My husband and I worked with Katia, she was easy to work with and was on top of everything. She did everything for us, she was our realtor and helped us with the financing. We got a 30 day escrow thanks to her hard work. She is the best of the best, we highly recommend her. read more

Steve Kim did an exceptional job getting us the best home loan and walking us through every step of the way. Our realtor referred us to Steve and we'd recommend him now to others. Steve was able to get us competitive rates compared to other brokers and lenders I shopped with. He also went back before closing and got us extra credits when the market dropped slightly. We had so many questions regarding the loan process and Steve answered all our calls, text and emails throughout the day. Highly recommend! read more

My husband and I had a great experience working with Steve Kim to finance our first home. Steve is extremely communicative, knowledgeable, and he always acted in our best interest. Whenever we had a question, he was just a call or text away. We would recommend Steve 100%! read more

Steve was the best broker I've ever worked with! He walks you through the process every step of the way and is literally one text away, day or night. When it comes down to the numbers, the delta between the final APR and the locked interest rate was super miniscule, which is all you're really looking for in order to minimize fees. Steve really fights to get you the right lender at the right rate. I'm looking forward to when I get to work with Steve again in a few-several months when/if (fingers crossed), rates drop. read more

I completed a home purchase loan with Tiffany W. last year and returned to her for a refinance when rates dropped a year later. While the rates she offered were as competitive as anywhere else, what stood out was the level of concierge-style service throughout the process. Tiffany W. brings years of experience in both the mortgage and real estate industries and holds active licenses in both areas. This dual expertise allows her to fully advocate for her clients. For example, she pointed out key considerations in the purchase contract that new homebuyers might overlook and advised us on important condition release timelines--guidance typically outside the scope of a loan officer but incredibly valuable. Tiffany was instrumental in helping our family navigate the stressful loan process and avoiding numerous pitfalls of overpaying in a home purchase. Many people are satisfied just getting through a mortgage process, only to experience regret months later, wishing they'd made different choices. It's one thing to feel you got a good rate; it's another to walk away from a home purchase feeling confident you got the best possible outcome. Thanks to Tiffany's guidance and in-depth industry knowledge, we had no hindsight regrets about any part of the loan process read more

Worked with Julian Yuen on a no-cost refinance and would definitely work with him again. Zero issues, easy to reach anytime, and very communicative throughout the whole process. read more

If you work with Julian Yuen once, you will always want to work with him for future mortgages/refinances. Julian helped us with our first mortgage and then we recently refinanced (October 2025) with Julian again. He was a fantastic loan officer from beginning to the end. He has great communication skills and is very efficient. My partner and I wanted to do minor landscaping in preparation for the reappraisal. Our minor project prolonged our refinance timeline by a few days, but Julian was very understanding and helped us quickly complete our refinance within the allotted rate lock period. Thank you, Julian! read more

Steve was such a big help during our refinance. We were halfway through with a different broker when we suspected they were being dishonest with their process, and were recommended to Steve by a friend. He was quick, efficient, and helpful, not pushy at all and gave us all the info we needed to make an educated decision. He truly understands how to deliver top notch service for his clients and we can't recommend him enough! read more

Our experience w Equity Smart Home Loans was great. As a first time homebuyer, my husband and I were very well taken care of by Julian Yuen. We had some of our own financial obstacles but Julian ensured we would not only get a loan, he never made us feel like getting a loan was out of reach. He has great communication skills and made sure we knew where we were at throughout the entire process. He answered our questions on weekends and after hours. We would absolutely work with Julian Yuen again read more

Steve handled our financing last year and just helped us out again with the refinance. He locked in our low rate at the perfect time. Great to work with and very dependable. Thanks again Steve! read more

Equity Smart Home Loans was great to work with, took a lot off of our plate creating a stress free process, and was great to work with!!! Would definitely recommend! read more

My partner and I worked with Steve Kim to close on our first home this past month. Steve was amazing to work with throughout the whole multi-month long process. He was super patient/knowledgable for the millions of questions we asked, incredibly diligent, and an excellent communicator. Every step of the process Steve worked super fast, kept us/our agent well-informed, and always ensured we were getting the best rate. Buying our first home in a crazy market like LA was super stressful, but we never once had to worry about the loan side of things thanks to Steve. If you're looking for someone personable, knowledgable, and hardworking - work with Steve! We look forward to continuing to work with him in the future on any refinances/etc. read more

I worked with Justin Bitensky. Justin just helped me close on my home today and I couldn't have had a smoother experience. He was so incredibly patient with me despite my 1000000 questions, because as I regrettably learned, majoring in finance in college 20 years ago means nothing when you're trying to figure out what an interest rate is for a mortgage. I had so many questions and as a millennial, I dodged all calls. Justin was incredibly helpful, kind, and patient. He was never condescending, even when explaining the most basic concepts of a mortgage, and I felt like he was truly looking out for me and in this to help me get the best rate out there. I think trust is something that's not easily won these days, and I wholeheartedly trust Justin to help me and anyone who's lucky enough to find him I the future. Thank you for helping me through this incredibly challenging process, Justin. read more

Steve Kim is awesome! We first met Steve when we bought our condo in 2022, so when it was time to sell the condo and buy a new home, we knew Steve was our guy. Steve is friendly, knowledgeable, and responsive (around the clock!). He helped us once again get the best rate on our loan, locking in our rate before they ticked up again, and navigated the entire process for us. Steve also went above and beyond to get us credits and to work with the bank to get exceptions so that we could close our sale and new home purchase on the same day. We are so thankful to have found Steve, and I highly recommend him to anyone in the market for a new home! read more

Steve Kim was amazing during our first home buying process! He is responsive, kind, provides great support, and is very patient in explaining/answering all of our questions. Overall, our experience was flawless and Steve played a big role in that! read more

Julian Yuen was fantastic to work with, provided very quick responses to any questions we had about our loan, was very open with us when we were going through our lending process, and provided us the best interest rate we could find. As first-time home-owners, it really made the home loan process so much easier to work with him. Highly recommend! read more

If you're a first time home buyer Steve Kim is your person! He is very knowledgeable on the home buying process and will happily walk you through the entire steps of the loan approval and forms. Steve always made sure to respond to our inquiries as soon as possible and was extremely quick in order to turn items around. I will happily recommend Steve to friends and family members for all their home loan needs. read more

Steve Kim was recommended to me with glowing reviews (the kind of reviews that make you wonder if it's too good to be true) and he lived up to every single one! My pre approval letters were done so quickly and questions answered super promptly. Steve was able to help facilitate a very accelerated escrow and still jumped to a different lender when he found a better rate midway and we still kept on schedule (could have closed a day earlier - but the seller needed more time!) Steve is such a valuable piece of my real estate journey and I know this is weird but I'm looking forward to refinancing with him when these rates go down!! Reading back I would also think my review seems "too good to be true". But it's all true! Thanks Steve!! read more

I worked with Steve Kim from Equity Smart. He is the best lender broker I have met. He answered and replied promptly right after all of my questions and requests. Even my escrow was closed, he helped me out to figure out all the big and small miscellaneous questions. I already referred him who are looking for the great lender. He is a reliable, honest and really great lender! I bet! read more

We brought another rental house this year and ask for Julian Yuen to help us for the loan process, he is very professional on our loan application and the process. When we planned to buy a house and ask for his advice, he was able to give us great advice and when to lock our interest rate, so we get the best interest rate. I greatly appreciated that I ask Julian to be our loan officer, we will do it again if we plan to buy another house in the nearly future. read more

Equity smart was an easy company to work with, they did everything required to process our loan quickly and efficiently. They provided clear instruction and made the process simple and seamless. We worked with Katia Fernandez she was amazing very knowledgeable and always available for questions. 100% recommended! Thank you both read more

Tiffany was excellent, supportive, and competitive. Thank you for helping me purchase my first home

Tiffany was incredible to work with. Super fast at responding 24/7 and always picks up any calls. She made the whole process super fast and easy and taught us a lot along the way as new home buyers. Would definitely recommend working with her! We will 100% use her again in the future. read more

I needed a loan to buy a house and worked with loan officer Julian Yuen. Thanks to him, he made the experience as least stressful as possible. The great thing about Julian is that he's so good with communication! This was my first time applying for a loan and I felt nervous -- but he patiently explained everything I needed to know, answered every question I had, and was great on email and text keeping me updated. I told him I liked to have checklists, so he made a checklist for me and marked things off. He was knowledgeable and gave his expert advice but was never pushy and always listened to my opinions too. We locked in a great interest rate (well... relatively great in this economy...) and I am very happy with how the whole process went. I never felt blindsided, and always felt like he was looking out for me. On top of everything, Julian is a friendly and warm person! It was great to chat on the phone with him to talk about home ownership and what that meant. He turned what could have been a super stressful process into one that was very manageable, and I would absolutely recommend him, and work with him again. read more

Steve was great!! He assisted us through the loan process and was prompt in calling us back! When there was terms we didn't understand he was helpful in explaining the process. Thanks Steve Kim!! read more

Julian was nothing short of fantastic during the purchase of our first home. He was very responsive (typically within a couple minutes over text) and could always be reached by calling, especially when we have numerous questions with nuances, which Julian clearly articulated so that we understood the decision. When we were getting together all our paperwork for the pre-approval, Julian patiently walked us through all the things he needed and quickly wrapped up issues we encountered given our unique circumstances. While working with Julian, we submitted four offers which required Julian to update his paperwork, which he did with a stunning quick turnaround. He was also great working with our realtor to develop a game plan from pre-approval, putting in an offer, escrow, and closing. We encountered various potential roadblocks and each time, Julian was able to give us different scenarios and how to get through each one. Buying a home is never an easy process, and without Julian, we couldn't have gotten through it sanely. His reassurances during the whole process and his knowledge of the loans gave us peace of mind throughout the whole process. I wouldn't hesitate to recommend Julian. read more

Steve Kim was so awesome to work with! From start to finish he was always very available and quick to respond. Our first phone call was made on a Sunday at noon and he was the only one who picked up his phone and was so calm and easy to work with. His personality is very pleasant and accompanied. He also which is probably most important got us the best rate available by far!! If he didn't know something he followed up and got back to us. In the beginning we thought having the best rate was important but Steve made what could be such a stressful situation work out as smooth as possible. I'm so thankful for all his hard work and extra effort in getting us qualified so quickly and with a great rate!! Thank you so much Steve! Would wholeheartedly recommend his service! Don't wait and just call Steve! read more

I have been in contact with Steve Kim since last Easter of 2022. Coincidentally, it was around this Easter time that I reached out again. He was referred to us by our close friends whom he helped refinance their home. Even after a year's hiatus of searching for our perfect home to purchase, he was ready to help and get back to where we left off. The process was easy and smooth with Steve. I've experienced the home buying process before for my parents' home with a high school classmate of mine who was a realtor with her own loan offcie, and it was stressful from start to finish. Working with Steve was quick, efficient, and comforting. Like any other Escrow process, there are hiccups towards the end but Steve handled everything well and promptly so that we weren't stressed out on our end. Steve works diligently and professionally, while also being friendly, patient, and supportive. My husband and I put all our trust in Steve and we don't regret it at all. I've mentioned him to my parents when they're ready to refinance, and Steve is also already looking out for us in the future for refinancing our own home. Finally, he also referred me to thee best realtor I could've worked with last minute, as well as the homeowner's insurance company. Thank you, Steve! read more

Steve Kim and the Equity Smart Home Loans team are the only team that I would trust for finding the right mortgage for our home! I was referred to Steve Kim through a friend and he delivered top quality service at every step of the home buying process. He was always available to answer our questions and never made me or my wife feel like we were asking a silly question. We had a very fast escrow and he was so on top of it that we had everything singed and ready to go 1 week before the escrow even closed. Thank you for all of your help Steve and team! read more

I can't say enough great things about Jason McClain as a lender. As a single parent buying her first home, the process was overwhelming and daunting. He spent the time necessary to help me understand the process and make sure I was well informed. Also. Just an all around nice guy! If the stars align...maybe one day in the future I could buy a 2nd property and I wouldn't hesitate to give Jason a call. read more

I wanted to take the time to write this review because of the great experience I had with Equity Smart specifically Jason McClain! He was so nice, and informative through this whole experience, he was so supportive and patient with me and my mother. We are so appreciative of him and we would definitely recommend or work with him again! read more

Steve helped me and my partner with our home loan. He went above and beyond to make sure we had the best rate. I would recommend Equity to all my friends and family. read more

We Have to definitely say our journey was a tough one but Steve was able to get us to the finish line with a better deal than we originally started with .He definitely does everything he can to stay on top and make sure he gets you exactly what you need.We are thankful to have chosen him as our lender and definitely recommend with you future homeowners he really takes care of his clients. read more

Equity Smart Home Loans - Our new home ! - Mortgage Lenders Near Me - South Pasadena, California

Tiffany is amazing ! There are LOs and then there's Tiffany. Anyone looking for a genuine quality Loan officer and person will find it it with her. She is the only person I feel confident referring my clients to. read more

My husband and I are first time home buyers, and Rita Rodriguez and her team were so incredibly helpful. She went above and beyond to answer any of our concerns and questions. She is truly the best and we are so grateful to have had worked with her. read more

A perfect example of Bait and Switch, this is my Personal experience with this company. Refinancing the house took over 2 months to finish, when they promise to close within 21 days. We agreed on a certain finance charge, and when the time came to sign the final documents, price was 3 times what we agreed on. Add to that, a case of Identity theft, when you send them Your financial information, and they use it to get what they want. That is when I received a call from my old Lender about someone from this company calling and providing my confidential information to access my account. Promises were not Kept, Numbers were not honored, Work and moral Ethics have been ignored. This is my Personal experience with this company. I urge anyone who is thinking of buying or refinancing their house to do their diligent research before picking their lender. read more

Steve was a referral from my agent, Joshua Thai and they work extremely fast and efficiently. They helped me find my home and closed it all within 3 months. Of course, we got lucky. But the deciding factor as to why the sellers chose our offer was that Steve was able to guarantee close of escrow within 21 days. And he sure delivered! Steve was also extremely diligent and supportive along the whole process by helping us get competitive rates, informing us of things we weren't knowledgeable on, and communicating every step of the way. He works every hour of the day and every day of the week to help ensure we close on time. Truly great at what he does! read more

We were referred to Steve by our agent and couldn't have gotten luckier. Steve was patient and informative with us as first time buyers, he was readily available when questions or problems arose and stayed on top of things as we moved through multiple offers and escrows. Down to earth, understood what we needed and efficiently communicated to us what we needed to do and provide. Making sure we got a good loan and things were expertly taken care of each step of the way. Steve helped us a lot and we will certainly be back. read more

I cannot even begin to express my gratitude towards Steve Kim. My wife and I have a VERY complicated financial history and being new business owners, a lot of lenders were making it very difficult for us to get the loan that we need. Steve listened to our needs, worked diligently on our case, answered emails within 24 hours and even after hours and was able to successfully get us our loan. Because he works with multiple lenders, he was able to give us a few options, all of which were very attractive. It will be a no brainer to continue using Steve for our future loans. Thanks Steve! read more

Steve Kim was great in working with my refinance. He was always available to talk to for any questions big and small. He made the confusing task of refinancing very easy and understandable. Thank you Steve and Equity smart for my refinance. I will definitely recommend you all in the future. Tony & Cheryl Estonilo read more