Treat a promised future refinance, free or discounted, with heavy skepticism. No honest lender can guarantee one. Start with the math: there is no truly free refinance. When a lender or builder says the future loan will cost nothing, the closing costs are being covered by a rebate built into a higher rate, so you pay for it in the rate instead of at the closing table. Then there is qualification. Any future refinance means requalifying, and nobody can guarantee you will still be eligible. A job change or a drop in income can disqualify you, which is exactly why every Loan Estimate and Closing Disclosure states in writing that a future loan is not promised. Even the streamline programs, which skip the appraisal and income documents, have real requirements: - FHA streamline: the mortgage must be current at closing, with no 30-day lates in the most recent 6 months and no more than one in the 6 months before that, plus seasoning of at least 6 payments and 210 days. - VA IRRRL: similarly requires six consecutive on-time payments and 210 days of seasoning, with a clean recent payment history. And nobody can promise where rates will be later, so "we will refinance you lower in six months" is a promise no honest lender makes. What can be legitimate: some banks genuinely waive a recast fee, and there is no downside to a lower payment that costs you nothing. Our advice is simple. Ask what the actual rate and terms are on that "free" loan, then compare it against an honest quote so you can see what the markup really costs. Running that comparison with your real numbers is exactly what the free Roadmap conversation (about 20 minutes) is for.