Overview
Rate Control gives you additional flexibility over how Ownwell estimates mortgage opportunities, allowing calculations to reflect your preferred rate comparison strategy.
Ownwell’s standard opportunity model is designed to spark engagement, keep homeowners informed, and position you as a trusted advisor through consistent, professional insights. Rate Control is for brokers who want to introduce a higher level of precision earlier in that journey.
There’s no single right way to use Ownwell.
Some brokers value broad engagement signals, while others prioritize early precision. Rate Control lets you choose which works best for you.
Why Rate Control Exists
Ownwell’s default calculations are intentionally broad. They are designed to:
Highlight meaningful market opportunities.
Encourage client engagement and conversation.
Keep homeowners aware of trends that matter to them.
Support long-term relationship building.
For many brokers, this approach works extremely well.
Some brokers, however, prefer to bring more specificity into the estimate itself from the start. That might be because of how they structure their advice or how they prefer to frame conversations with certain client segments.
Rate Control exists for those brokers. It allows you to align Ownwell’s opportunity calculations more closely with how you already operate, without changing the homeowner experience or the core value of the monthly digest.
How Rate Control Works
Rate Control gives you three ways to control how Ownwell selects comparison mortgage rates when estimating opportunities.
Use Rate Type Match
This is the default setting.
Ownwell compares clients only against rates that match their current mortgage rate type.
For example:
Fixed-rate mortgages are compared against fixed rates.
Variable-rate mortgages are compared against variable rates.
This setting helps ensure opportunity estimates align with the homeowner's existing mortgage structure, making the recommendations more relevant and easier to discuss with clients.
Always Use Lowest Rate
With this option selected, Ownwell searches for the lowest qualifying mortgage rate available, regardless of the client's current rate type.
This setting is designed to maximize opportunity coverage by surfacing the strongest available savings opportunities, even if they involve switching to a different rate type.
Use My Preferred Term
This option allows Ownwell to prioritize your preferred mortgage term when estimating opportunities.
If a client's situation supports your preferred term, Ownwell will use that term when calculating the opportunity.
If the client's situation doesn't support your preferred term, Ownwell automatically falls back to the lowest qualifying rate with a term that is equal to or longer than the client's remaining mortgage term.
This provides a balance between following your preferred lending strategy while still presenting realistic mortgage opportunities.
Comparison Terms
Regardless of which Rate Control option you choose, comparison terms will always be greater than or equal to the remaining term on the client's mortgage.
How This Affects What Homeowners See
From a homeowner’s perspective, the experience remains simple and consistent.
Homeowners never see:
Which Rate Control option you've selected.
The comparison rates used.
Details of how opportunity calculations are performed.
Rate Control enhances Ownwell’s opportunity calculations without changing the core experience homeowners receive.
What they do see:
Opportunity estimates that align closely with your advisory approach.
Insights that feel relevant and credible.
Clear, confident guidance supported by your expertise.
Who Rate Control Is For
Rate Control is well suited for brokers who:
Want opportunity estimates to reflect their preferred rate strategy.
Have a defined advisory approach.
Prefer to introduce more tailored calculations earlier in the client journey.
Want flexibility in how Ownwell supports their conversations.
Other brokers may prefer to keep Ownwell’s estimates intentionally broad and use client conversations as the next step. Both approaches work well, and Rate Control simply gives you the option to choose.
If you prefer to keep estimates broad and use client conversations to refine scenarios, Ownwell’s standard calculations may already be the right fit.
How do I update my Rate preferences?
You can configure your Rate Control settings in your Account Settings.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does this apply to my entire database?
Yes. Rate Control is an account-wide setting.
Do homeowners see rate details?
No. Homeowners only ever see the overall opportunity amount.
Will opportunities update when I change these settings?
Yes. All current and future opportunity calculations will reflect your active configuration.
Can this be customized per homeowner?
Not currently. Rate Control applies at the account level.
How much does Rate Control cost?
Rate Control is included free on every Ownwell plan.