As first time home buyers, the sheer idea of buying a house can be overwhelming. From day 1, Matt…read moreand his team were patient, thorough more than willing to help answer (and re-answer) all our novice questions. We left Matt's office confident that if/when we bought a home, O2 would be our lender. Then we found a house... It was a brand new build in Hollister, CA. The builder makes it seem like going with their lender is the only logical, economical choice because of the "credit" they give you towards your closing costs. Needless to say, we drank the kool-aid and signed on the (many) dotted lines. Matt was understanding and even offered to be a second pair of eyes if anything about the contract was confusing. What a guy! Fast forward 6.5 months, we are about to close, and I reach out to Matt jusssttt to make sure we're actually getting a decent deal. THIS CALL SAVED US $100,000. As it turns out, O2's rates were better, their fees were lower and the "credit" we thought we were getting is immediately erased by a fee they charge, so it's a total wash. Matt and his team worked round the clock to make sure we were still able to close on time, which we did. They were prompt, considerate and meticulous. My only regret is not going back to Matt and his team sooner. Whether you are a first-timer like us, or a seasoned home buyer, we HIGHLY RECOMMEND Matt Falconer, Danny Schaezlein and the team at 02 Mortgage. We are life-long customers!

Matt helped make the most important (and what I thought would be the most complicated) purchase of…read moremy life easy and stress-free. Anything I was worried or confused about was resolved with efficiency and care. Thank you Matt : )

I was a first-time homebuyer and very nervous about the process from hearing horror stories from…read morefriends and from online research. Jim and team did an amazing job! Jim was always available to answer my questions. Chaz provided a very clear list of needs so there was zero back-and-forth. On my side, the process felt very easy and streamlined. I really have no idea what was involved on the backend, Jim worked directly with my realtor, and basically I said "I want this" and they made it happen in record time. This team knows what they are doing and provided the ultimate support along the way.

I worked with Jim on a recent a bridge loan, to help secure financing for a Property in Big Sur. He…read moredelivered on time, and did a great job. He kept me abreast of things in real time, and was very quick to respond to my emails and texts. I highly recommend him, and look forward to working with him again.

We were in a competitive market and needed a loan officer who is extremely experienced to help us…read morewith the pre-approved letter, getting the loan, and getting our dream home in a very tight window. My realtor gave me 2 names to choose from and one of which was Lisa Cardoza from the Sierrapacific mortgage. Lisa called me right back and from then on, her deep knowledge and rich experience in the loan business helped us get a solid pre-approval letter and obtain a "large loan" in only 17 days with an unbeatable interest rate !!! Because of Lisa and my realtor, we were able to win the bid in a competitive market and close the deal in less than 30 days. I'd recommend Lisa to all my friends and family for loan applications.

After a bad experience with Wells Fargo for a refinance, I was referred to Lisa Cardoza and…read morecouldn't have been happier with the referral I received. Lisa was amazing to work with from day one. Fast, efficient, extremely knowledgeable and got the job done and saved us money! I can't recommend Lisa or this firm enough, they are the go to place for home financing.

Dimitri is a talented and creative loan officer. He helped me to buy my first home and I give him…read moremy highest recommendation. When we started the loan process, Dimitri called me and went through all the details and answered all the many questions I had. He truly cares about his clients. The home purchase turned out to be a highly technical transaction and Dimitri handled the details with efficiency and grace. During the closing process the purchase contract was re-negotiated and Dimitri then identified an opportunity to produce a different type of loan with a better rate, resulting in a significantly lower mortgage payment. He is creative and monitors options. Timing is a key aspect of home purchasing and Dimitri is someone that will never leave you waiting. His consistent rapid turnaround on loan actions helped my purchase process significantly.

Dimitri of Guaranteed Rate in Aptos helped us secure a home mortgage in record time. Many…read moredocuments were required for underwriting. When we got stuck, he personally helped us with the process. He responded to emails promptly and his staff were also very professional. We are grateful to our realtor for recommending Dimitri.

I am upset I gave this guy any business. He is rude, unresponsive and lazy. I don't know who is…read moregiving him any good reviews probably only his friends and family. I have never had to ask multiple times to get closing paperwork. So unprofessional. He is another person that doesn't want to do his job and takes forever to get anything done.

I bought my first home about 9 years ago, (2003), and got financing through Monterey Bay Mortgage,…read more(Forrest). Great experience, Forrest and his team made the process very easy. Not only is Forrest very knowledgeable, but also very freindly. So when I decided to to" refi" about two years later, (2005), I used Monterey Bay Mortgage & Forrest again. Another great experience. Fast forward to 2012. It came time to refinance again as the mortgage I had chosen was a 7 year adjustable. Due to the current economic conditions I was concerned that i may not qualify for a new mortgage ,or that my interest rate would adjust to a payment I couldn't afford, (even though my credit and income were still good). I was incredibly relieved to find out that the mortgage Forrest had gotten for me would be adjusting signifigantly downward, cutting my interest payment in half and applying much more of my payment toward principal. WHOOOOO! This is great, local service. Monterey Bay Mortgage, Forrest & his team demonstrate over & over that they want to have a continuing business relationship, not just a one time transaction. I also have to add that the staff are always very freindly. Every time i've called somebody pleasant answers the phone. When it comes time to refinance again I will be going straight to Monterey Bay Mortgage and Forrest. If i Could give 6 stars, (instead of the max. 5), I would, the experience has just been that good!!! Dave C.

Stephen went above and beyond during mine and my boyfriend's first home purchase. He was super…read morecommunicative and even connected directly with my agent to ensure everything went smoothly. We recently had the opportunity to refinance and without hesitation, Stephen reached out directly to us as soon as he noticed rates were coming down. We did not need to chase him for it nor constantly inquire about it--he just felt like it was the right time and reached out! I'm very grateful for Stephen and his team and will definitely be referring him to our friends and family.

Based on his numerous good reviews, I messaged Stephen early last August about the possibility of…read moregetting a United Wholesale Mortgage (UWM) 15-year fixed home loan at 1.99%. This was a new program announced by press release, which I read about in a Yahoo! Finance article, through a link on Google News. Having worked previously in real estate and finance, I knew what the key points were to our situation, so I included those in the message to Stephen, asking whether he would be able to do the loan. Stephen responded abruptly by saying that he would have to talk with me by phone, to discuss "details." After I called him, he proceeded to try to browbeat me into accepting a different program at a higher interest rate. His approach was to use old-fashioned psychological pressure tactics, along the lines of: "Are you so naïve that you think you could actually get such a loan? That rate is just a teaser that you would never actually get." He was crude, demeaning and even insulting. I informed him, politely, that I had a background in real estate and finance, so I was not naïve about these things, offering him one last chance to do business with us, if he was so inclined. But he insisted that the loan would not be possible for us, so I thanked him and said goodbye. Shortly thereafter, I found a straightforward loan broker who in fact did the loan for us, on exactly the terms I had in mind: 1.99% 15-year fixed, with a reasonable fee. We closed in less than three weeks and none of the things that Stephen said were obstacles turned out to be an issue. I am pleased to report that my wife and I are now enjoying substantially lower monthly payments. BOTTOM LINE: If you want someone with an "old-school" approach to sales--involving psychological games, pressure tactics and absence of transparency (resulting in your not getting the best deal that you could)--Stephen Wong may be a good fit for you. Anyone interested in connecting with the straightforward broker we ultimately used is welcome to send me a private message, as I'm not allowed to include that information in my review.

Just had the pleasure of working with Victor at this company Santa Cruz lending group, the guy name…read morewas Victor Romero. It was an awesome and informative meeting. I really enjoyed working with this guy very professional and very helpful. I suggest if you need information returning to property lending, you look him up this guy is great

My husband and I were first time home buyers so we really didn't know what to expect let alone do…read morein this process. Jessie was incredible to say the least! We closed in 16 days and every step of the way was seamless and easy. She made our lives so much easier in this process, I would never buy another house without her!

Karma Mortgage made my complex refinance so easy, seamless and pleasant. José responded to my…read morequestions quickly, day or night, and he explained the process in a way I could understand. He got me an amazing rate (as good as the big loan companies) plus, I got personalized service that I would never have received with one of those huge loan corporations. Best of all, he's practically my neighbor. Here's to keeping it local. Thanks, Karma Mortgage!

I recently purchased a home in Aptos using VA financing. For the longest time, the VA benefit was…read moreuseless because of the buyers market and the multiple qualified offers that were on the table. Jose knew how to process the VA loan and worked closely with my Agent, the Buyer's Agent, the Escrow Agent and the lender to get the financing. Jose was able to qualify me for the loan, locked in a loan at a very favorable rate, and took steps to process the loan so that I got the favorable rate. Thanks Jose!

Jeannette was amazing throughout the whole process of buying our first home. I felt like she held…read moremy hand the whole way through, and explained everything that was happening ASAP to keep me in the loop. She was very prudent and timely and always kept in touch. She got me a great interest rate on my loan, and was so communicative and friendly throughout the process. Would definitely highly recommend!

Jeannette was great to work with and her attention to detail helped while going through our…read morerefinance. Communication plays a major roll in my stress factor and I appreciated her responsiveness through the whole process. She is knowledgeable and able to answer questions along the way, which didn't end when we closed our loan. I can still call or email her today if there were anything I needed. You definitely don't get the same level of customer service when going through a bank. I highly recommend her to my friends and family and thought it was time I finally wrote my first yelp review.

Do NOT DO BUSINESS WITH I tried for sometime to rent a…read morewarehouse at 54 Old Pueblo Rd from them. I noticed the place has been available for over 6 months with no movement. I contacted Allen property and Taylor Cohan. Taylor is the most lethargic, unmotivated property agent I have ever met. After playing phone tag and him approving the use I needed it for, we agreed to a time to view the warehouse. The guy showed up late looking like he just came off a bender and didn't bring the keys, genius. So I chased him down to meet the next day and he was late again but called. I viewed the warehouse and we decided to move forward. I had told Taylor my credit score was low but I could provide stellar rental references and pay the first year in advance. Taylor said that would work and he would present this to the owner and see what we could work out. So my rental reference sent a reference to Taylor. I also sent a profit loss statement, a personal letter describing my situation. This is the first time using Taylor's email so I was looking for confirmation that he received my personal information? I send him a text on a Friday to see if he received. Most professional managers will acknowledge your very personal emails with a response, not him. So my text went ignored. On Monday I texted again to see if he received, once again crickets no response, very amateur. Then I called Allen Properties and asked for Steve Allen the owner, I left him a voicemail about Taylor's incompetence. A woman named Felicia called me back and apologized for Taylor's incompetence, almost like its a regular thing. I told Felicia I had sent personal document to Taylor and he hasn't told me he received them. Felicia then told me that she would present my info and that I'd pay a year in advance for the warehouse to the owner to the owner. Taylor and Felicia called me back together and told me the owner denied rent for the warehouse a year in advance and denied my references that were excellent. I get screwed because Taylor sucks at his job and the owner of the warehouse gets screwed because Taylor sucks at his job, and Allen properties gets this bad review because Taylor sucks at his job. Steve Allen I was told was in the loop the whole way on this? Nice work Steve good company ethics.

Allen Property Group runs a handful of small coastal hotels, including the Venetian in Capitola and…read morethe Rio Sands in Aptos. We travel to that area about once a month, sometimes more. Our long term plan is to actually purchase a home in Aptos when our kids graduate high school, so we make a point to try to be involved in the community we plan on relocating to. That said we recently had a very awful stay at the Rio Sands and it led to a pretty unpleasant and unprofessional interaction with Steve Allen. I brought my family to one of his hotels and we ended up with no heat or plumbing. The staff at the hotel was entirely unhelpful so we reached out to Steve. He ignored all calls and emails and was unresponsive. Apparently he thinks it's perfectly fine for families to stay at his hotels and not provide them with plumbing or heat in the winter. Interesting way to do business but ok. While most of our interactions in the area have been wonderful, and we've met some really wonderful and kind community leaders and business owners, there is always a random "bad apple" that preys on tourists and it seems like the hospitality branch of Allen Property Group does just that. We obviously won't be spending our money at any of their hotels and will be sure to steer clear of their real estate side when we purchase our home in Aptos.