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Authors
Steve Nicastro

Steve Nicastro

Content Lead

Steve Nicastro is a managing editor and mortgage and housing finance specialist at Best Interest Financial, where he helps home buyers, homeowners, and real estate investors make sense of mortgages and financing decisions.

Before joining Best Interest Financial, Steve worked as a licensed real estate agent and investor, closing more than $6 million in transactions and personally buying and selling over 30 homes. That hands-on experience shapes his coverage of mortgages, refinancing, DSCR loans, buyer incentives, and financing strategies.

Steve spent more than six years as a personal finance writer at NerdWallet. His work has also appeared in USA Today, U.S. News, Yahoo Finance, Associated Press, and The New York Times.

Expertise: Mortgages and refinancing, homebuyer financing strategies, real estate investing loans, housing affordability
Education: Quinnipiac University
Background: Former licensed real estate agent and active real estate investor

Featured Published Articles

  • An interest-only mortgage lets you pay just the interest for a set period (typically 5, 7, or 10 years) before your payment jumps to cover both principal and interest on the remaining balance. Our interest-only mortgage calculator shows your IO payment, your fully amortizing payment after the IO period ends, and the full amortization schedule…

  • Switching from monthly to biweekly mortgage payments is one of the simplest ways to pay off your loan faster and save on interest (without refinancing). Our biweekly mortgage calculator shows exactly how much you'd save in interest, how many years you'd cut from your loan term, and how your amortization schedule changes compared to standard…

  • A home equity line of credit (HELOC) lets you borrow against your home's equity on an as-needed basis, sort of like a credit card vs. a traditional loan. Our HELOC calculator estimates your maximum credit line, monthly payment on the amount you draw, and full repayment schedule so you can plan before you apply. Important…

  • If you've built up equity in your home, a home equity loan lets you borrow against it as a lump sum, at a fixed rate, with predictable monthly payments. Our home equity loan calculator estimates how much equity you can access, your monthly payment, and total interest costs based on your home's current value, mortgage…

  • USDA loans offer one of the few remaining 0% down payment options for home buyers, but they come with geographic and income restrictions that many people don't know about. Our USDA loan calculator estimates your full monthly payment for a USDA Rural Development loan, including the upfront guarantee fee, annual fee, property taxes, and homeowners…

  • VA loans are one of the most valuable benefits available to eligible service members, veterans, and surviving spouses. The biggest advantage is one you won't find on most mortgages: no down payment required and no monthly mortgage insurance. Our VA loan calculator estimates your monthly payment, calculates the VA funding fee, and shows how your…