Brandon Ladd - Loan Officer

09/03/2026

09/02/2026

A homeowner asked me a question recently that I think we're going to hear a lot more often.

“I've built all this equity. How do I know if I should actually use it?”

That's a very different question from:

“How much can I borrow?”

Home equity can create options, but that doesn't mean accessing it is automatically the right decision.

For some homeowners, leaving it alone makes sense.

For others, it may become part of a larger conversation about debt, home improvements, cash flow, or retirement.

That's why I think the first conversation should be about the goal, not the loan.

What are you actually trying to accomplish?

Once you know that, you can start figuring out whether your home equity should play a role—or whether the better decision is to leave it right where it is.

09/01/2026

Self-Care September

“There is a time in late September when the leaves are still green, and the days are still warm, but somehow you know that it is all about to end.” – Sharyn McCrumb

08/31/2026

Self-employed and worried your tax returns won't show enough income to buy a home?

This comes up more often than you might think.

Business owners often take legitimate tax deductions that reduce the income showing on their tax returns. That's good tax planning, but it can sometimes make traditional mortgage qualification more challenging.

The good news is that, depending on the situation, there may be other ways to document income, including bank statements, 1099 income, a professionally prepared profit-and-loss statement, or potentially asset-based options.

None of these automatically guarantee approval, but being self-employed doesn't mean you should assume you can't qualify.

If you've been told, “Your tax returns don't show enough income,” it may be worth getting a second look before giving up on buying a home.

Every situation is different, and loan options are subject to credit approval, documentation, guidelines, and program availability.

08/29/2026

An investor found a rental property that looked like a great deal. Then we ran the financing.

That's where the numbers got more interesting.

The expected rent looked good compared with the purchase price.

But a rental isn't financed based on those two numbers alone.

Taxes, insurance, HOA dues, reserves, credit, down payment, and the loan itself can all change the picture.

In this case, looking at the financing early gave the investor a much better idea of what the deal actually looked like before making a decision.

That's something I wish more investors did.

Don't just ask:

“Is this a good property?”

Also ask:

“Does this property still make sense once I know how I'm going to finance it?”

Sometimes that second question changes the entire deal.

08/27/2026

A Realtor called me about a buyer who had already been told the loan wasn't going to work.

The interesting part?

The buyer wasn't necessarily the problem.

Sometimes a loan doesn't fit neatly into a traditional underwriting box. Maybe it's self-employment, the way income is documented, the property, or simply the loan program being used.

That's when I think a second opinion is worth having.

Not because there's always another answer. There isn't.

But I've seen enough situations over the years to know that one lender's "no" doesn't always mean the conversation is over.

Sometimes another set of eyes confirms the original answer.

And sometimes it finds a path nobody had considered.

Either way, I'd rather know than assume.