Residential Real Estate Loans
1031 Exchanges: What Real Estate Investors Should Know Before They Sell
For many real estate investors, one of the biggest obstacles to selling an appreciated property isn’t finding a buyer. It’s the tax consequences of selling. An investor may have owned a rental house, apartment building, commercial property, or other investment real estate for years—or even decades. Commercial Real Estate Loans Archives – Steven Hook, San…
Read MoreCondo Financing Rules Just Changed: Why the HOA May Matter More Than the Buyer
A condominium buyer can have excellent credit, strong income, plenty of assets, and a substantial down payment—and still run into a financing problem. The reason may have nothing to do with the buyer. It may be the condominium project itself. Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac have recently made significant changes to their condominium project review…
Read MoreMISSION IMPOSSIBLE LOANS: EPISODE 14- When Two Appraisers See the Same Condo Differently
A first-time homebuyer walks into a condominium and sees possibilities. A real estate agent sees market value. An appraiser sees comparable sales. And sometimes, two appraisers can look at essentially the same property and reach very different conclusions about its value. That was the situation facing Ray. A First-Time Buyer Finds the Right Condo Ray…
Read MoreResidential Lending Playbook
Lesson 2: Understanding Qualified Mortgages (QM) Why They Exist… and Why They Aren’t the Whole Mortgage Story In Lesson 1, we explored Non-Qualified Mortgages (Non-QM) and why many financially successful borrowers use financing that falls outside traditional mortgage guidelines. The natural follow-up question is: If there are Non-QM loans, what exactly is a Qualified Mortgage…
Read More25 Costly Homeownership Mistakes to Avoid After Closing Escrow
Most home buyers spend months preparing to purchase a home. They improve their credit, save for a down payment, gather documents, and work through the mortgage approval process. Then comes closing day. The loan funds, the deed records, the keys are handed over, and many homeowners assume the hard part is over. In reality, homeownership…
Read MoreBeyond Conforming: The Complete Guide to Modern Mortgage Financing
Lesson 1 of 12: What Is a Non-QM Loan? Welcome to Lesson 1 of the Beyond Conforming series. Throughout this 12-part educational guide, we’ll explore the mortgage programs that exist beyond traditional conforming financing and explain why many well-qualified borrowers use these strategies every day. This Beyond Conforming series is one section of my larger…
Read MoreMission Impossible Loans #12: Three Borrowers, One Family, and a Loan That Refused to Cooperate
Every mortgage has a story. Some involve complicated properties. Others involve unusual financing. And then there are the loans where life itself becomes the biggest obstacle. Early in my lending career, one loan taught me a lesson that has stayed with me ever since. It began as what appeared to be a straightforward debt-consolidation refinance…
Read MoreWhy the Mortgage World Isn’t Nearly as Simple as Most People Think
If you’ve followed my blog for any length of time, you’ve probably noticed that I write about a wide variety of financing topics. One week it might be VA loans. Another week it could be construction financing, condominium lending, bridge loans, owner-occupied commercial real estate, financing for medical professionals, or one of my Mission Impossible…
Read MoreVA Loans: Myth vs. Reality
One of the Best Home Loan Benefits in America—And One of the Most Misunderstood As a mortgage broker in San Francisco, I do not see VA loans every day the way lenders in more military-heavy markets might. But that has not stopped them from becoming some of my favorite loans. Why? Because when a VA…
Read MoreMISSION IMPOSSIBLE LOANS – Episode 6 The Son Who Inherited Opportunity…And Nearly Missed It
“The banks said no. The family saw opportunity. The challenge wasn’t buying the property — it was finding someone willing to think differently.” Some loans are difficult because of credit. Others are difficult because of income. And then there are loans that become difficult because the situation simply does not fit inside a traditional lending…
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