This guide explains what it means to be "pre-approved" by a lender, how the process works, and how it can benefit you when buying a house in the San Francisco Bay Area. Here are five things to know about this…
Private mortgage insurance (PMI) tends to create a lot of confusion among first-time home buyers in California. And it's easy to understand why. For one thing, PMI is one of the only types of insurance that doesn't actually insure the…
As a home buyer in California, you have many different options when it comes to your mortgage financing. But when it comes to overall popularity, there's one type of mortgage loan in California that rises above all others. It's the…
Self-employment offers a lot of freedom and flexibility. But it can also pose some unique challenges when it comes to qualifying for a mortgage loan in California. Without a traditional W-2 type of income, self-employed borrowers can have a harder…
"Do I need to obtain a home insurance policy to qualify for a mortgage loan in California? And if so, what type of insurance coverage do I need?" These are common questions among first-time home buyers in the Golden State…
Bank statement loans have become increasingly popular in California, partly due to a rise in the number of self-employed and "gig economy" workers. While they're not limited to self-employed home buyers, bank statement loans tend to work well for this…
Home buyers tend to have a lot of questions about the mortgage underwriting process in California. That's partly because this process happens without their direct involvement, for the most part. But what is underwriting? What does the underwriter do? How…
Some Bay Area home buyers use the adjustable-rate mortgage (ARM) loan to finance their purchases. These loans have unique features that are useful in some situations but less appropriate in others. These mortgages are given the "adjustable" label to differentiate…
Mortgage insurance is a common source of confusion for home buyers in California. First-time buyers, in particular, tend to have a lot of questions about how mortgage insurance works, when it's required, and when it's not. In this article, we…
Over the past two years, home prices have risen gradually in most California cities. This has increased home equity for a lot of homeowners, putting them in a good position to refinance. Summary: This guide explores the mortgage refinancing process…
