Here’s a question I get a lot: “Should I buy down my interest rate?” The short answer is: sometimes.

Buying down a rate basically means paying money up front to lower your interest rate, which can reduce your monthly payment. Sounds great, right? But the real question is whether you’ll be in the home long enough for the savings to outweigh the upfront cost.

That’s where running the numbers comes in. I’ll help you look at the math and make sure you’re not just handing money to the lender for no good reason. Sometimes it’s a smart move, sometimes it’s like paying extra for guac at Chipotle—you think you need it, but you might not.