyway. Everything in it applies nationwide. Ellie Mortgage lends in the six states listed above, and Realty85 agents serve buyers in the same six states.

How do I earn the graduate credit?

Finish all six lessons, then close your purchase loan with Ellie Mortgage in a state where the credit is permitted by law. The credit is applied at closing and listed on your loan disclosures.

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