California Mortgage Blog

The New Abnormal We've just turned the corner from March to April, but here in the San Francisco Bay Area, we are still sheltered in place (SIP).  Everybody in our home is making adjustments to our new abnormal and it's a good lesson for today's homeowner too.  We may not be able to move around o...

Errors of Intent Watching the world grapple with a pandemic has had a profound impact on my ability to count blessings.  Yes, we are sheltered in place, but my immediate family is presently in good health.  And though I suspect the coming days, weeks and months will be disrupted by yet unknown ch...

We Are Essential I've seen a few movies in my career; 9/11, Lehman collapse, the CFPB crusades to name a few.  But the Corona virus (COVID-19) will no doubt test the mortgage banking industry in novel and difficult ways.  So it was heartening to receive this update from our COO today and amidst t...

 Your Credit May Be Good, But Is It Jumbo Good?  "I have an 800 FICO so I know I'll qualify..." We, here at Guaranteed Rate, pride ourselves on being a great jumbo mortgage lender. And because of my geography and clientele in the San Francisco Bay Area, we encounter a lot of higher loan amounts. ...

Part-Time Jobs, Second Jobs and Your Mortgage Application I remember thumbing through the Recycler in Los Angeles when I first moved out there as a teenager.  Living on a shoestring budget, I was especially intrigued by the ads that promised the ability to make thousands per month while sitting i...

Can Income from Your Vacation Rental Help You Qualify for a Mortgage? Ok.  I'm going to go out on a limb here and say that someone reading this post has, at one point in his/her life, taken an Uber to an AirBnB.  It makes sense and it's a perfect exemplification of the "gig economy" working in bo...

What Is an Alternative Mortgage? Every so often in popular music, movies, art and culture, the unconventional becomes the rage, the "alternative" becomes mainstream.  When it does, it usually reshapes people's ideas of what's "normal" and it can redefine what's acceptable --- even preferred --- f...

Howdy, Partner!  How's the Income Look on Your Mortgage Application? I don't care how successful your S-Corporation or partnership may be.  When you go to get a home loan, there will be a new sheriff in town --- your mortgage lender.  So before your loan process gets hung up at high noon, I thoug...

Form 1098 and Your Mortgage Interest Statement "At first you go bankrupt slowly, and then all at once."  This quote has been attributed to Ernest Hemingway, Mark Twain and even F. Scott Fitzgerald.  Indeed, it's a great one, though fortunately I cannot personally attest to its veracity.  Neverthe...

What Kind of Insurance Do You Need When You Buy a House? Let me start by saying that I'm not in the insurance business, but that the insurance business is in mine.  And my business is helping home buyers and homeowners get a great mortgage.  So just what are the insurance requirements when you bu...