If Mamba Mentality was a loan officer, her name would be Christina Cho. My fiancé and I discovered the dream of a first home and within that same week of expressing our interest, Christina and her team got us pre-approved and equipped with the knowledge we needed to confidently move forward with the financial component of buying a home. From the get go, Christina had our best interests in mind, making sure to call and check in with us at key points throughout the loan process and ensure that we actually understood all that we were moving forward with. More importantly, when we did have questions or concerns, Christina carved out the time to help get us caught up to speed. Despite the two major end of year holidays, Christina's decisiveness and practicality combined with the precise foresight by her team - Tiffany and Ann - allowed us to steamroll through loan process. We went from expressing our interest in a home without any prior knowledge to the process or having been pre-approved to, within 30 days, receiving our keys to our new place. If you're serious about buying a home and can take care of business, Christina and her team will see you through the finish line. read more

I am incredibly grateful to Christina Cho and her team at Lock & Key for guiding us through both our first home purchase and, most recently, our refinancing. From start to finish, they supported us every step of the way--negotiating the best possible deals and breaking down complicated terminology and processes so we could make informed decisions with confidence. They were always available to answer our questions and even made time during the Christmas holidays to help us navigate some difficult decisions, which truly meant a lot to us. A special shout-out to Ann, who was amazing and consistently helped us work through logistical challenges. We are so thankful for the dedication, professionalism, and care from this entire team. Highly recommend! read more

I have nothing but wonderful things to say about Christina and Lock & Key Mortgage! Let's face it: buying a home can be scary. Sure, house hunting is fun, but once it's time to begin escrow things can get stressful. When you are with Lock & Key, they take that stress off your shoulders. I work weird hours and Christina always catered phone calls and meetings to my schedule. She thoroughly explained all the financials involved in the mortgage and answered all my questions, quickly putting me at ease. Whenever I had a question, I could text Christina and she would answer immediately. It felt like a good friend that's an expert in mortgages was in my corner at all times. I honestly don't think I would be in my amazing home without Lock & Key. What stands out most to me is that they truly care about their clients. I was pleasantly surprised when Christina messaged me weeks after escrow closing and asks to take my agent and me out for dinner. If I ever refinance my home or get back into the market, Lock & Key will be my first and only call. Do yourself a favor and make Lock & Key your first call, too. read more

The team was great at finding every possible saving available. I am very glad to have had a great team to do my refinancing. The team made me feel like family. Thanks Brionna and team! read more

Christina is world-class. She is reliable, communicates thoroughly, and responds with detailed step-by-step guides within minutes. She explains everything clearly, making it easy to understand. With help from Christina and team at Lock & Key, I refinanced at the lowest possible rate that I did not think was achievable. While shopping around, no other lenders came close. Despite the rush during the holidays, we successfully closed escrow with the best outcome. Christina is efficient, honest, transparent, and answers any questions that you might have (and I had many). I highly recommend her to anyone seeking loans or refinancing. read more

Thanks Brionna, Tiffany, and Christina for helping me with my first Refi! They made the process easy and made sure that I was taken care of every step of the way. The communication was flawless and the service is top tier. Thank you!!! read more

Christina and her team are ROCKSTARS. As a real estate agent I've come across many different lenders and when it came time to purchase my own home I knew I wanted to work with Christina. I had a pretty complicated escrow with various hurdles so I needed someone who was knowledgeable. Christina worked with me and made sure that we closed on time. She is amazing and gets the job done. She is the QUEEN of loans and I am so grateful that she was able to help me get my dream home. read more

We're so happy we worked with Christina for our mortgage loan! She was very knowledgeable and was always available to answer our questions. From the very beginning, she was very communicative and explained everything in details to us. She was incredibly easy to work with and truly made us feel at ease about the whole process. We knew that we could trust her and we're definitely glad we did! read more

Christina was recommended to me by my friend and I couldn't have been more thankful. Christina and her team were super helpful in my home buying process. They were responsive and informative when I had questions. Her and her team were quick which made the process very smooth. Christina was able to find me a good rate considering the market today. Highly recommend!! read more

Christina and her team handled the financing for our new home while seamlessly coordinating the proceeds from our previous sale. They kept everyone involved--on both the sale and purchase sides--fully informed, and Christina personally walked us through each step of the loan process. Throughout it all, the team stayed on top of every detail and quickly eased any concerns we had. Definitely recommend!! read more

I love writing great reviews because let's celebrate businesses that really take care of their customers, right? It's rare these days to find this type of service. Lock & Key, Christina and team aren't just mortgage lenders, they are a one stop shop establishment that will guide you throughout the whole process of buying a home from start to finish. From loan broker, realtor, insurance recommendations, and many other services, Lock & Key has it all. What other mortgage lender or bank does this? I unfortunately, am a picky buyer and this being my first home purchase and one of the largest financial decisions in my life, I wanted to make sure that everything was done right. Coupled with the fact that I have a day job without much time to dive into the minutiae or nuances throughout the process, Christina was patient, always available, and made sure that I was informed every step of the way even providing recommendations on path forward in sticky situations. Christina and team made sure that I was taken care of and got me the best deal possible, especially in today's state of economic volatility and uncertainty. She takes pride in her work, which is rare for businesses today who are just trying to increase profits and collect that cash. If you're a first time home buyer (or not) don't hesitate to go with Lock & Key Mortgage. Because they have won a repeat customer! read more

Christina was recommended to me by a friend and I'm super glad he did. Christina and her team helped us refinance, got us a great rate, and were communicative and professional throughout the process. Everything was transparent as Christina went to great lengths to explain any questions we had and was very friendly in doing so. I can't recommend working with her enough! If we weren't rush for the original purchase of our house, we would've worked with her for our original mortgage as well. Better late than never! read more

The tl;dr is, go with Christina if you want peace of mind and security. Christina has been absolutely amazing throughout this whole process. Home buying has been an eye opening experience but she was there every step of the way. She is 100% honest and transparent with me and that is one of the main reasons why I decided to move forward and trust her to get the loan approved. I would highly recommend moving forward with Christina if you want someone who is guaranteed to have your back. read more

I actually started my search for my first home on Redfin, looked at a couple of places with some random agents, but didn't feel like there was any follow through or guidance on their end. I then became more interested in new builds, which require pre-qualification letters to get added to their waiting lists. I started the application process with Citibank, and it was not a good experience. The loan officer there was testy, rude, and made me feel like a waste of his time. After continuous back and forth with Citibank for a couple of weeks, I decided to reach out to Christina, and it was really one of the best decisions I have ever made in my life. Christina responded within minutes that evening, asked for all the typical documents (ID, W-2, paystubs, etc.), and by the next morning, heard from her again with my loan approval. I was really blown away at how quickly she was able to get this done. I knew right then and there that I was in good hands. I asked her if she knew any agents, and she told me about who she would think would be a good fit for me. As soon as I agreed to meet and work with the agent she recommended, she started a group chat to introduce me to the agent that would help me find and purchase my first home $15k BELOW listing price. Christina really knows her stuff, and knows how to explain things in a way that is easy to understand. During our consultation, she provided several different scenarios in what the monthly payment would look like, how much to expect for closing costs, and even showed me the pros and cons of buying points to lower the interest rates. Of course, she gave her professional advice, which was to just refinance when the rates go down. I always thought that the process of buying a home would be super stressful, and I guess when you're working with the wrong people, it really can be a pain. But with Christina and her team at Lock & Key Mortgage, it was such an easy, pleasant, and even educational experience. If anyone is looking to buy a home, I'd recommend Christina in a heartbeat. She is knowledgeable, works quickly and efficiently, and overall, has your best interest. read more

Christina is truly AMAZING!!! She took us on as clients in October 2023 and fought for us since Day 1. She worked, what felt like 24/7, making magic happen. She listened to our concerns and helped us navigate through our home buying process. If we had any questions, concerns or just needed to vent, she was available all day, everyday! Either with a quick text, phone call or email, she was on top of it. Or even calling a credit card company and staying on hold forever even with loud, annoying hold music, she made the time to be there because she wanted what was best for us! Christina was not just our lender but our semi realtor. She referred us to our realtor and stayed and fought with us throughout the whole process until Closing Day, February 5th 2024!! She was our biggest cheerleader and wanted the best for our family!! We spoke with Christina almost everyday, if not multiple times a day, more than we would with our own families. She has become part of our family! Thank you Christina for all your hard work and dedication! For truly being so amazing to us and fighting for what was right! I wish we could do something to repay you, but please know that we truly appreciate you and you will always hold a place in our hearts!! read more

Christina is best loan officer I have worked with. Her team she has is on top of every transaction. I highly recommend you working with them if you are in the process of home buying and looking to find the right team to get your approved. Lock and Key Mortgage is the go to mortgage loan company to get you into your new home. TOP TIER SERVICE ! read more

Christina was very kind and her team made what was impossible with another lender, possible. We were pretty down after our original lender failed to come up with our prequalified amount but with a short amount of time Christina had turned a bad situation and saved our deal. Her communication was second to none. Highly recommend!! read more

If I could give more than 5 stars I would. Christina and her team were FANTASTIC! This was our first time buying a home, and with our work schedules Christina and her team ALWAYS communicated what things meant and it was so seamless. I 10000% recommend, she's honest and is very transparent. Brilliant- thank you ALL for everything! read more

As a first time home buyer, my husband and I had a very basic and minimal understanding of how the whole process works. We were so happy that we were referred over to Christina and her team. We've worked with Tiffany, Daniel, Susie and a couple others and the whole team has made our home buying process SO FAST, EASY AND EFFICIENT! They were very quick to respond and answered every question that we had. For every obstacle that we ran into, Christina had a solution for everything and cleared any doubts and concerns that we had. She was also able to help us get a much lower interest rate than what I originally got and everything went so smooth. We are ecstatic and so grateful that Christina and her team guided us to achieve another milestone in our lives. Looking forward to working with them in the future as well, 10/10 would not have done this any other way. THANK YOU SO MUCH CHRISTINA, TIFFANY, DANIEL, SUSIE and LOCK & KEY TEAM! read more

No one was able to do my loan, but Christina managed to pull everything together in a timely matter and completed it. Thank you

Christina was a huge help in our home buying process. She was incredibly thorough and answered all of our questions and really made us feel at ease as first time buyers. Would definitely recommend her for all your loan needs. read more

Christina and her team are amazing! It was my first time buying a home and she held my hand through the entire process. She went above and beyond. Her team was quick and responsive. Christina and her team even worked through some challenges during the whole process and made sure I understood everything. I highly recommend Lock & Key and can't see myself using anyone else. read more

Christina is just a pleasure to work with to refi my loan as well as receiving great professional advice. Highly recommended!!

I have worked with Christina Cho of Lock & Key Mortgage several times and each experience was very positive. She truly takes the time to educate you and guide you to find the best loan option possible. She is patient and attentive, ensuring that you understand the process every step of the way. If you're thinking of buying a home or refinancing, you should definitely consider Lock & Key Mortgage read more

Incredibly professional and efficient staff. I had the best experience working with Christina, Ann, and Tiffany, as they made my first-time home buying experience go so smooth. These people are knowledgeable, willing to educate and work with you, and have beyond excellent communication skills. I wouldn't hesitate to use them again! read more

Christina IS THE BEST IN THE GAME hands down! This was my first home purchase as the team (myself, Christina, and real estate broker) just closed escrow on 05/12/23. When it comes to mortgages, I'm absolutely clueless! When we opened escrow, I was so overwhelmed and terrified with the finances, terms, verbiage, contracts and etc. Christina was so patient and was more than happy to explain multiple things, multiple ways so that I could grasp it better. This woman will go to bat for you 100% as she did for me when it came to negotiating with the buyer and sellers escrow company. Her execution with all the numbers is ON POINT and the process couldn't be any smoother. Christina and my real estate broker worked very closely together to make sure there weren't going to be any hiccups along the way and they did a stellar job. I quickly learned that its so important to have a strong mortgage broker on deck because he/she is the centralized point when it comes to communicating with the R.E.B., escrow companies, and myself. Christina kept me in the loop every step of the way. I guarantee that you will not have to wait hours for a response from Christina. She responds in a matter of minutes and is always available to take your call unless she's on the phone with another client, but she'll call you right back. There was never a cancellation of our scheduled meetings to go over figures and she's always early so I really appreciate her for that. I'm very grateful I found her! She will be my "go to" for future refi, selling, and purchase. WHAT A GEM! read more

As first time buyers of a home, this was completely uncharted territory for me and my husband. We were referred through my husbands coworker and I am so fortunate we were referred to her. It was a pleasure working with Christina, as she broke down what was needed of us and what was to be expected in layman's terms. We felt reassured by Christina as she was always in communication with status updates during this entire process. I tend to forget things and have to ask the same things multiple times for it to stick, but Christina was extremely helpful in guiding us through this entire process. read more

I'm truly thankful to Christina for assisting us in securing funding for our investor loan. She successfully connected my client with a new investor and facilitated the funding for this deal. read more

Lock and Key Mortgage company goes above and beyond for their clients. I have worked with Christina and she never disappointed her customers and always provided exceptional customer service. If you are looking for a honest, reputable and caring loan officer, please reach out to Christina. She's one of the few professionals in our industry that truly delivers what she promises. Highly recommend her and her company to all my friends and family in Orange County. read more