The Best in the West! Working with Ellen Kohagura couldn't be easier! Ellen made us feel as though we were the only client she was working with. She was so responsive and always on point. Ellen always had the answer and was our voice of reason. She helped us through the process from begining to end and made the entire process easy. I would recommend Napa Valley Lending to anyone and everyone looking to buy a home or refinance the home they have. I simply can't put into words how much Ellen and her team made us feel at ease throughout the whole process! Thank you! read more

Ellen is amazing to work with as a Broker. I have lived in Napa for 36 years and never experienced anyone as knowledgeable and professional. My husband and I have used Napa Valley Lending twice for home refinancing. Each process was easy and not stressful. Ellen is a rockstar and gets your loan to close in a timely manner. If you want the Best, this is the Broker to use. read more

Ellen is an absolute pleasure to work with! She is always quick to respond and wonderful at walking you through every detail. As a first time homebuyer, Ellen truly made the process of buying our home painless. When we are ready to refinance down the road Ellen at Napa Valley Lending will be our one stop shop! If you want a broker that makes you feel like family, choose Ellen. read more

I'm going to gush for a moment here.. So Ill start by saying that this was the least painless loan process we've ever been through. Ellen Kohagura was simply amazing, from pre-qualification to closing we felt like her most import clients at every step of the way. Having dealt with quite a number of home purchases in the past, Ellen was the most professional-act-together-on-top-of-it broker we've ever worked with. Even when there was an issue with the appraisal she was there making sure that it was all straightened out. Believe me when I say that the mister and I were being high maintenance during that time. Ellen listened to our needs and was able to reassure us both that it'll all work out. There was a feeling of comfort knowing that Ellen always had our best interests at heart. I loved having her in our corner. read more

Working with Ellen Kohagura was a great experience. I had an unusual situation in which I was turned down by other brokers. Ellen assured me she could help with the situation. Rarely have I had such great customer service. Her communication was outstanding. Responding to my needs or questions within minutes. Even after working hours. If information was needed from my CPA, she would contact him for me. She made the process seamless. I highly recommend Ellen for your lending needs. read more

Ellen is the absolute best!! I'm a first time home buyer and going into this I had no idea what I was doing. I knew I wanted a house, but had no clue what steps to take to make it happen. Ellen literally walked me through each detail and was so genuine and caring. She made it clear she didn't want me to be nervous or unsure about anything. Any questions I had I could email her and within 5 minutes or less I'd get a response, even if it was late at night! Not only did she make the loan process easy and fun, she got me in touch with an excellent realtor to help me as well. People like Ellen are so rare to find. Now not only am I a home owner of my dream house, but I leave this process knowing so much more about purchasing property, and I have a new lifelong friend! Pick up the phone and call her, you'll feel the same way. read more

Good help is hard to find these days. Ellen was one of the most helpful persons I've ever worked with. Start to finish she always had answers for my questions. I had questions late at night, because I was on night shift and she would still get back to me right away. This made my first time home buying experience a breeze. I was nervous going into it, but came out feeling totally confident. I would look honestly no further than Ellen. She will without a doubt help you with everything needed. Thank You Ellen! read more

Ellen and Jordyn did a wonderful job with assisting me on getting my first home loan. Great, friendly, thorough, and quick communication! I highly recommend Napa Valley Lending. read more

Ellen is the best ever!!! Buying a home can be such a difficult and overwhelming process, however, Ellen is extremely knowledgeable and able to help with absolutely everything. I would recommend her to anyone looking to purchase a home, and will certainly look to her for any future transactions. I was more than satisfied with our experience with Ellen, and I can't imagine how anyone could be disappointed with the hard work and dedication she provides to her clients. She is fast, reliable, and has a fantastic personality, as well. She really is a phenomenal broker, and I am more than thrilled to be able to recommend her to others. One thing I would suggest would be to bring along your own real estate agent, as the one recommend to us was not the type of realtor we were hoping for. A personally picked realtor would have been the icing on the cake for us. Hooray for Ellen!! read more

We have worked with Ellen on many transactions over the past twenty years. Ellen has always gone the distance for us, securing some of the most challenging transactions for us when we were sure no one could. Ellen's knowledge and skillset are unmatched. She also has a fantastic network of skilled real estate professionals, always finding a solution to whatever challenge arises. She treats every transaction like her own, and her attention to the tiniest detail has saved us untold hours and dollars. Ellen is an absolute joy to work with--her endless energy and positive personality make all the difference. We offer the absolute highest recommendation possible. read more

Ellen was amazing!!! Home loans/refinancing always makes me anxious, but Ellen made it painless, smooth, and fast. She answered all my questions and took the time to explain anything I was unsure about. I can't really thank her enough and it was great to work with someone who is such a nice person - no Napa Valley snobbery in sight!! Thank you Ellen! read more

Ellen recently helped me refinance my condo in Napa. Not only is she a wealth of information and knowledge on the whole process, she is extremely personable too. My refinance didn't exactly go smoothly (on my end) but Ellen remained persistent and tenacious throughout the process. I honestly don't know that another lender would have continued to work so hard, but she did. Ellen came through for me during a financially stressful time and I will be forever grateful! She is the only lender I will work with moving forward when my husband and I buy our next home. She is truly amazing!!! read more

My wife and I worked with Ellen recently to secure a loan for our first home and it was a fantastic experience -- I would recommend her to any home buyer - first time or otherwise. Your first experience buying a home can certainly be overwhelming -- but we felt confident throughout this process with Ellen by our side. Not only did she help us secure a great rate, but we always felt like Ellen had our backs and was looking out for our best interest. She was always available to answer questions and her experience (and patience!) were invaluable to us. Thank you Ellen! read more

Ellen is the best! She is fast, helpful and dependable. She made sure I got the best rates and met my unique needs. She was recommended by my daughter and son-in-law who had a great experience. I will use her again in the future for any mortgage needs. read more

We have worked with Ellen on several loans over the past 7 years and she is BY FAR the most professional, savvy and committed person I have worked with in such a capacity. Ellen is prompt, thorough and always looking out for your best interests. I could not recommend her more highly. YOU WILL NOT BE DISAPPOINTED! read more

Ellen is the very best, I would give her a hundred stars if I could. Our refinance experienced some hiccups along the way, but Ellen was quick on her feet and immediately went to work on resolving them, and successfully so. She goes the distance and then some for her clients. Look no further, contact Ellen for the very best financing experience you could possibly have. She will exceed your expectations! read more

Ellen at Napa Valley Lending made our Mortgage Refinance the smoothest and fastest we have ever experienced. I can't believe I'm saying that I really enjoyed the refinance process start to finish, but I am and with great enthusiasm. Thank you so much Ellen. read more

Ellen of Napa Valley Lending did an amazing job in navigating the lender requirements on a refinance in this post-recessionary world. Patient, detail-oriented and extremely responsive, she got a great loan at an amazing rate that we plan to live with for many years to come. Couldn't recommend her more! read more

Ellen has been efficient, kind, humorous and beyond helpful while assisting me with a refinance, and most recently a home purchase. She is tenacious and takes the majority of the stress away by doing as much of the leg work as she can. She is connected in the community and refers to others who might assist with other needs. My realtor absolutely loved working with her and commented at our closing how "knowlegeable and easy she was to work with." I highly recommend her, and if the need arises, I were certainly utilize her skills and services. read more

Ellen is the bomb. Her determination is unbelievable. She got the impossible done for us. She will promptly address all your concerns and questions and professionally guide you through the grueling process that getting a loan is. We closed on a property 4 hours away from Napa, so don't let location hold you back from have Napa Valley Lending help you with your needs. Would we recommend Ellen and Napa Valley Lending; YES, YES and YES. Thanks Ellen read more

Just finished a refi with Ellen and it was by far the least painful mortgage process I have ever experienced in over 25 years. In fact I kind of enjoyed it - imagine that! Ellen is the consummate professional. The entire process was incredibly smooth, all was handled by phone and computer since I'm in SoCal. Ellen and her staff were efficient and responsive, smartly dealing with every possible blip in the process, and extremely communicative throughout. It truly was a pleasure to work with Napa Valley Lending and that is definitely something I have never said about any other mortgage broker. I'd give 10 stars if I could! read more

I can not recommend Ellen Kohagura ENOUGH! Her agenda is YOU, the client! An all business approach through the hurdles of refinance, with a direct, friendly manner! She has our business for life! Thank You again Ellen! read more

We are currently in the process of returning to Napa and remodeling the house we have owned there for a number of years. With all the challenges afforded by this relocation, Ellen and Napa Valley Lending has been the one true joy of this experience. Ellen is the epitome of the work ethic you wish all your children acquire. She is knowledgeable, aggressive on your behalf, quick to respond to your questions and concerns and a real pleasure to work with. Picking her to serve our needs was somewhat blind luck on our part and we thank our luck stars that we did. She is the best, forget the rest. read more

This was my first time buying a house and this experience was amazing. Ellen was quick to respond, answer my questions, patient, helpful and took the time to make this process seamless. As I really had NO IDEA of what I was doing, I felt confident that I could trust Ellen through this process and could feel that I was really getting the best deal. Even after my loan closing, I still got the same quick responses when I had questions. I highly recommend Ellen and Napa Valley Lending! You will have your needs met, questions answered and you can feel rest assured that you are getting the best deal, up to date information and that you will have someone in your corner from beginning to end. read more

Ellen is amazing, kind and very knowledgeable. She made the refinancing process easy and seamless. We couldn't be happier with the service we received. I would highly recommend Napa Valley lending. read more

I've used Ellen her company Napa Valley Lending multiple times over the last 2 years, and I am finally getting around to leaving her a review. Before Ellen I unfortunately used lending tree and had a terrible experience with a non-local mortgage company that cost me 6 months of wasted time. Ellen took over and it was a night and day difference on how much less stress there was involved. She takes the time to hold you hand the whole way through the process which is something that I definetly need. Do your self a favor and go with Napa Valley Lending! read more

Ellen is pretty amazing. We talked to her multiple times before we were ready to get a loan just to walk through different possibilities and get general advice/perspective on what might make sense for us in buying a new home. (She even had some great suggestions on different areas of Napa we might want to consider.) She was incredibly patient and never hesitated to walk through each and every detail. She also didn't get frustrated with our endless (and sometimes repetitive) questions, which was incredibly helpful and appreciated. She was able to secure a great interest rate and get rid of most fees, AND was able to keep the rate lock in place for an extended period since our buyers needed an extension and we were buying a home contingent on the sale of our own. We were also able to do absolutely everything over the phone, fax, and email, which I love. So much easier than having to leave work for an appointment! read more

I was in the market for a loan when I contacted Ellen Kohagura at Napa Valley Lending. Ellen was extremely professional but also helpful ,friendly and so pleasant to speak to that after a few moments I felt I had known her for along time. I would recommend her to anyone looking for a real estate loan. read more

Ellen made the entire mortgage and buying a house process so clear and easy to understand. We were very impressed with how organized and effective Napa Valley Lending was and will definitely go to her again when we decide to refinance or buy more properties. Highly recommend! read more

Great service, great help in getting a fantastic home loan. Nice to be able to talk to someone like Ellen who is trustworthy and hardworking! read more

Ellen was half of the dynamic duo of highly experienced and motivated professionals that were instrumental in getting us our home (along with Suzy of Coldwell Banker). The loan process can be daunting but Ellen got us through it with ease. We are very thankful! read more

Ellen at Napa Valley Lending is amazing! With today's loan requirements obtaining a refi is not an easy task. My wife and I are both self employed, making qualifying a daunting task. After much,much work Ellen had us qualified and we got our refi! Please note, the bank I do my business banking with & have for years was unable to help us. Ellen worked harder than anyone could have asked for & frankly ever expected to assure we got our loan. She is the only person I will ever do business with again. I cannot put into words how pleased we were with her honesty, follow through, and communication throughout the loan process. If you are reading this and debating using her for your loan needs? You would be foolish going anywhere else. She is hands down the best. We own a few homes, and have purchased homes in the past, no one is better to do business with! read more

We just closed our loan with Ellen. Utterly great service and attention to detail during the whole process. I would strongly encourage anyone considering a loan or refi to use her services. Really terrific! Richard and Kris read more

We used Ellen and her company to refinance our house. She guided us through what could have been a very overwhelming process, helping us through each step, and answering all of our questions promptly. We couldn't be happier with the service and the fact that she got us a great rate on our new loan. She is simply the best!! read more

If I could give Ellen TEN STARS, I would! Ellen deftly handled two important financing transactions for us ... the purchase financing on our new home in St. Helena, and the financing for the buyers of our former home in Napa. While the former was relatively straightforward (at least, as straightforward as it can be in the new post-meltdown era), the latter transaction on behalf of our buyers was nothing short of a miracle! Ellen quietly moved mountains every day, keeping the process on track and moving forward despite many curve-balls and set-backs and never-before-seen documentation requirements by the lender. She is an exceptional communicator, keeping us informed at every step. Also, very detail-oriented, works collaboratively with all parties in the transaction (buyer, seller, lender, underwriter, inspector, appraiser, listing agent, buyers agent, broker, title companies, county recorder, lawyer, notary, etc.) ... a very complex ecosystem is required to make a high-value deal come together, and Ellen navigates it masterfully. On top of all that, Ellen is simply a very nice, calm, respectful and highly intelligent broker to work with. We are convinced that without Ellen on the team, the transaction would not have had a successful conclusion, and we'd still be trying to sell our home. Instead, both parties are happily ensconced in their respective new properties and grateful to Ellen for being "the glue" that made it all happen. THANK YOU ELLEN! HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!! read more

I can't say enough good things about working with Ellen. I had started the process with other lenders that my realtor was trying to push onto me, big mistake, know that realtors get kick back from using certain lenders. Anyways, the process with them was far from unpleasant, so I did my own research and found Ellen on Yelp and went with my own intuition. She was so easy to talk to and just made you feel very secure in everything with her competence in the profession. Everything went so smoothly and this was my second time buying a home so I had experience to base it off of. She followed through with everything she said she would which is rare. She even found an error in the contract that my realtor wrote that was in my favor for 5k, when I told my realtor he was very skeptical and assured me that wasn't the case, well he was wrong and I couldn't be more thankful for Ellen. If your reading this please give her a call and find out for yourself. You will get the best rate and the smoothest transaction. read more

My husband and I just bought our first home and thanks to Ellen it couldn't have been an easier or more enjoyable experience! We aren't from the area and we just happened to luck into finding her and from the first time we chatted I knew she was who I wanted, better yet, who I needed to work with! We were totally clueless as to what we were doing and Ellen helped make everything so easy to understand. She also worked so hard for us. She was always on top of things and was often steps ahead of us making it even easier and more convenient. Above being amazing at her profession she is also an incredible person. She helped us not only through the logistics of buying our first home, she often held our hands through the stress,fear,and uncertainty of the process as well. I know for certain our experience would not have been the same had it been anyone else. I can't say enough good things about her! read more