An interactive mortgage calculator can be many things, but at its core, there are basic elements that almost any user will be looking for.
Here are the top 5 interactive mortgage calculator features:
1. Ease of Use
If a user has to struggle to figure out how to use your interactive mortgage calculator, it’s going to be abandoned for another one, and that makes it useless to them and you. The UI or User Interface should be light and friendly. Entries should be orderly and by all means, there should be directions included at least in the form of “tooltips” that guide a user to the how, what and why of every entry and return field.
2. Accuracy
The last thing you want to do is convey bad information. Every interactive mortgage calculator should be tested, proofed and then tested again. Users will expect perfection, and there’s no room for excuses when it comes to calculating payments, qualification, amortization, cash to close or any of the many other figures germane to the mortgage world.
3. Simple In the Front, Comprehensive In the Back
TRY POWER MESSAGING.
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Sounds a little bit like a mullet! But seriously, a complicated set of calculations may be a stroll in the park for you, yet put yourself in the shoes of the consumer who’s never bought a home before. Lots of terms and formulas for calculating everything from payments to PMI to hazard insurance, etc., are rife with particulars that are not well known by the inexperienced. Guide your users to an interactive mortgage calculator with a simple user interface, good default figures, easy directions and, as a fail-safe, the prompt to contact you with any questions.
The math that occurs in the background is where the complexity can reside; it simply doesn’t belong on the face of things. The easier and more engaging you make your loan calculators, the more they will be used. The goal should be to inform and impress with the calculator’s returns, not the complexity of it. When a calculator is built well, it will be easy to use but no less comprehensive than it should be.
4. Flexibility
Not in the math, just the inputs. Property values, interest rates, insurance factors, etc., all have wide ranges. This is especially true from one area of the country to the next. Don’t limit too tightly the range of inputs, especially when using a slider to enter values. Even when you do establish a range, make sure that it can be overwritten with manual entry, as there is always a user or property that’s an outlier. You certainly don’t want to lose a $4 million loan application because your mortgage calculator only went to $999,999. Think outside the box and make sure the provisions are there while keeping it easy for the normal numbers in your area.
5. Ease of Access to Interactive Mortgage Calculators
Move beyond offering your tools via a visit to your main website and sub-menus. Be sure that your calculators have URLs that can be bookmarked and returned to by a user with one click. It’s rarely only once that a prospect will avail themselves of your well-designed interactive mortgage calculators and tools, but only if they can get to them easily.
As well, you really want to be sure that your calculators are branded to you individually. It’s even better if response forms are built right in so your users can click to contact you and get their applications started.
Surefire comes pre-loaded with many loan calculator options that have their own landing page and also simple versions to embed on your own web pages. These offer not only a variety of the most popular interactive mortgage calculators, but far more eye-opening, educational and motivational tools that will quickly become your go-to solutions for your mortgage lead generation strategy.
Want to see a few in action? Just click here for a Surefire demo. You’ll be able to put our proven interactive mortgage calculators and a whole library of other award-winning content to work for you in no time.