California Mortgage Blog

Investment Property Jumbo Mortgage with Low Down Payment Since I'm in California, and property values where I live and work tend to be on the, shall we say, higher side, residential real estate investors --- those looking to purchase a home of 1- to 4-units to be used as an income-producing prope...

Should I Get a HELOC? Thankfully, many of our clients are happy with their mortgages.  The interest rate, the terms, the peace of mind --- all are satisfactory and there's no motivation to change or refinance.  But what happens if there's a need to use the equity in the home to finance a remodeli...

What's a Piggyback Mortgage? As if!  As if mortgages weren't complex enough, now you're going to tell me there's such a thing as TWO mortgages stacked on top of each other --- just to buy the same home you could otherwise get with one mortgage?  Are you a glutton for punishment? OK, calm down.  Y...

Jumbo Mortgage with 5% Down Payment You never hear anyone say "Give it 95%!," do you?  And, curiously, when it comes to getting a jumbo mortgage, that still holds true --- the vast majority of homebuyers still think it takes a 20% down payment to enter the market. As of 2019, there are 34 metropo...

What's the Point of Points? Let's get right to the point.  What point?  Points.  I don't get it.  What's your point?  The point is points --- what are they, how do they work and should I pay them when I get a mortgage?  There's a lot of confusion about points and when a borrower researches his or...

What Is a Debt Service Coverage Ratio Mortgage? Real estate investors have long turned to private money loans when conventional mortgage lenders have determined that either they, with their multiple property holdings, or the properties they are looking to buy, pose too great a risk.  But for its ...

When Is a Good Time to Refinance? There's that great, old maxim that goes, "There are two kinds of jobs in the world; the kind you shower before and the kind you shower after."  And in that spirit, I would offer that there are two kinds of refinances in the world --- the kind you transact because...

The Lenders, The Dreamers and Me Immigration, as a topic, has been in the news a lot lately. Without weighing in politically, at least overtly, this is a matter close to my heart as it's not hard for me to forget that my grandparents fit the classic Ellis Island mold that shaped the lives of coun...

FHA FAQ Maybe you just got the news from your loan officer that you need an FHA loan in order to qualify for your home purchase.  "Oh brother," you say, another acronym, additional lending jargon and still more ways to be confused about the whole mortgage process.  Or not?  What are the differenc...

Lock Watch for the Week of 4/29/2019 Volatility-O-Meter:FOMC meeting and announcement this week, but no rate change expected.  Still, watch the language and watch the employment report on Friday too. Economicalendar (all times are Pacific):Mon, 4/29:    Personal Income and Outlays (5:30am).Tues, ...