Latest Articles

Maximum Loan Limits Increased for 2019

Each year the conforming government agencies (Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac) along with the government insured loan programs (FHA and VA) revisit the maximum loan limits in each county across the country. The goal is to modify limits to be responsive to the home values and average loan sizes in each area to ensure lending […]

Giving the Gift of Down Payment

It’s the time of the season for giving and that applies to helping a loved one buy a home by giving a gift of money for down payment. Borrowers have more options if they have a donor willing to help out, but gifting money does have its own guidelines. Most loan programs for owner occupied […]

Is Today The Day To Lock My Loan?

I’m often asked a lot by borrowers if they should lock their loan which is an important consideration when doing a purchase or refinance mortgage. For those that are unfamiliar with the concept: Locking refers to the lender executing a rate commitment for some period of time (typically 15, 30, 45 or 60 days) to […]

Preparing Self Employed Borrowers For Success

Many self-employed individuals get pretty aggressive with their tax returns, typically writing off business expenses and working with a CPA to trying to reduce their overall tax liability. It’s important to remember there is an impact to doing so in that it results in lower reported income. I always like to say ‘you are what […]

The Power of the VA Loan Program

Recently I was out enjoying a beer and ping pong with a Realtor colleague in Ocean Beach at The Holding Company when suddenly a Karaoke night began on the other side of the bar. I encouraged my friend to stick around so we could sing a couple songs to close out the night. The first […]