reNavigator User Guide

Complete guide to managing your real estate transaction

5-Minute Quick-Start

New here? You only need three steps to get your full financial picture. Do these in order and reNavigator does the math for you.

Step 1

Enter your Sale Info

Open the Selling tab and add your home's expected sale price, remaining mortgage, and agent commission. This tells us how much cash your sale will free up.

Step 2

Enter your Purchase Info

Switch to the Buying tab and add the price of the home you want, your down payment, and the loan rate. This tells us how much cash you'll need up front.

Step 3

Check your Estimated Gain/Loss

Scroll to the 'Where You Stand' summary at the top of your dashboard. That single number tells you whether you'll have cash left over — or need more — after both moves.

Overview

reNavigator is a comprehensive real estate transaction management tool designed to help you track every dollar and milestone in your home transition journey. Whether you're selling your current home, buying a new one, or doing both simultaneously, reNavigator provides the financial clarity and timeline management you need.

Quick Tip

To see a complete picture of your real estate transaction, you really only need to fill out two tabs: Selling Your Home and Buying Your New Home. Enter your sale and purchase details there, and reNavigator will automatically calculate your Estimated Gain/Loss, financial summaries, and more — no extra setup required!

Selling Your Home

This is Step 1 of your journey. Everything you enter here flows up into your Estimated Gain/Loss. Track all aspects of selling your current home, including:

  • Property address and sale price
  • Agent commission (typically 5-6% of sale price)
  • Remaining mortgage balance
  • Closing costs and other selling expenses
  • Capital gains tax calculations (automatically accounts for $250k/$500k exclusion)
  • Net proceeds after all expenses

⚠️ Don't Fear the Closing Costs

When you reach the closing costs field, this is where most people guess — and get it wrong. We've set sensible defaults so you're never stuck, but as you get closer to your move, replace them with the real numbers from your settlement statement. If you underestimate by even $2,000, the 'Cash Surplus' at the top of your dashboard is lying to you. Three minutes of precision here keeps your Estimated Gain/Loss honest.

💡 Tips

  • • The calculator automatically applies the capital gains tax exclusion ($250k for single filers, $500k for married filing jointly) if you've lived in the home for at least 2 of the last 5 years
  • • Include all home improvements in the cost basis to reduce potential capital gains
  • • Don't forget to account for prorated property taxes and HOA fees at closing

Buying Your New Home

This is Step 2 of your journey. These numbers tell reNavigator how much cash you'll need up front — the other half of your Estimated Gain/Loss. Plan your new home purchase with detailed financial projections:

  • Property address and purchase price
  • Down payment percentage (default 20%)
  • Loan details (interest rate, term length)
  • Closing costs and one-time expenses
  • Monthly recurring costs (mortgage, HOA, taxes, insurance)
  • Upgrades and improvements for new construction

⚠️ Why Precise Closing Costs Matter

Buying closing costs are the 'tax on excitement' — the boring fees that show up right when you're picturing yourself in the new home. Don't skip them. Your Loan Estimate from your lender lists the real figures. Entering them accurately is the difference between a true 'Cash Surplus' and a surprise 'Cash Deficit' on your Estimated Gain/Loss. Take the three minutes — your future self will thank you.

💡 Tips

  • • A 20% down payment typically avoids PMI (Private Mortgage Insurance)
  • • Factor in all monthly costs, not just the mortgage payment
  • • For new construction, track upgrades to stay within budget
  • • Upgrades can add up quickly, so be diligent about tracking your upgrades here

Estimated Gain/Loss: Your Financial North Star

This is Step 3 — and the most important screen in the entire app. The 'Where You Stand' summary at the top of your dashboard isn't just a number. It's the result of every decision you've made in Selling and Buying, distilled into one answer: can you afford this move?

  • Cash Surplus/Deficit: How much money you'll have left (or need) after both transactions
  • Sale Net Proceeds: Total cash from selling your current home
  • Purchase Upfront Costs: All cash needed for the new home purchase
  • Estimated Monthly Payment: Your new total monthly housing cost

🟢 If you see a Green Surplus

You have the financial green light. After selling and buying, you'll have cash left over. This is your cushion — and the confidence to move forward.

🔴 If you see a Red Deficit

This is a financial warning, not a dead end. You have two moves: (1) Use the 'Play with Numbers' sandbox to test a higher sale price or lower purchase price, or (2) add savings via the 'Other Funds' tool to cover the gap. Adjust until the number turns green.

💡 Tips

  • • Why this matters: most people don't realize their math is off until they're at the closing table. Watching this number as you refine your plan stress-tests your move in real time — long before an agent is involved.
  • • A positive number means you'll have cash left over; negative means you'll need additional funds
  • • Plan for at least 3-6 months of expenses in reserve
  • • Consider the monthly payment change from your current to new home

Play with Numbers (Sandbox)

The "Play with Numbers" sandbox lets you experiment with "what-if" scenarios right from your Where You Stand summary — without ever changing your saved plan. Slide the key figures up or down and instantly see how your cash surplus or deficit would change. It's a safe playground: your real, saved numbers are never touched.

  • If your home sells for…: Slide your sale price up or down to see the impact on your Estimated Gain/Loss
  • If your new home costs…: Test different purchase prices for the home you're buying
  • Down payment: Adjust your down payment percentage (hidden when paying cash)
  • Mortgage interest rate: See how different rates change your monthly payment and cash needs
  • Quick toggles for purchase type (financed vs. cash) and tax filing status
  • A live comparison showing your sandbox result next to your saved plan

Your Plan Stays Safe

An amber 'Sandbox active' banner reminds you that everything here is just an experiment. Nothing you change in the sandbox is saved — your official numbers remain exactly as you entered them.

Reset & Exit

Use 'Reset' to snap all the sliders back to your real saved figures, or 'Exit' to close the sandbox entirely and return to your normal view.

💡 Tips

  • • Enter your real Selling and Buying numbers first — the sandbox sliders are centered around your actual figures (roughly ±30%)
  • • Use it to answer questions like 'What if I get $10k less than asking?' or 'What if rates drop half a point?'
  • • Try the cash vs. financed toggle to compare how each option affects the cash you need up front
  • • Nothing is saved — feel free to explore freely, then hit Reset or Exit when you're done

Timeline & Planning

Manage all key dates and milestones in your transaction:

  • Listing date for current home
  • Offer acceptance dates (both properties)
  • Inspection and appraisal dates
  • Closing dates for both transactions
  • Move-in date

Backward Timeline Calculator

Work backwards from your target move date to determine when to list your home. Set your ideal move-in date, adjust the typical durations for each milestone, and the calculator will show you when each event needs to happen. After entering a preferred move-in date, the dates for various events will be automatically calculated, using the default number of days in between events. You can manually override the number of days between events to suit your situation. Once you are satisfied with the backward calculation of dates, you can click the 'Apply Dates to Schedule of Events' button to generate list of important events and the approximate dates they will occur. You can regenerate the 'Backwards Timeline' data and the 'Schedule of Events' date as often as necessary.

Schedule of Events

Track progress by marking events as completed. The timeline visualizes your journey from listing to moving day. The dates can be generated from the 'Backwards Timeline Calculator', or you can entere them manually.

💡 Tips

  • • Use the Backward Timeline Calculator if you have a specific move date in mind
  • • Typical time from listing to offer is 30-60 days depending on market conditions
  • • Most purchase contracts allow 30-45 days from offer to closing
  • • Build in buffer time for unexpected delays

Visual Analytics

Visualize your financial data with interactive charts:

  • Sale Proceeds Breakdown: See exactly where your sale proceeds go
  • Purchase Costs Breakdown: Understand all upfront costs for buying
  • Monthly Payment Breakdown: Visualize your recurring housing expenses
  • Cash Flow Over Time: Track your financial position throughout the process

💡 Tips

  • • Use these charts to identify your largest expenses
  • • The pie charts help you communicate your financial plan to family members
  • • Export or screenshot charts for your records or loan applications

Documents

Keep all transaction documents organized in one place:

  • Upload and categorize documents (sale, purchase, inspection, loan, legal, etc.)
  • Add notes to each document for context
  • View and download documents anytime
  • Track document organization by category

💡 Tips

  • • Upload documents as soon as you receive them
  • • Use consistent naming conventions for easy searching
  • • Keep digital copies even after closing for tax and warranty purposes
  • • Suggested categories: Sale Agreement, Purchase Agreement, Inspection Reports, Appraisals, Loan Documents, Legal Documents, Insurance

Contacts

Manage all professionals involved in your transaction:

  • Real estate agents (yours and buyer's/seller's)
  • Lenders and mortgage brokers
  • Home inspectors and appraisers
  • Attorneys and title companies
  • Insurance agents, movers, and contractors

💡 Tips

  • • Add contacts as soon as you engage them
  • • Include all communication methods (phone, email)
  • • Use the notes field for important details like license numbers or specialties
  • • Keep this list handy - you'll reference it frequently during the transaction

Searching for Your New Home

The "Searching for Your New Home" section helps you organize your home search in one place. It contains two sub-tabs to manage both your wish list and the specific homes you're considering.

Wishlist Sub-tab

Build a list of must-haves and nice-to-haves for your new home — things like an open floor plan, a large backyard, a home office, or proximity to schools. Add as many items as you like. These wishlist items will then appear as checkboxes on each home in the 'Homes We Like' sub-tab, so you can quickly see how well each property matches your criteria.

Homes We Like Sub-tab

Track every property you're seriously considering. For each home you can record the address, asking price, number of bedrooms, bathrooms, and square footage. Quick links to Zillow and Realtor.com let you jump straight to the listing. Check off which wishlist items the home has, upload photos from tours, and jot down notes as you visit. When you're ready, mark one home as 'Purchased' — only one home can hold that designation at a time.

💡 Tips

  • • Build your Wishlist before adding homes so the checkboxes are ready to use immediately
  • • Add notes right after a tour while details are fresh in your memory
  • • Use the bedroom, bathroom, and square footage fields to quickly compare properties side-by-side
  • • Marking a home as 'Purchased' automatically clears the flag from any previously selected home

Ask reNavigator

The "Ask reNavigator" tab gives you an AI-powered real estate assistant that has full context of your transaction data. Ask it anything related to your home sale or purchase and get personalized, data-aware answers.

  • Ask questions about your specific financial numbers (e.g., "How much will I net from my sale?")
  • Get explanations of real estate terms and processes
  • Request advice on negotiation strategies or offer structures
  • Ask about tax implications based on your specific situation
  • Get help interpreting inspection or appraisal results

💡 Tips

  • • The more data you've entered in the Selling and Buying tabs, the more accurate and personalized the answers will be
  • • Ask follow-up questions — the assistant remembers the context of your conversation
  • • Use it to sanity-check numbers or decisions before committing
  • • Great for preparing questions to ask your real estate agent or lender

Market Analysis

The "Market Analysis" tab provides AI-powered real estate market insights for any U.S. ZIP code. Enter a ZIP code to get a snapshot of current market conditions, trends, and an outlook to help inform your buying or selling decisions.

  • Median home price and recent price trends for the area
  • Average days on market (a key indicator of buyer vs. seller market conditions)
  • Inventory levels and list-to-sale price ratios
  • Historical price trend charts to visualize market movement
  • Market outlook and confidence rating

💡 Tips

  • • Run an analysis on the ZIP code of the home you're selling to understand your local market
  • • Also run it on the ZIP code where you're looking to buy to gauge competition
  • • A low days-on-market figure means homes sell quickly — be prepared to act fast
  • • A high list-to-sale ratio (above 100%) indicates a competitive market where homes often sell above asking price
  • • Use the market outlook to time your listing or purchase if your schedule allows flexibility

Scenario Planning

Compare different financial scenarios side-by-side:

  • Create multiple scenarios with different assumptions
  • Compare sale prices, purchase prices, interest rates, and down payments
  • View net cash position for each scenario
  • Switch between list view and comparison table

Common Use Cases:

  • Best case vs. worst case sale prices
  • Different down payment amounts (10%, 15%, 20%, 25%)
  • Various interest rate scenarios
  • Multiple properties you're considering

💡 Tips

  • • Start by creating a scenario from your current transaction data
  • • Create at least 3 scenarios: optimistic, realistic, and conservative
  • • Use the comparison table to see all scenarios at once
  • • Scenarios help you make decisions with confidence

Ready to Get Started?

Start tracking your real estate transaction today

All calculations are estimates. Consult your real estate agent and financial advisor for precise figures.