Dive into our comprehensive collection of articles that cover a wide range of subjects. Whether you’re a novice or an expert, there’s something new to learn.
If you own 25% or more of an S-corporation, lenders treat you as self-employed. Even if you pay yourself a W-2 paycheck every two weeks. That one rule surprises more business owners than anything else in the mortgage process. It changes what documents you need, how your income gets counted, and how long approval takes.… Read More »
Yes. Almost all of them do. “No doc” doesn’t mean nobody checks anything. It means you skip tax returns and W-2s. Employment still gets verified, just in a different way. This surprises a lot of borrowers, sometimes at the worst moment. Let me explain what actually happens. Why Verification Never Went Away Federal law requires… Read More »
Most DSCR loans have a prepayment penalty. Most regular mortgages don’t. That single difference catches investors off guard, and it can cost tens of thousands of dollars. A prepayment penalty is a fee you pay if you pay off the loan early. “Early” usually means in the first three to five years. Here’s what you… Read More »
Yes, but only in one situation. If you refinance your FHA loan into another FHA loan within three years, HUD gives part of your upfront mortgage insurance back. If you refinance into a conventional loan, you get nothing. Most people don’t know this refund exists. It can be worth thousands of dollars. Here’s how it… Read More »
On Monday, the 30-year fixed jumped six basis points to 6.87%, the highest daily reading since June 2025. It was up 12 basis points from the previous Thursday and more than 30 basis points over two months. Freddie Mac’s weekly survey printed 6.66% on September 1. The 10-year Treasury is hovering near 4.79%, and the… Read More »
Yes, you can use a DSCR loan to buy a mixed-use property in 2026, but you need to know which type of DSCR loan applies. Mixed-use properties combine commercial space (like a store, restaurant, or office on the ground floor) with residential units (like apartments upstairs). Most standard DSCR lenders focus only on residential 1-4… Read More »
The prime rate is 6.75%. It has been since December 2025, and every variable-rate HELOC in America is priced off it. That single number determines your payment. Not your lender’s advertising. Not the national average you read about. Your rate is prime plus a margin your lender set at closing — and once you know… Read More »
A client called me last spring about a listing in Chula Vista. Three bedrooms, fair price, nothing remarkable — except the seller had a VA loan originated in 2021 at 2.75%. He wanted to know whether he could just take over that loan. He could. And that’s the part most buyers don’t know: millions of… Read More »
Investors ask me constantly whether they should use a hard money loan or a private money loan, and the honest first answer is that the terms overlap enough that half the market uses them interchangeably. But there’s a real distinction underneath, and picking wrong costs money. After a decade originating loans in Southern California, much… Read More »
Takeaways on Non-QM Loans in 2026 Non-QM is not subprime — the difference is statutory. Every non-QM loan must satisfy the federal Ability-to-Repay rule. Income is verified through bank statements, assets, or property cash flow instead of W-2s. The typical borrower has strong credit, not weak credit. Expect 700+ scores, 20% to 25% down, and… Read More »
