Every question you were told was a dumb question.

An independent California mortgage brokerage based in Mountain House, serving the whole state with deep roots in the Central Valley — Tracy, Manteca, Lathrop, River Islands, Stockton, Modesto. We shop your file across 50+ wholesale lenders and show you live pricing without asking for a single piece of personal information first.

No — and that's the point. We're a licensed mortgage broker (LoanGuru Mortgage LLC, NMLS #2439615). Your loan is funded by a wholesale lender; our job is making dozens of them compete for it. A bank shows you its one shelf. We show you the store.

All of California, under the California Financing Law (DFPI License #60DBO-177169). Home turf is the 209 — but a client in San Diego gets the same treatment as one in Tracy.

Nope — application, documents, signatures, the whole thing can happen from your phone. But we're local, so if you'd rather talk over coffee somewhere in the Tracy–Mountain House corridor, that's absolutely on the table.

Whatever the market says today — which is why we don't print a number that'll be stale by Thursday. Run your scenario in the live tool: real pricing for your situation, no name, no email, no SSN, no credit pull.

Seeing pricing in our tool touches nothing — it doesn't even know who you are. When you're ready, pre-approval uses a soft pull that doesn't affect your score.

A formal application involves a credit check, with a minor, temporary effect for most people. And here's the part shoppers should know: mortgage inquiries within a roughly 45-day window are treated as a single inquiry — so comparing lenders doesn't stack dings.

Often same-day once your application and documents are complete — subject to actual review, never a promise. A strong, verified pre-approval letter is one of the sharpest tools you can carry into an offer.

Yes, and you should — pre-approval is based on your finances, not an address. Once you're in contract, the appraisal and final approval attach to the property.

A lock holds your quoted rate for a set window — commonly 30 to 60 days — so market moves during processing can't touch you. Locks do expire, so we plan the lock around your realistic closing date. Some lenders offer float-down options if the market improves meaningfully; we'll tell you upfront whether yours does.

Three levers: your credit, your down payment, and how hard your loan gets shopped. You control the first two; the third one is literally our job — 50+ lenders competing beats one lender deciding.

Nobody knows — including us, and including anyone charging for predictions. What we can know is whether today's math works for you. If it does, waiting is a bet, not a plan. If it doesn't, we'll say so and set an alert for when things change.

The full board: conventional, FHA, VA, and jumbo — plus the alt-doc lineup most banks don't carry: bank statement, P&L, 1099, DSCR, VOE, and asset utilization loans.

All of it. Purchases, rate-and-term refinances, and cash-out refinances, on primary homes, second homes, and investment properties — including 2–4 unit and larger multi-unit buildings.

Now you use the other door. Banks qualify you on tax returns; if your write-offs shrink that number, alt-doc programs qualify you on what your business actually earns — deposits, P&Ls, 1099s, or a property's rent. Getting declined at one door says nothing about the other one.

Usually, yes. Our lender network covers a wide credit range — many programs work comfortably around the mid-600s, and some go lower with the right overall file. Bring us the real scenario; the answer is math, not judgment.

Yes — a spouse, partner, family member, or friend who shares responsibility for the loan. A co-borrower with strong credit or income can genuinely improve what you qualify for.

Recasting isn't something we offer — but if the goal is a lower payment or a restructured loan, there are usually other routes worth pricing, starting with an honest refinance conversation.

PITI: principal, interest, taxes, and insurance — plus mortgage insurance and HOA dues when they apply. Our payment calculator stacks every piece so closing day holds zero surprises.

Less than most people assume — several programs are built specifically around smaller down payments, and down payment assistance can help eligible buyers. The honest answer depends on your program and goals, and the honest comparison is total monthly cost, not the down payment headline. A soft-pull pre-approval tells you your real number without touching your score.

Two sides of one dial. Points are an upfront fee (typically 1% of the loan each) that buys the rate down; a lender credit runs the other way — the lender covers some closing costs in exchange for a somewhat higher rate. Neither is free money; the cost just moves. We price your scenario both ways so you choose with the whole picture.

An account your loan servicer manages to pay your property taxes and homeowners insurance. A slice of each monthly payment goes in; the bills get paid out on time. One less thing to track.

Protection for the lender when a loan carries a smaller down payment. On conventional loans it's PMI — cancellable once you've built enough equity. FHA's version works differently and usually sticks around longer. VA loans skip it entirely. The FHA-vs-conventional insurance math is the decision most buyers miss.

The rate is the cost of borrowing the money. The APR folds in fees and certain costs too — which makes it the better whole-picture comparison number. Our live pricing shows both, side by side, because comparing rates without APRs is how people get played.

Real closing costs exist — origination, appraisal, title, escrow — and they vary by scenario. You'll see them itemized next to the rate before you commit to anything, including “no-cost” structures priced honestly (the cost lives in the rate).

A typical purchase runs somewhere around 30 to 45 days depending on the program and property, and clean files can move faster. What you'll get from us is a real timeline for your file on day one — not a slogan, and never a promise we can't control.

Later than you'd think. Signing the intent to proceed lets the lender start work (and charge for things like the appraisal), but you're not obligated to close until you sign final loan documents. Until then, you're allowed to ask questions, compare, and walk — and we'd rather you do all three than close confused.

For standard loans: income docs, asset statements, and ID — we'll send an exact checklist for your program on day one. Self-employed and investor loans use different evidence entirely (that's their superpower), and the checklist changes to match.