Home improvement ROI considerations?
Wherein I give you "permission" to make home improvements for your family, not for the return on investment! Featuring a cool kid with absolutely crazy climbing abilities, demonstrated via the epic in-house climbing wall....
High Mortgage Fees Drive Me Crazy!
Did you know that since 2019 average feed paid by consumers, to lenders, for originating a mortgage, have gone up 40%?! #SupplyChain? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F8owc6zVIFU We do over 75% of our mortgages with zero lender fees. We do not have 15 layers of middle...
HowTo: Pay off debt to increase your mortgage approval amount!
https://youtu.be/SXFt0dt87jc A common mistake is for the would-be homebuyer to pay off the wrong debts before applying for preapproval. Don't make that mistake! Reach out to us directly, so we can go over which specific debts of yours make the most sense to pay down,...
SB 9 – convert your SFR into a duplex or triplex?!
California recently passed SB 9, which allows the owners of single family homes in urban areas to "divide their lots into two and build up to three additional homes on them" (LA Times). This is going to be a fairly fast (2 minute read) primer to answer some of the...
HOWTO: Avoid the Mortgage Rate Bait-and-Switch
It's easier than you think! After you're done watching the below, check this out to ensure that you understand the numbers you are reading, and what they really mean. Still have questions? Let's chat! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mLtMeQdRHSw
HowTo: Read Mortgage Docs and Understand Your Loan Estimate
Getting a mortgage can be nerve-wracking! In this video, we will explain how to read the "Loan Estimate," a standardized document required by regulation. We break it down line by line, and remove all confusion. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9qrjlcGcz5A Questions?...
Appraisal Risk Management 101
In this video, we go over the most basic way to manage the risks of an appraisal shortfall, also known as an appraisal "gap." Risk management is important, and that's what this is about! For more detailed and advanced strategies, please see the link below after...
Should you pull cash out of your California home before rates rise?
The most common reasons that homeowners pull cash out when they refinance are: Consolidate Debt. Mortgage rates are lower than most other types of rates, and with the payment spread over 30 years, it's more comfortable. Home Renovations. Some people use credit cards...
Hot Market Appraisal Strategies for California
Word is out, the real estate market is smoking hot right now. This often leads to concern about appraisal issues. What if the appraisal comes in low? Do I really need to "make up the full difference" with cash? What if I don't have an appraisal contingency, is that...
High Assets | No Job | Normal Mortgage: “I can afford the house outright. Why does the mortgage loan officer or bank care about W-2 income?”
This is an excellent question, and like many things when it comes to applying for a mortgage, it ties back to the events of 2008. In the fallout of that event, numerous things happened, including the passage of the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection...
