LOS ANGELES, CA - OCTOBER 19: Dave Warden, a bud tender at Private Organic Therapy (P.O.T.), a non-profit co-operative medical marijuana dispensary, displays various types of marijuana available to patients on October 19, 2009 in Los Angeles, California. Attorney General Eric Holder announced new guidelines today for federal prosecutors in states where the use of marijuana for medicinal purposes is allowed under state law. Federal prosecutors will no longer trump the state with raids on the southern California dispensaries as they had been doing, but Los Angeles County District Attorney Steve Cooley recently began a crackdown campaign that will include raids against the facilities. Cooley maintains that virtually all marijuana dispensaries are in violation of the law because they profit from their product. The city of LA has been slow to come to agreement on how to regulate its 800 to 1,000 dispensaries. Californians voted to allow sick people with referrals from doctors to consume cannabis with the passage of state ballot Proposition 215 in 1996 and a total of 14 states now allow the medicinal use of marijuana. (Photo by David McNew/Getty Images)

Mortgage Underwriters’ hands are tied in using income from something the Federal Government considers illegal. Yet new regulations from DC require that lenders verify and borrowers ability to pay before giving them a mortgage. For example, Washington State had nearly …

FAQ – Can I use income from marijuana sales to qualify for a mortgage? Read more »

Surprisingly, one of the brightest spots of the president’s State of the Union Address last night which might have received a standing ovation from both sides of the aisle barely received a passing mention! The bright shining spot in his …

How much will the new FHA MIP Rules change save me? Read more »

When a borrower with disabilities receives rental income from a live-in personal assistant, whether or not that individual is a relative of the borrower, the rental payments can be considered as acceptable stable income in an amount up to 30% of the total gross income that is used to qualify the borrower for the mortgage loan.

As part of our continuing service to you, we’d like to offer some tips that may be helpful when you’re looking to purchase a new home or refinance your home loan.
Above all else, pay your bills and start saving.

What should you do then if you have a high lease payment and you are like so many debt averse Americans (that just sounds strange to be coming off my keyboard) and are de-leveraging (paying off debt and not incurring new debt) and dare I suggest, PAYING CASH for your next car (Dave Ramsey will be so proud of us both)?

These days there seems to be no shortage today of people or politicians angry at mortgage companies.  Most however tend to be  customers of the nations five largest mortgage servicers; Bank of America, Wells Fargo Home Mortgage, JP Morgan Chase & Ally Financial. The source …

The Trouble With Trial Mortgage Loan Modifications Read more »

If I were to tell you that you will be required by your lender {mortgagee} to give a Death Pledge to buy or refinance your next home would you might think twice and would you want to know more about to whom you were entering into a mortgage agreement with?

FHA Underwriting Tip; FHA allows a borrower to meet the minimum statutory investment by using gift funds from either a close family member, government agency or approved non profit. FHA requires that all gift letters include the section 1010 verbiage below – …

FAQ – What is the FHA Gift Funds Section 1010 Verbiage Read more »

Even with higher energy prices, consumers continued to spend freely on other items last month. The March sales figures from about two dozen large retail chain stores released on Thursday were stronger than expected. Consumer spending accounts for about 70% of economic activity, so this data was encouraging news for the economy.