Mortgage education, made clear
Mortgage Guides for Homebuyers and Homeowners
Get straightforward answers about buying a home, mortgage rates, closing costs, loan programs, refinancing, and home equity. Written by Sean Mertens for California homebuyers and homeowners, with local guidance when location matters.
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Essential Mortgage Guides
Buy Before You Sell: Your Financing Options
Understand ways to purchase your next home without making the offer contingent on selling your current property first.
Read the guide Mortgage ratesMortgage Rate Locks Explained
Learn what a rate lock protects, how lock periods work, and what to consider when deciding whether to lock.
Read the guide HomeownersMortgage Recast: Lowering Your Payment
See how a lump-sum principal payment and recast may lower your payment while preserving your existing loan terms.
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Latest Mortgage Articles
Bridge Loans
See how a short-term bridge loan can help homeowners buy before selling, plus the equity, qualification, repayment, and cost considerations involved.
Reverse 1031 Exchange
Learn how investors can acquire a replacement property before selling the current one while coordinating exchange rules, temporary ownership, and financing.
1031 Exchange
Understand how a 1031 exchange can defer capital-gains taxes when investment-property proceeds are reinvested, including timing, property, and financing considerations.
Non-Contingent on Selling Previous Home
Explore financing strategies that may let homeowners purchase before selling, strengthen an offer, and avoid coordinating two transactions on the same timeline.
Can I Use Cryptocurrency to Buy a Home?
Learn whether cryptocurrency can help fund a home purchase, how lenders document converted assets, and why timing, taxes, and transaction records matter.