When attempting to buy a home in the Bay Area, you want to go with a mortgage broker who knows how this area works. It's different here, we all know this. It's not like the shows on HGTV, where the couples get to take their time choosing between this house and that house, negotiating with the sellers for the best deal. It's brutal here, you have to be fast, efficient, be prepared to have your heart broken many times and accept that in order to even be considered, you've got to have a "clean" contingent free loan, accepting the property "as is". As a first time home buyer, it's a rollercoaster of emotions filled with tears, excitement, sleepless nights, insane nightmares, a twisted stomach, shortness of breath... However... working with Tom Nitsan was the smartest choice we made! On many levels... first of all, the guy has a reputation. He's well known and respected. Mention his name to any realtor and they not only know him, but then know that they have a good chance of closing the deal since you're working with him. Not only that, in our case, the sellers knew him and that is single handedly the reason they chose us!! Did you get that? Because we chose a local well known respected mortgage broker, the sellers picked us over all the others! Not because we won a bidding war. Not because we paid all cash. None of that. Turns out Tom sold them the house we were making the offer on. So they enjoyed having the opportunity to work with Tom again and trusted that we were legit and that nothing would fall apart in the process. That says A LOT! Another golden thing about Tom, he's nice! Very nice! He took the time to explain things in terms we could understand without making us feel like idiots. Never once did we feel like we were annoying him with our questions or naivety. He really is wonderful to work with. Every interaction with him left us feeling at ease, informed and cared for. We trust Tom and highly recommend him and the staff at MPR. read more

Lydia was terrific. All my questions were answered in a timely fashion. The process was easy and efficient. As closings go, this was first rate! Thank you Lydia. read more

Tom and his team helped us secure financing on a unique property that required some extra attention. I highly recommend MPR for any mortgage needs. Tom and Cassie were very fast, responsive, and ultimately able to deliver when others lenders/brokers could not. read more

My family and I worked with Lydia and Cassie throughout the process of buying our first home. They were immensely helpful with all the moving parts, responding to unforeseen challenges, being flexible and understanding, as well as working so hard to make sure we didn't miss anything important. They welcomed questions and provided detailed answers. When it came to discussing some of the finer points of mortgage rates and market changes, they were very knowledgeable but also skilled at communicating the information in everyday language. I highly recommend them for your homebuying needs! read more

Tom and Dawn did a great job getting me preapproved and closing my loan. I'm self-employed, which made getting a loan a little trickier, but Tom and Dawn patiently and clearly guided me through the process. They were on top of the transaction from the beginning and were always responsive, accessible (even over the weekend and on a holiday), helpful and encouraging. They were able to get me a loan at a favorable rate and close the deal within 21 days, which included a holiday and a difficult underwriter. Hats off to them. read more

We purchased a home using the proceeds from the sale of our previous house. Tom Nitsan presented a number of financing options and we were able to select an option that gave us the flexibility to control our monthly mortgage payment while avoiding large interest payments pending the sale of our home. He was very patient with our questions and worked up new options when we provided feedback. The MPR staff actively manages collection of all of the required documentation for the loan application, and MPR has a easy-to-use, secure platform for uploading the data. Tom supplied pre-approval letters for our offers and his team was able to secure our loan during an abbreviated closing period. Tom is an experienced partner and very helpful when working in an aggressive and stressful real estate market. read more

Dawn did right by me. She was easy to reach, not stunted in communication skills, efficient, and got things done. If i told you how quick our communication and process was, you would be in disbelief. Within 30 minutes of placing a phone call in for a refi, I had electronically sent over a file folder with all docs ready to get the ball rolling, And so it rolled, on and on...and on...to close of escrow. Cinch. Lender credit of about $1500 as well. Sweet. read more

Tom Nitsan, Dawn Malatesta, and the team at MPR Financial helped make buying our first home as smooth and easy a process as it possibly could be. Tom's support and patience through our roller coaster of a year-long (multiple offers/multiple rejections) home search helped us stay the course and ultimatley win the bid on a home we are delighted to own. After our offer was accepted the MPR team worked seamlessly with our realtor and the title company to make escrow a clear and simple process. We recommend this team to anyone that is in the market to purchase a property! read more

Tom Nitsan and his team (Dawn and Jennifer) are by far the best mortgage broker group you could hope to work with. Not only did they help me close a loan with a great rate and on a short timeline during COVID; they were incredibly responsive, candid, patient, and friendly throughout the entire process. After working with several highly-recommended Bay Area mortgage brokers over the years, I can attest that Tom stands out as a true top-tier professional. Tom gives thoughtful input and promptly answers questions with the client's best interest in mind, ensures that he offers clients the best available products, and personally tracks a file until close. I truly appreciate my great experience working with Tom and the MPR Financial team, and I'll always recommend them to friends and family from now on! read more

Tom and his team were great to work with. Very responsive and helpful with our many questions. Did a great job helping us understand the options so that we could make informed decisions and made sure that the process kept moving forward. read more

This team was great in supporting us through our first time refinance. I worked with Ted and Chendra and throughout the process, and they were clear and proactive in their communication. I was impressed, given this time of COVID and other disruptions that naturally slowed things down a bit. And yet - I had hoped they would find me the optimal opportunity, and true to their word, they did! In fact, in the end it all evolved to be even better than expected due to the extra mile they went to ensure a good experience. I am feeling so glad I chose MPR Financial as a partner, and will definitely work with them again! read more

Tom and his team went above and beyond for me and my mother. We had a 1031 exchange property and needed some particular and unique help. Tom was creative and so very helpful in getting the right kind of loan for us. And he gave me great advice along the way about other things related to buying a home. When we are ready to refinance, we will be calling Tom! read more

I worked with Lydia Dickerson and Cassie Penn to obtain financing as a first-time buyer in Oakland. Lydia's upbeat manner and ability to clearly explain the ins and outs of the financing process were key to demystifying the financial side of my home purchase and making my dream a reality. Lydia identified the financing vehicle and provided a verified pre-approval for me to use in negotiating a purchase agreement, and Cassie assisted with the processing of the loan, made sure all of the paperwork was in order, and got us over the finish line. Both Lydia and Cassie were responsive, a pleasure to work with, and on top of their game. We actually managed to close EARLY (!!) - the entire process was far smoother than I could have imagined. Having said that, I was still a nervous wreck at various points, but Lydia and Cassie both have the people skills necessary to calm and soothe jittery purchasers who are needlessly worried everything is going to go off the rails. I had initially intended to utilize the services of one of my credit unions or of an online lender (e.g. Better.com). I could not be more pleased that I went through MPR and Lydia - by the end of the transaction, I began mentally referring to Better.com as Worse.com; as I write this, having moved into my new home, there are still documents in my Better.com portal "waiting for review" that I submitted several weeks ago. Laughable!! MPR/Lydia found me better rates than I had been able to find through my CUs or any online lenders, and unlike some of my CU and online lenders, were able to provide me a verified pre-approval, which made all the difference in a competitive market like the Bay Area with people throwing cash all over the place (many lenders provide a "pre-approval" which is really a pre-qualification). I highly recommend MPR and Lydia for anyone looking to procure a new mortgage or do a refi. read more

We had a very positive experience with Tom, Dawn and others at MPR Financial. They were professional, courteous, helpful and always on top of the application process associated with a mortgage for home purchase. They worked efficiently with the lender, realtor, escrow company and insurance agent to ensure that everything from locking a competitive rate to funding the loan went smoothly and was completed in a timely manner. We were planning to close escrow on a Monday and Tom made sure the loan got funded only that day and not the previous Friday, thereby saving us a couple of days of interest. Based on our experience, I would highly recommend MPR Financial. read more

Lydia, Cassie, and the entire team at MPR Financial were FANTASTIC. Lydia was always available by phone to answer questions and confirm details about payments, rates etc., and especially given the heavy refi season and the ongoing pandemic, our entire origination process went about as smoothly as we could have expected given any scenario. Her team was fast, accurate, and organized; traits that are so important in this competitive Bay Area market. I would not hesitate to work with Lydia and her team again for a future purchase or refi in the future, and I wholeheartedly would recommend them to anyone looking to buy in the Bay Area. read more

There's a reason why they have this many 5 star reviews. We worked with Tom Nitsan for over 1 year and he always took the time to walk us through and answer our questions. When we finally got a bid on a house accepted the Herculean effort from Tom and Dawn made us feel like we were being watched out for and guided through the whole process. I'll literally be sending all of our friends friends to them. Stellar folks to work with. read more

Tom and Dawn were great to work with! They helped us secure a mortgage to buy our first home. As first time buyers, we were a little skittish and unaware of our options for financing, but Tom was very good at explaining our options and helping us make a decision. He was also able to secure a really good mortgage for us at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic recession, when the entire country was trying to refi as the fed cut rates. I would recommend Tom to anyone looking to buy a home! read more

Ted Maniatis is the best! He is calm, knowledgeable and communicates by detailed spreadsheets with options. I can't thank him enough. I refinanced my home three times with Ted. The transactions were smooth and rates were great. An amazing communicator that takes the time to call and clarify things. He is prompt in returning calls and emails. Above all Ted works with integrity and is quite reliable. read more

I highly recommend the MPR Financial team! My fiancé and I had a great experience using them to secure a loan for our first home purchase recently in Oakland. Our real estate agent referred me to the team and we are so glad she did! From the very beginning of the loan approval process, Ted and Lydia at MPR were knowledgeable, professional, and so helpful. We had a LOT of questions as a first-time home buyer, and they were able to answer all of them for us and help us feel comfortable with what is otherwise a very stressful process. The team was very easy to communicate with, and I also really appreciated how transparent they were with us about the process, how they are paid by lenders, and how the closing period would transpire. They worked hard for us, offered us competitive rates, and even helped to make the closing costs a little less for us! They were also spot on with their closing and loan estimates, which I could not believe! We had a very tight closing timeline and they pulled through for us! Thanks again to Ted and Lydia for the hard work! read more

Lydia and the MPR team were easy to work with, responsive, and happy to answer all of the many, many questions we had while purchasing our first home. I would happily recommend them to anyone buying in the Bay Area. read more

I had the pleasure of working with Tom and Dawn as a first time homebuyer. They really are an exceptional team -- very patient and responsive. We were first time homebuyers working in an extremely competitive market who could only afford 10% down. Not only did they find numerous options for us -- Tom worked his magic and found a deal which only required us to put 10% down and still lock in a 3.5% rate. We are so happy in our home and feel it all truly worked out for the best. Can't recommend them enough. read more

I really recommend Tom and the MPR team (shoutout to Dawn as well). They were crucial for navigating a very stressful time for us as first-time home buyers. Any time I got worked up and stressed, Tom was there to answer and reassure me of all my worries. Dawn was there to promise we would meet our very demanding closing timeline and came through with 110% effort and responsiveness to ensure there were no delays. They came in a little late in the process and met an absolutely aggressive timeline (other agents thought would be impossible), expedited through Christmas and NYE holidays, and met the timeline. They worked hard, came through with great rates and a better loan than I received elsewhere, and throughout the process were reassuring sources of knowledge. They were also extremely accurate with their estimates and paperwork. We even signed, funded, and closed on the same day with the help of their coordination. They saved me thousands of dollars, mountains of stress, and a ton of time. Again, I couldn't recommend highly enough. They would be my #1 recommendation for the East Bay. read more

This is the third time that Tom and Dawn have helped me by a home. They are excellent communicators and so helpful! Everything goes smoothly with them and I know I'm in great hands. The deserve high praise. read more

I had a perfect experience working with MPR. My realtor referred me to Tom Nitsan, who was able to get me pre-approved less than 12 hours later. This helped get my offer in quickly, and the sellers' agent already knew Tom's reputation for getting things done. Once our offer was approved, Tom and Dawn were very communicative and helpful. So much so I started avoiding emailing them in the evening because I knew they'd end up writing back that night. I also appreciated that Tom didn't just get us a loan, but got the loan that was right for me. He wanted to know what my plans were for the property, and then recommended loans with particular features that have ended up being really helpful. read more

I very briefly interacted with Ted Maniatis. We had submitted an offer at the very beginning of our home search and had used the mortgage broker that our real estate agent typically works with. At Day1 of our 21 days of escrow I had an argument with the mortgage broker and considered switching to someone else. In the process I talked to Ted and the interaction was in stark contrast to the interaction with our broker. Every time I interacted with our broker the interest rates got higher and miraculously dropped by 0.5 % when I threatened to switch brokers. Every time he put pressure on me to accept a mortgage as fast as possible as ' the market is crazy'. Ted, on the other hand, sent a spreadsheet with a few options. I explored those options by myself and he offered to explain as needed. I am sure that the market was not easy as this was at the beginning of the Ukraine invasion, but I really appreciated Ted's calm attitude (' this is an important decision and you should not rush into it - you have options.') Our lender liked to call by phone a lot. I found it very stressful to have a lengthy talk with a mortgage broker in the middle of a busy workday. Ted efficiently communicates via email. This fits much better with my schedule and I find it re-assuring when people don't hesitate to put stuff in writing. Ted could offer great rates and the information I received was very transparent. He will be my first go-to when we refinance. read more

Lydia Dickerson is literally the Queen of financing! Her communication was timely and professional, her organization was impeccable, and her customer service was superb. She explained each step clearly, reassured us during one of the most stressful times in our lives, and was an outright champion! We cannot thank her and the team enough and would recommend her without reservation. Thank you, Lydia for all you have done for our family! read more

Was referred to Tom Nitsan by our real estate agent. Unfortunately he was extremely difficult to get ahold of us despite calling 3 times and emailing multiple times. Our real estate agent also attempted to call his assistant who never got back to us. read more

Tom guided us through two excellent, straightforward, and well-coordinated mortgage transactions: first in 2006, second in 2017. If you have excellent credit and income, Tom and MPR are your best bet for the most professional, expedient, and financially advantageous experience. Highly recommend! read more

MPR, and Erick and Lydia, were so great to work with! They closed our mortgage in 22 days, 1 day less than planned! The closing costs ended up being less than I expected too. Everyone was super easy to work with, and all of the information we discussed was always super clear and easy to follow. This was my first home purchase and they made me feel like everything made sense and was moving in the right direction every step of the way. I had been working with a traditional big bank, and it seemed like I every time I communicated with them the terms changed, the product changed, the requirements for approval changed. It was maddening. I was a little nervous about going with a broker instead of directly with a bank (though I am not sure why I felt that way), but it ended up being super helpful because they took care of everything for me. I highly recommend MPR. read more

Ted and Chendra supported us with our recent home purchase. They were recommended through a friend, who also worked with them to close on their home. They were great with communication and took a very complicated process and made it much easier for us and our situation. I would highly recommend! read more

I just financed with MPR for a second time and it was even smoother than the first! Lydia and Cassie were excellent guides throughout the decision-making and information submission processes. I highly recommend their services to anyone purchasing a home! read more

Tom and Dawn are the best at processing loan. We got our loan funded in less than three weeks and at a great rate. We will definitely work with them again in the future. Thank you Tom and Dawn. read more

I had such a wonderful experience with MPR. My agent gave me Tom's information and from the beginning he and his team were so helpful. I was able to easily communicate with them via email and all my questions were answered. Being a first time home buyer, I was a little nervous about the process but Dawn and Tom both helped me through the process! I couldn't be happier. I never felt like I was asking a dumb question when I needed clarification on something. THANKS!!!! read more

Update: I have to add that I have had a change of heart with MPR. After many years and 5 home transactions I am taking my business elsewhere. I couldn't reach them recently for an inquiry and my broker reached out on my behalf and the message was basically they didn't care and get in line. Covid aside, after many years and transactions, they must have bigger fish to fry. There are others in the market folks. I emailed one of their competitors and got an appointment on the calendar in 15 min. So if you are looking for responsiveness and a long term relationship where someone really cares then you may want to look elsewhere. Disappointed. read more

Buying a house is stressful, especially for a first time buyer. Lydia Jackson guided us through the process with ease, patience and grace. She was an absolute pleasure to work with and she educated us during the entire process and lead us to the final loan. We were in amazing hands from start to finish and I recommend her fully! Lydia you rock! Steve Kirsh read more

We are grateful to listen to our realtor who recommended working with Tom Nitsan. In a really competitive market like the Bay Area, working with a local lender like MPR and Tom was the one of the key reasons our bid offer was accepted! Unbelievable...that is how important working with Tom and MPR was for us. Local realtors know how reputable they are and enjoy working with MPR. Cannot say enough about the excellent service Tom, and especially Dawn, and the team has provided. They were instrumental in helping us close on our first home in El Cerrito in 21 days! Made the escrow process as smooth as possible. Tom has a great way of explaining our financial options and team was able to help us secure a loan at a great rate. Thank you to Tom, Dawn and the crew! read more

Tom Nitsan and his team helped us through every step of the home buying process. We are grateful for their excellent service. We highly recommend MPR Financial. read more

Tom was very helpful in getting me through the loan process, and very knowledgable about California-specific lending practices, which I was unaware of since this was my first CA home purchase. And being associated with Tom and MPR was a huge benefit for offers I put out, because that is a very respected name in the area, and selling agents put my offers to the top of the list as a result. Highly recommend going through Tom if you want to make offers in this competitive market. read more

We sold our home and bought a condo, all in the East Bay. Because I did not have ready cash to put the downpayment on the condo, I needed a bridge loan, that would then need to be refinanced once I sold the house. It was (from my perspective) a complicated operation with some risk involved. Tom and his team handled it all very smoothly, answered my questions, gave me a number of options for refinancing, and helped me get a loan with very favorable terms. They were responsive, organized, and knowledgeable. I felt fully supported in a stressful situation. read more

Tom Nitsan helped me buy my very first home and has gotten me through two refi's since. He and his team are absolutely stellar. I was so overwhelmed buying my first home years ago and he provided me with interactive spreadsheets so that I could see EXACTLY what it would cost me monthly, including taxes, insurance, everything. It was so comforting to know there would be no unpleasant surprises -- and there weren't! Since then the refi's have been so easy and straightforward. I highly recommend Tom. read more