A San Jose mortgage broker for first homes and complex files.

A HELOC is a revolving line of credit secured by your home — you draw what you need, when you need it, typically at a variable rate. A home equity loan delivers one lump sum, usually at a fixed rate with fixed payments. Both sit behind your existing first mortgage, so the rate on your first loan stays untouched.

Most programs lend up to 80% of your home's value combined across all loans (CLTV); select programs go to 90% for qualified borrowers. For example, on a $1.5M home with a $600K balance, 80% CLTV would make up to $600K available. Program, credit profile, and property all affect the final number.

Broadly: meaningful equity in the home, a solid credit profile, and documented ability to repay. Requirements vary by program — and self-employed borrowers have options here too, including alternative documentation on select programs.

Sometimes. Under current federal rules, interest may be deductible when the funds are used to buy, build, or substantially improve the home securing the line, subject to limits. I'm not a tax advisor — please confirm how the rules apply to you with a tax professional.

Yes. My office is in Willow Glen, and most of my clients are buying or refinancing in San Jose, Morgan Hill, Gilroy, and the surrounding Bay Area. I'm licensed to originate home loans anywhere in California (NMLS #633059).

Yes — first-time buyers are half of my practice. I walk you through the entire process step by step, explain every document before you sign it, and cover low down payment options where they fit. No question is too basic.

Yes. I work with clients in both English and Farsi, from the first conversation through closing.

A bank can only offer its own menu. As a broker I take one application and shop it across many wholesale lenders — including programs banks rarely carry, like bank statement loans, DSCR, and a wider jumbo shelf. After twenty years inside major banks, I also know exactly where they say no, and what to do about it.

Usually yes — just not through a conventional loan. Bank statement programs qualify you on 12 or 24 months of deposits; others use a CPA-prepared P&L, or assets alone. The write-offs that lower your tax bill stop counting against you. These are select programs for qualified borrowers and they generally price higher than conventional, which is the trade-off worth walking through before you apply anywhere.

Some will, on select programs. What they typically want to see is a vesting history going back a couple of years, evidence the grants continue, and a stock liquid enough for their comfort. How much of it counts varies by lender — which is exactly why it is worth comparing before you write an offer rather than after.

Often yes, but only if something actually changes. A decline is usually one lender’s guidelines rather than the whole market, so the first thing I want to see is the specific reason you were turned down. Sometimes the answer is a different lender, sometimes a different program, and sometimes it is ninety days and one thing fixed. I will tell you which one it is.

Thirty days is a normal purchase timeline and a clean W-2 file can move faster. Self-employed and jumbo files usually want more room — the documentation takes longer to assemble and underwriting takes longer to read. It depends on the lender, the property, and how fast conditions come back, so I would rather give you a realistic timeline at the start than an optimistic one.