Fred Hines Mortgage Advisor

09/04/2026

One of the biggest mistakes I see people make when buying out of state is starting over with a new loan officer. 🗺️

Land deal in Idaho? Down payment assistance in Montana? Investment property in Arizona? Helping your son or daughter buy near college in Texas? We’ve handled all of it. Crossing state lines doesn’t mean you have to start over.

At Supreme, we’re licensed in multiple states, so there’s a good chance you can keep working with the same loan officer who already knows your finances, your goals, and your story. Trust matters when you’re buying a home. It matters even more when you’re buying one hundreds of miles away.

Thinking about buying outside of California, or know someone who is? Send them this before they start calling lenders they’ve never worked with. Let’s see if we can help before you start over.

📍 East Bay, CA | Licensed in Multiple States | Out-of-State Lending

09/01/2026

https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/predatory-myth-vs-non-recourse-reality-fred-hines-fhowc/?trackingId=3KnLb0CfSXaw%2BwlSxRRDcA%3D%3D

If you've thought about a reverse mortgage and immediately felt uneasy, you're not alone — and you're not wrong to be cautious. The reputation didn't come from nowhere.

09/01/2026

https://www.linkedin.com/newsletters/the-hinessight-report-7482461491841912832/

Mortgage and Real Estate News

09/01/2026

Reverse mortgages have a reputation problem. The product doesn’t match it anymore.

Today’s HECM is non-recourse by law — you and your heirs will never owe more than the home is worth. If the balance outgrows the value, FHA covers the difference, not your family. And before anyone can close one, HUD requires independent counseling from a neutral third party — not your loan officer.

This isn’t the right fit for everyone. But the decision should be based on the actual terms, not a decades-old headline.

62 or older, or helping a parent think this through? Send me a message — we’ll look at your real numbers, not a hypothetical.

08/29/2026

Told no somewhere else? That’s not always the final answer.

We recently closed a purchase loan for clients who’d already been turned down. The file needed an underwriting exception just to get approved — the kind of file it’s easier for a lender to decline than to actually dig into and make work.

We dug in. Got the exception approved. Closed early.

If you’ve been told no, or you’re assuming you’d hear no before you even try, it might just mean the first lender didn’t look hard enough.

Worth finding out what’s actually possible before you count yourself out.

DM me if you want to find out what your options really look like.

08/26/2026

Most people assume buying a home for a parent means investment property financing. That’s not always true. 🏡

Fannie Mae has occupancy guidelines that may allow certain buyers purchasing a home for an elderly parent who can’t qualify on their own to receive owner-occupied financing, even though the borrower won’t live there. That can mean a lower down payment requirement and better terms than buying it strictly as an investment.

This isn’t for every family, there are qualification requirements and every situation is different. But if you’re helping a parent and assuming investment financing is your only option, it may be worth having another conversation first.

Know someone helping an aging parent with housing? Send them this. And before you assume it has to be financed as an investment property, let’s talk through the options.

📍 East Bay, CA | Family Home Financing | Aging Parent Housing

08/21/2026

Did the bank say no? That might not be the end. 🏡

One of the biggest misconceptions in real estate is that if a traditional mortgage says “no,” the conversation is over. Sometimes it’s just the beginning.

There’s a program called the Earned Equity Program built for people who aren’t quite mortgage-ready today but are working toward becoming homeowners. Maybe you’re self-employed. Maybe you changed jobs recently. Maybe you’re rebuilding credit, or your situation just doesn’t fit inside a traditional mortgage box. This program creates another path, giving qualifying buyers the chance to move into a home today while working toward traditional financing down the road.

The biggest mistake you can make is assuming one lender’s “not today” means homeownership isn’t possible. Sometimes it just means you haven’t explored every option yet.

Know someone who was told they couldn’t qualify? Send them this. One conversation could uncover a path they didn’t know existed.

📍 East Bay, CA | Earned Equity Program | Path to Homeownership

08/20/2026

https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/your-property-tax-base-can-now-move-you-anywhere-california-hines-kmqic/

Your Property Tax Base Isn't Stuck to Your County Anymore There's a piece of California tax law that quietly got a lot more useful a few years ago, and I still talk to homeowners who don't know it applies to them. Here's the short version: if you're over 55, severely disabled, or you lost your home

08/18/2026

Your “starter home” mental picture might be the thing standing between you and owning one.

Builders are shifting toward smaller single-family floor plans. Buyers are asking for the same thing. Those two trends are reinforcing each other nationally — and it’s worth paying attention to here too.

A smaller house isn’t a downgrade. It’s often cheaper up front, and cheaper every month after that — heating, cooling, maintenance, all of it.

This isn’t about lowering your standards. It’s about widening the list of homes that actually count as an option.

Curious what “smaller but smarter” could mean for your specific numbers? Send me a DM — no pressure, just real numbers.

08/17/2026

Your property tax base isn’t stuck to your county anymore. 🏡

I still talk to homeowners who don’t know this applies to them: if you’re 55+, severely disabled, or lost your home to a wildfire or disaster, Prop 19 lets you move your property tax base to a new home ANYWHERE in California — not just within your county.

For a lot of people, that low tax base is quietly one of the biggest reasons they haven’t moved, even when the house doesn’t fit anymore. This doesn’t erase every consideration — but it removes one that used to be close to a dealbreaker.

Filing timelines matter, so confirm the details with your county assessor or CPA before you build a plan around this.

Full breakdown in this week’s HinesSight Report — link in bio.