Second Home vs Investment Property in California A cabin in Tahoe or a place in Sonoma is a familiar pattern for Bay Area buyers, and how that purchase gets classified, second home or investment property, changes the down payment, the…
Prop 19 and Your Property Taxes When You Buy or Sell Prop 19 California rules changed two separate things about property taxes: how much of a long-held tax base a homeowner 55 or older can carry into a new home,…
Mello-Roos: What California Buyers Need to Know A property tax bill in a newer California development often includes a line item that doesn't show up in older neighborhoods nearby: Mello-Roos. It can add a meaningful amount to the annual cost…
How to Buy Down Your Mortgage Rate in California Buying down a mortgage rate lowers the interest rate on a loan, either for its full term or for the first year or two, in exchange for money paid up front…
Seller Concessions: How Much Can a Seller Pay Toward Closing Costs? Sellers can cover part of a buyer's closing costs, but the amount is capped. Every loan type sets its own limit, and for conventional loans the limit depends on…
Conditional Approval: What Happens After Pre-Approval Getting a conditional approval letter partway through a mortgage feels like progress, and it is, but it's also the point where a lot of buyers start wondering what's actually left to happen and how…
Living in Concord, CA: A Complete Guide for Bay Area Home Buyers Living in Concord, CA means finding more room in a home, a yard, or a garage than a comparable budget usually buys closer to San Francisco, while still…
Non-Warrantable Condo Financing in California A condo purchase can move smoothly through underwriting right up until the lender reviews the HOA's paperwork, then stall for reasons that have nothing to do with the buyer's credit or income. This happens when…
Conditional Approval Mortgage: Why Files Still Fall Apart Before Closing A pre-approval is the first checkpoint in the mortgage process, based on a quick look at income, assets, and credit. A conditional approval comes later, after full underwriting, and means…
Why One Lender Says No When Another Says Yes: Understanding Lender Overlays A borrower can meet every guideline a loan program requires and still get declined. When that happens, the reason is often not the loan program itself, but an…
