You can go to an online mortgage broker to save as much money as possible. Or you can pay a little…read moremore for a full service mortgage broker with expert advice and great service. They may matches interest rates, but they'll get you on fees or points. Chris Bridgman at Absolute Mortgage is a rare breed that offers both competitive rates/fees as well as high touch service. He gave us a loan program that had interest rates and fees that matched any online lender. Believe me, I checked after he quoted us a rate, and there was no money to be saved by going elsewhere. On top of that, Chris helped us figure out how to work around our non-standard financial situation and credit complexities. When things started to look dicey, he was able to quarterback the communication between the various banks, credit agencies, and underwriters, getting them all to work together in my favor. Without his tenacity and creativity to find solutions, our loan would have fallen through. No discount rep would put that much personal effort to get it done.

Do not use this bank. They have a charge of $625 for the initial pre-qualify letter -just a…read morestandard letter to say that you're qualified for a loan! They did not disclose this to us and once we decided we would go with a different bank, they decided to tell us about it. I've written more details on my blog: http://absolutemortgagereview.blogspot.com/

My wife and I were looking for someone to handle our refinance and we were routed to Kimie based on…read moreYelp. Kimie more than met our expectations when it came to handling this process for us. She has immense knowledge and resources regarding refinance options and really helped guide us towards our ultimate goal. She gave us clear information and always ensured she was providing us with accurate and detailed informed so we could make an informed decision. She was extremely flexible and communicated every step of the process to us in a timely manner. She went above and beyond to answer our questions or research any issues we needed to complete on our end. We have Kimie to thank for impeccable and timely service in our refinance process. Her professionalism and eagerness to help us get this process complete and work with our schedules was truly amazing. Kimie went the extra mile to ensure all our needs were met and was diligent in helping navigate us through questions and concerns even after our loan process was completed. We would highly recommend her for any of your mortgage needs and will ensure she is our go-to person for any future mortgage business!

As a real estate professional there are certain qualities I look for in a lender. I met Kimie over…read more15 years ago. What I can say about her is that she is very hard working, very honest, and is very competitive. She has ALWAYS closed on time with new money purchases. She will take her time to explain the process to first time buyers and they tend to love working with her. I trust her enough to finance my own house through her, refer her to my mother, brother, and all my clients.

Best mortgage person in the Bay…read more Jay was incredible to work with, helped us close lightning fast, answered all my questions as a first-time home buyer, and helped me get rates and terms that surprised my realtor and impressed my knowledgeable friends. Buying a house is a major thing, with lots of stress. Working with Jay was like having a lighthouse in a storm, he was incredible. 28 out of 5 stars, can't recommend highly enough. This is your guy.

My experience has been mediocre with this loan agent and US Bank. I have done at least a dozen of…read morereal estate refinancings with different loan agents over the years, so I am familiar with the process. 1. The refinancing process was a little chaotic, and some departments in the bank were slow to move files despite borrower's multiple warnings of deadlines to the loan agent, so the loan did not close on time, which caused significant complications and expenses due to borrower's upcoming overseas traveling. 2. The loan agent promised a processing fee refund after loan closing, but he refused to honor it later. The borrower had to escalate the issue with his supervisor to get the fee refund. 3. Several months after loan closing, the title company told me they are still missing various signatures and notary acknowledgment pages for loan closing and they had to make an appointment with me to redo these pages. There seem to be many gaps in their refiancing operations.

This is my first review on yelp. Jeff was highly recommended from a close friend of mine. Getting…read morea house in Bay area is very challenging. Over our 6 months of working with Jeff, I was looking for anything from Condo to Single Family and kept changing location, he diligently worked out the options and walked us through them. He was everything we could ask for: knowledgeable, friendly, super responsive and professional. He takes care of the bulk load of the paperwork. He also does loans and is very candid about what he can offer and other options out there. He never pushed us to make an offer or overbid. We had some complication with the seller and Jeff helped us handle it smoothly. It was like working with Family. Buying a house is difficult especially in bay area. But Jeff made it a joyful experience. If you are in the market looking for an agent, I would highly recommend Jeff!

Jeff helped us refinance our home at a good rate. This was during the pandemic, so everything was…read moredone online. We only had to meet in person for a few minutes with a notary to sign the final papers, which was a short stack because the rest of the final papers were e-signed. Overall, the process was smooth, and Jeff is very communicative throughout the process and transparent about explaining the numbers. He also sends helpful emails along the way with FAQs that anticipate the questions you probably have at each step. I was referred to Jeff by a colleague, and I would recommend him to anyone.

Nikki and her team came highly recommended. After they assisted with our home purchase I can…read morepersonally say this is the team you want. Many aspects of a home purchase can be complicated and stressful, but not with her team. Nikki James and the Opes team were excellent all around. With their communication and detailing all the documentation we needed. Not only were they efficient, but this was a fast and seamless process. Do not hesitate to add Nikki to your home purchasing team.

While we weren't familiar with Opes when we initially started looking for a lender, many of the…read morereal estate agents we talked to were. They were quick to tell us how much they like partnering with Nikki (at Opes) because of how reliable, fast, and efficient she is. Needless to say, that kind of validation from third parties in the industry was a very strong signal. Our first meeting set the tone for the relationship; Nikki is such a warm, friendly person, and she immediately made us feel comfortable. She wasn't trying to give us the hard sell on anything, instead spending time getting to know us and patiently answering all our questions about the mortgage business. We came away from that initial encounter feeling confident that we'd found the right person to help us through the stressful and intimidating process of acquiring our first home loan. What especially appealed to us about Nikki's approach is that she analyzes her clients' overall financial picture to help them figure out how much they can afford to spend on a house and how much they should borrow. She spent a couple hours with us plugging in numbers and making several (conservative) projections based on a few different scenarios. Although I consider myself to be fairly savvy when it comes to managing my money, as a first-time home buyer I found this exercise to be tremendously helpful and informative. It helped us feel more comfortable with purchasing a home and taking on a mortgage because we were able to understand what we could truly afford. Perhaps more importantly, it's a responsible business practice in an industry with an otherwise poor reputation for protecting customers, and was a signal that Nikki was looking out for our best interests. We were initially a bit worried that this level of service would come at the cost of higher rates or extra fees. That wasn't the case, however; we spoke to several other lenders and the interest rate we got from Nikki was as good or better than any of the other quotes we got. When our offer for our home was accepted, things got real. Because of regulations, lenders require a tremendous amount of financial information before final approval of a loan. It's an overwhelming process, but Nikki and her assistant Niki (yup, you read that correctly) were with us every step of the way. They sent us lists of exactly what which documents and details we needed to provide, were quick to reply with answers to any questions we had. I can't think of a single reason why anyone wouldn't work with Nikki to get a home loan. She was lovely to work with, and her level of service, integrity, and competitive rates made our decision to go with her a no-brainer.

We worked with Alex to sell our home in Los Altos and had an outstanding experience from start to…read morefinish. Alex brings deep expertise in the local real estate market--he gave us smart, honest advice on pricing and timing, and really understood the nuances of what would drive interest in our specific home. He clearly knows what buyers in this area are looking for and helped us position our home to maximize appeal. His strategy was spot-on, and we felt confident at every step that we were in the hands of someone who truly understands how to optimize outcomes for sellers. What also stood out was Alex's strong network--he knows the local agents and was able to leverage those relationships to connect with motivated buyers early in the process. Thanks to his efforts, the sale went smoothly and exceeded our expectations. Highly recommend working with him if you're thinking of selling in Los Altos or the surrounding area.

I purchased my current home with Rainmaker about a decade ago! Alex paired me with the right…read moreperson on his team to work with. I always felt I could go to either of them with questions and concerns. Through the years, we've stayed loosely in touch. Recently I asked Alex his thoughts on a second property, sharing my concerns and parameters. He had/has really good ideas, has experience with handling different situations, and I didn't/don't feel at all pressured to purchase. When it comes, hoping the second time goes just as well!

Julie was recommended to us by our real estate agent and we are so happy she was. Julie (and her…read moreteam) worked with us step-by-step to get us through the mortgage application process. She is professional, courteous, and approachable. In short, we are delighted with Julie.

The only time I write Yelp reviews is when a business goes above and beyond my expectations. For…read moreme, Julie met that high bar. I was very impressed with her dedication and patience as I asked question after question... (hope it wasn't too much, Julie!) If you need someone who's got your back during an often stressful time in finding a mortgage, do not hesitate to give her a call!

In the last 2 years, I have purchased two separate homes. Not ideally selling the first home to buy…read morethe second. It wasn't exactly the plan, but when you fall in love, you have to jump. For both of these purchases, there was no one I would rather go to than Sara Hoag. With her real estate experience running the gamut, I was confident that she would be the right person for me to work with on getting the best loan that I could get with as little pain as possible. To say I was correct in that assumption would be a massive understatement. Sara worked with me from start to finish making sure I was completely in the loop. She even helped me outside of normal hours, especially helpful since I don't work a typical schedule. Never once did I have an issue contacting her about any question or concern I had. She was incredible! Sara's communication skills didn't just end with me either. She worked extremely well with my agent, as well as the listing agent. Any question they had was answered promptly and precisely while still keeping me apprised and making sure all my little duckies were lined up exactly how they needed to be. I couldn't have asked for a better experience and couldn't be more thankful to Sara for her hard work and dedication. I will forever be grateful to her for her support, patience, and kindness in such a stressful time. Thank you so much Sara. You're the best!

After showing supreme dedication in getting us into the market just two years ago by working her…read moremagic in getting a CalHFA loan program for us to purchasing a condo in south San Jose with just 5% down and two subordinate loans. There was only one person we trusted with our refi to take advantage of an increase in equity in our property of $75k in just two years!!! We couldn't be happier with the communication and personal explanations of a complex situation with our new refi taking advantage of a greatly reduced APR and a $50k Home Equity Line of Credit (HELOC). We can't recommend Sara any more highly she is incredibly knowledgable in all mortgage options and is a pleasure to work with. Your are in safe hands with Team Sara !!!!

Brenda Wyatt at LaSalle Mortgage was a huge asset in our home purchase. She brought creative…read morefinancing solutions to the table, helped us secure a rate well below the national average at the time, and got us to closing in less than three weeks. Outstanding results, backed by equally outstanding service. Brenda was incredibly prompt and kept pace with every question, decision, and deadline. I'm someone who gets into the details and wants to understand the options, and I appreciated having a mortgage professional who could work through those details with me and bring solutions forward. Her local relationships and sterling reputation also make an enormous difference. In the competitive Bay Area market, having a lender who is known and respected by local realtors is a real advantage. Brenda brought that credibility along with the expertise to deliver. We couldn't recommend her more strongly. Creative, connected, exceptionally responsive, and able to execute on a tight timeline, Brenda is exactly who you want in your corner when buying a home.

Brenda Wyatt and The Wyatt Team made buying our first home an amazing experience for my wife and…read moreme. From the very beginning, they were professional, responsive, and genuinely cared about helping us become homeowners. One thing that really stood out was that they were able to get us pre-approved without a hard credit pull, allowing us to start shopping for homes while protecting our credit. Their secure third-party verification for employment, income, and tax documents made the process incredibly simple. Everything was organized, modern, and hassle-free, and we never felt overwhelmed by paperwork. Throughout escrow, Brenda and her team kept both of us informed every step of the way. They answered all of our questions quickly, explained everything clearly, and made what could have been a stressful process feel smooth and easy. Their communication, professionalism, and attention to detail were outstanding from start to finish. Thanks to Brenda, Dejon, and The Wyatt Team, my wife and I are now proud homeowners, and we couldn't be more grateful. They truly went above and beyond to help make our dream a reality. If you're looking for a lender who is knowledgeable, honest, efficient, and genuinely cares about their clients, look no further than Brenda Wyatt and The Wyatt Team. We will absolutely recommend them to our family, friends, and anyone looking to buy a home. Thank you, Brenda and The Wyatt Team, for making our dream of homeownership come true. You have earned customers for life!