Most mortgage brokers I talk to have the same complaint. Someone lands on their website, runs a basic payment calculator, and disappears. No call, no email, no form submission. The broker has no idea who they were, what they could afford, or how close they were to actually buying.
I built the Mortgage Decision Engine to change what happens during that visit. By the time a borrower submits their contact information through this tool, the broker already has their readiness score, approval probability, DTI zone, buyer profile, and full financial picture. That is a very different starting point for a first conversation.
See the full borrower experience from step one through lead capture and results page.
The Problem With Most Broker Websites
A basic mortgage calculator does one thing: it takes a home price and a rate and returns a monthly payment. That number tells the borrower almost nothing about whether they can actually qualify. And it tells the broker nothing at all. The visit ends with no contact made on either side.
The lead capture tools most brokers use are a separate problem on top of that. They are either generic contact forms in the footer, or SaaS tools that charge $100 to $400 per month, send a basic form submission with no financial context, and store the lead data on their own servers. The broker is effectively renting access to their own leads.
The visitors leaving these sites are not bad leads. Many of them are buyers actively researching right now. The problem is a website that gives them nothing useful to engage with and no compelling reason to make contact.
What the Mortgage Decision Engine Actually Is
It is not a calculator. A calculator takes inputs and returns a number. A decision engine takes a borrower’s full financial profile, runs it through qualification logic, and returns a complete picture: readiness score, approval probability, buyer profile, DTI zone, and specific next steps based on their situation.
A borrower who used a basic calculator might call and ask “what would my payment be on a $400,000 home?” A borrower who went through the Decision Engine might call and say “I got a 92 readiness score and 93% approval probability, I want to move forward.” That second conversation is usually much shorter and more productive because the groundwork is already done.
For the borrower, the experience feels like a guided conversation rather than a form. They come out the other side with a clear picture of their situation, which makes them more confident about reaching out. For the broker, they receive a lead that already includes the borrower’s income, debts, credit range, savings, buying timeline, and calculated approval probability.
How the Tool Works: Step by Step
The tool runs across three steps. Each step collects specific information that feeds into the results calculation.
The borrower selects their loan type (Conventional, FHA, VA, Jumbo, or USDA), enters their target home price, sets a down payment using a slider, picks their loan term (15, 20, or 30 years), sets an expected interest rate, and fills in property taxes, home insurance, HOA fees, and state. These inputs build the full cost picture of the purchase they are considering.
The borrower enters their total household income, monthly debt payments (car, student loans, credit cards), selects their credit score range from a visual selector (760+, 720-759, 680-719, Below 680), their comfortable monthly payment, and total savings available for down payment and closing costs. This step builds the financial profile that drives the qualification logic.
Four quick questions: first-time buyer or repeat buyer, veteran or active military status, buying timeline (ASAP, Soon, Planning, or Exploring), and purpose of the home (primary, investment, or vacation). These personalize the results and give the broker immediate context about where this borrower is in their journey before making a single call.
The whole process takes roughly 3 minutes. Visual selectors and buttons are used wherever possible instead of plain text fields, so the experience is easier to complete on both desktop and mobile.
The Results Page: Where the Pre-Qualification Happens
The results page is what separates this from anything else a broker might put on their website. It does not just show a monthly payment. It runs the borrower’s profile through qualification logic and returns a full picture of where they stand.
A single number summarizing the borrower’s overall position across all four qualification factors. Gives the borrower an instant read on where they stand and gives the broker a quick signal of lead quality.
A visual gauge showing approval probability as a percentage, based on DTI, credit score range, down payment, and cash flow. A borrower who sees 93% on the screen is in a very different headspace than one who just sees a payment number.
The tool assigns a profile label (Conservative Buyer, Stretched Buyer, Strong Position, etc.) based on the full financial picture. Plain-language summary for the borrower, and instant context for the broker before the first call.
Shows exactly where the borrower’s debt-to-income ratio lands: Safe (under 28%), Comfortable (28-36%), Manageable (37-43%), or Stretched (43%+). Most borrowers have never seen their DTI laid out this clearly before.
Individual progress bars for DTI, Credit, Down Payment, and Cash Flow. The borrower can see which factors are working in their favor and which ones need attention. A broker reading these bars already knows what to focus on in the first conversation.
Specific next steps ranked by impact on approval probability, written for the borrower’s exact situation. Actions tied to their actual numbers, not generic advice about mortgage preparation.
The results page is also where the broker’s branding is most prominent. The tool is white-labeled with the broker’s logo, colors, phone number, and contact details throughout. A borrower who sees their approval probability displayed alongside the broker’s name and contact information has a natural reason to reach out.
The screenshot above shows a real run through the Raleigh Mortgage Group demo. The borrower gets: readiness score 92/100, approval probability 93.3%, estimated home price $467,181, max loan amount $466,064, buyer profile Conservative Buyer. Credit, income, DTI, down payment, and assets all show strong bars. DTI sits at 33.9% which lands in the Excellent zone. The broker receiving this lead knows immediately they are talking to a well-qualified buyer before making a single call.
The What-If Simulator
After the results, the tool includes a What-If Simulator. Borrowers can test how small changes affect their outcome by tapping scenario buttons: rates drop 1%, 5% more down, buy 10% less, clear $100/month in debt, pay $200 extra per month, or wait 12 months. Each button instantly recalculates the full results.
In the demo, paying $200 extra per month shifts the 30-year payoff to 24 years with $168,979 in total interest saved. That is a specific, personalized number a borrower cannot get from a generic calculator. Borrowers who find a scenario that meaningfully improves their position are generally more likely to follow up with the broker to act on it.
How Lead Capture Works Inside the Tool
The lead capture form appears at the end of the results page, after the borrower has seen their full profile. The framing is not a generic “contact us.” It shows the borrower their readiness score and monthly payment, confirms their buyer profile, and invites them to verify their rate with the broker. No credit pull required.
The form collects first name, email address, and optionally a phone number. Short by design, because every additional field tends to reduce completion. But because the form is attached to everything the borrower entered across the three steps, the broker receives a fully contextualized lead.
Name, email, phone (optional), readiness score, buyer profile, approval probability, target home price, loan type, down payment, annual income, monthly debts, credit score range, total savings, buying timeline, and property purpose. The broker goes into the first call with more context than they would typically have after an initial discovery conversation.
The “no credit pull” language on the form is there for a reason. One of the main reasons borrowers hesitate to submit contact information on broker websites is concern about triggering a hard credit inquiry. Addressing that directly tends to improve form completion.
What It Replaces for Brokers
Most brokers who look at this tool are currently paying for several things separately: a calculator widget or embed service, a lead capture tool, and sometimes a separate contact management tool. The Decision Engine handles all of it in one place, on the broker’s own website.
| What Brokers Pay For Now | Typical Monthly Cost | What the Decision Engine Does Instead |
|---|---|---|
| Calculator embed service | $49–$199/mo | Full Decision Engine hosted on broker’s own domain |
| Lead capture tool | $49–$149/mo | Built-in lead capture with full borrower financial context |
| Initial qualification calls | Broker’s time, 20-40 min per lead | Borrower profile collected before the first call |
| Generic contact form | Free but low conversion | Context-rich form at the borrower’s highest-intent moment |
Monthly Subscriptions vs One-Time Setup
The Decision Engine is a one-time setup fee. No monthly subscription, no per-lead charge, no ongoing cost. Once it is on the broker’s website it runs indefinitely.
| Cost Model | Year 1 | Year 2 | Year 3 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Typical SaaS calculator + lead tool ($200/mo) | $2,400 | $2,400 | $2,400 |
| Decision Engine (one-time setup) | One-time fee | $0 | $0 |
| 3-year total: SaaS tools | $7,200+ | ||
| 3-year total: Decision Engine | One-time setup only | ||
The tool disappears from your website immediately. Lead capture stops. If the provider stored your lead data on their servers, access to that data depends on their policy. A tool installed on your own domain has none of these risks.
Data Ownership
When a borrower fills out a lead form on a SaaS-hosted tool, that data typically lives on the SaaS company’s servers. The broker receives a notification, but the underlying data belongs to the platform. If the broker switches tools, lead history may not be exportable. If the provider changes their data policy, the broker’s options are limited.
With the Decision Engine, the tool is installed on the broker’s own website. Lead submissions go directly to the broker’s own email or Google Sheet. No lead data passes through OurNetHelps servers. The broker owns every submission from day one.
What the Setup Looks Like
The tool installs on any broker website: WordPress, Wix, Squarespace, Webflow, or a custom-built site. The broker provides their logo, brand colors, phone number, and contact details. The tool is configured to match their brand before going live. Setup typically takes 24 to 48 hours with no technical work required from the broker’s side.
The tool is fully responsive on all screen sizes. Input fields work with mobile keyboards, buttons are touch-sized, and the results page including the approval probability gauge and DTI zone visualization renders correctly on phones and tablets.
Full Decision Engine installed on your domain, your logo and brand colors applied throughout, your phone number and contact details on the results page and lead capture form, lead form connected to your email or Google Sheet, fully mobile-responsive on all devices, and no monthly fees from that point forward. Every lead that comes through is yours.
See the Decision Engine Running Live
The Raleigh demo shows the full borrower experience: readiness score, approval probability, DTI zone, What-If Simulator, and lead capture. Takes about 3 minutes to run through.
View the Live DemoHow It Compares to What Most Brokers Have Now
| Feature | Basic Calculator | Generic Lead Form | Mortgage Decision Engine |
|---|---|---|---|
| Monthly payment calculation | Yes | No | Yes |
| Approval probability score | No | No | Yes (percentage gauge) |
| DTI zone visualization | No | No | Yes (4-zone display) |
| Readiness score out of 100 | No | No | Yes |
| Buyer profile label | No | No | Yes (Conservative, Stretched, etc.) |
| What-If Simulator | No | No | Yes (6 scenarios) |
| Lead capture with financial context | No | Name/email only | Yes (full profile attached) |
| Broker branding throughout | Sometimes | Sometimes | Yes (logo, colors, contact details) |
| Data owned by broker | Depends on provider | Depends on provider | Yes (on broker’s own domain) |
| Monthly cost | $49–$199/mo | $0–$149/mo | One-time setup only |
Get the Decision Engine on Your Website
Your branding, your domain, your leads. A fully installed Mortgage Decision Engine with readiness scoring, approval probability, What-If Simulator, and lead capture. One-time fee. No subscriptions.
Get the Decision Engine Installed
