RECENT BLOG POSTS
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Conforming a Little More Each Year If you know me, you know that I don't like to stick to convention. I was the teenager who skipped college, moved to Hollywood and played rock guitar. In my 20's, I saved up vacation time not for sandy white beaches but instead for expeditions to the harsh moun...
12/30/2019
Are Your California Property Taxes On Supplements? Are you one of the 77% of U.S. adults who takes some form of nutritional supplement? If so, you've contributed to the estimated $31 billion dollars of revenue that this industry generated in 2018. So it stands to reason that California counties...
12/16/2019
The Yin and Yang of Mortgages for Business Owners It is no secret that the self-employed have their share of challenges when it comes to getting a home loan. And why wouldn't they? On one hand, their tax professionals spend hours maximizing their deductions and helping them "write off" every allo...
12/03/2019
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OK Boomer, You Don't Need 20% Down Bound to happen from time to time in the digital age, a saying goes viral --- in this case, "OK, boomer," --- which is meant to expose a close-minded or out-of-touch opinion, thought or mindset of one generation by another (I'll let you figure out the age demogr...
11/13/2019
I'm SUArta Back! The FHA Spot Condo Approval Mortgage lenders that see a fair amount of FHA loans have, for the last few years, lamented the loss of the condominium "spot" approval. This erstwhile shortcut would allow a single unit of a condo project to be eligible for an FHA loan even where t...
11/05/2019
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How Can I Make My Home Appraise Higher? Whether buying or refinancing a home, when obtaining a mortgage it can be expected that an appraisal will be required. I talked in a previous post about how we are able to use appraisal waivers in certain instances, but still, most residential real estate...
10/28/2019
Qualifying for a Mortgage? Don't Step in a Large Deposit Mess By far, one of the most confounding experiences when one goes to obtain a mortgage is the sourcing of "large deposits" on a bank statement. This is our industry's gift that keeps giving. However, there are some ways to avoid inadvert...
10/21/2019
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The Haunted Loan Process As we wind our way closer to Halloween, I wanted to cover a few of the graveyard variety hobgoblins of the mortgage process. You know, the things our clients don't tell us at the start and that later come back to haunt their home loan transaction like so many nightmares ...
10/17/2019
When Are Marin County Property Tax Bills Due? As I write this in October of 2019, my very own Marin County property tax bills just arrived. Well, allow me to reframe that. It is widely understood that our real estate tax bills are issued "sometime in October," but when you actually receive them...
10/09/2019
What Happens When My Appraisal Comes in Low (or High!)? You’re in the process of buying a home, and so far things have been going pretty smoothly. Your lender has pre-approved you, your Realtor has found you the perfect home, and with a bit of luck, the seller accepted your offer and now you’re ...
10/03/2019