Rickelle Stockton NMLS 1729345

Rickelle Stockton NMLS 1729345 Loan Officer Maciel Mortgage 300305 / A Division of AP Mortgage Corporation Equal Housing Opportunity

Summer is wrapping up and I want to check in with everyone who has been sitting on the fence. One thing people do not al...
08/31/2026

Summer is wrapping up and I want to check in with everyone who has been sitting on the fence. One thing people do not always realize about fall in this market. It is actually a really good time to buy.

The summer frenzy settles down. Sellers who listed in the spring and have not sold yet are motivated. Properties that have been sitting have room for negotiation. Plus you are not competing against every buyer who decided to move in the summer.

Fall buyers who are prepared have a real advantage. The key word is prepared.

Prepared means your pre-approval is already done before you need it. It means when a house you love hits the market on a Thursday you are not scrambling to pull documents together over the weekend while someone else writes an offer. It means your agent can move immediately because you are already ready.

One conversation with me, a loan app, a few documents, and usually 24 to 48 hours before you have a letter in hand.

I work with veterans, active duty members, and civilian buyers in the Kings County area every single day. Whether it’s a VA loan or something else, I can help.

If you want to finish this year in a home of your own, let's talk this week. Fall waits for nobody and neither do the good listings.

Message me. Let's get you ready. 🍂

I want to talk about something most people have never heard of but that is one of the most interesting opportunities in ...
08/30/2026

I want to talk about something most people have never heard of but that is one of the most interesting opportunities in today's market.

VA loan assumption.

Here is how it works. A VA loan is assumable. That means a qualified buyer can take over your existing VA loan including its interest rate instead of getting a brand new loan at current rates. Think about what that means right now.

If someone bought a home in 2020 or 2021 with a VA loan at a 2.5% or 3% interest rate that loan may be assumable. A buyer who takes over that loan inherits that rate. The monthly payment difference between an assumed loan at that rate versus a new loan at current rates can be hundreds of dollars a month. Every month. For the life of the loan.

Now there are important details worth knowing. The buyer has to qualify for the assumption just like any other loan. If a non veteran assumes your VA loan your entitlement stays tied up in that property until the loan is paid off. Which means you may not have your full entitlement available for your next purchase.

This is not a simple transaction. But for the right buyer and the right property it can be an extraordinary opportunity that most people never even think to ask about.

I personally cannot help with an assumption so I have no benefit mentioning it to you other than I am bringing it up because you deserve to know all of your options.

Message me if you want to understand whether assumption could work for you.

I want to have an honest conversation about renting versus buying because I am not going to pretend buying is always che...
08/29/2026

I want to have an honest conversation about renting versus buying because I am not going to pretend buying is always cheaper. It is not.

In this market rent on a home comparable to what you might buy is somewhere around $2,000 a month. A mortgage on a $320,000 home is going to run you closer to $2,400 depending on your rate. So yes, the mortgage payment is higher.

But here is what that extra $400 a month is actually doing.

It is building equity. It is making appreciation on an asset. It is going toward something that you own and that has value. And if you leave, get orders, or just decide to move on, you have options. Sell it. Rent it out.

That $2,000 a month in rent? Gone. Every single month. For as long as you rent. Nothing to show for it at the end. It’s also not guaranteed. The rent can increase every year. The home can get sold and then you have to move. Alot of things could happen that make this a less stable option.

Over a three year duty station assignment that is $72,000 that just disappeared.

I am not here to talk anyone into buying when it does not make sense. If your timeline is short, if your credit needs work, if the numbers genuinely do not work for your situation I will tell you that straight.

But if you are staying in this area for a while and you are comfortable with that payment, the question worth asking is whether you would rather that money build something or just be gone.

Message me and let's look at your specific numbers.

I want to tell you a little bit about why I do this specifically.I live and work in a community that is built around a m...
08/28/2026

I want to tell you a little bit about why I do this specifically.

I live and work in a community that is built around a military installation. The people I serve are active duty, veterans, military spouses, military families. They have access to one of the most powerful homebuying benefits in existence and honestly it breaks my heart a little when I see it mishandled.

Unfortunately I do see it mishandled. More than I would like.

Lenders who treat VA loans like an afterthought. Agents who tell their sellers to skip VA offers without actually understanding the process. Buyers who got bad information somewhere along the way and spent years thinking the benefit was not available to them or was not worth using. That bothers me more than you know.

The people I work with earned this benefit. Not received it, EARNED IT. Through service and sacrifice and time away from their families and experiences that most of us will never fully understand. The least I can do is make sure that when they are ready to use it, somebody actually knows what they are doing.

I chose this market and I chose this specialty on purpose. Kings County is my community. The families at NAS Lemoore are my neighbors. I take that seriously.

If you are active duty or a veteran and you are thinking about buying, I want to be the person who gets it right for you. Not just technically right but really right. The kind of right where you get to closing day without surprises and you feel like somebody actually had your back the whole way through.

That is what I am here for. Message me.

I am going to answer the questions I get most often because if you are wondering about these, someone else is too.Can I ...
08/26/2026

I am going to answer the questions I get most often because if you are wondering about these, someone else is too.

Can I use my VA loan more than once?
Yes. When you sell and pay off your VA loan your entitlement restores. You can use it again. In some situations you can even have two VA loans at the same time.

Do I need a 20% down payment?
No. Zero down is the whole point. You do not need a down payment on a VA loan in most situations.

Is the VA loan only for first time buyers?
No. It is for eligible veterans, active duty members, and surviving spouses regardless of whether you have bought before.

Will the VA loan take forever to close?
No, not with a lender who knows what they are doing. Shouldn’t take any longer than any other loan type.

Do sellers hate VA offers?
Some have outdated opinions about it. A well prepared VA offer from an experienced agent is competitive. I work with agents constantly to make sure our offers are clean and credible.

What if I have a disability rating?
You may be exempt from the VA funding fee entirely. This is one of the first things I ask every single client.

How do I know if I am eligible?
Call me. I can pull your Certificate of Eligibility in most cases within minutes.

Any questions I did not answer here? Drop them in the comments or message me directly.

There is a running joke around here that once you come to Lemoore you are stuck.I mean that in the best possible way.I h...
08/25/2026

There is a running joke around here that once you come to Lemoore you are stuck.

I mean that in the best possible way.

I have watched it happen over and over again. Someone gets orders to NAS Lemoore. They did not ask for Lemoore. They maybe googled it and were not thrilled. They show up, they get settled, and somewhere along the way the Central Valley gets into them.

The pace. The people. The community. The fact that you can actually afford to live here. The winters that make people from literally anywhere else feel like they won the lottery.

I have clients who separated specifically to stay in Kings County. I have friends who could have gone anywhere and chose Lemoore. Believe it or not, it happens.

Back to school season always makes me think about the families who made that decision. The kids who are going to finish all four years at the same high school. The parents who are done starting over. The house that is actually theirs.

If you came to Lemoore thinking it was temporary and you are starting to feel the pull of staying, or if you already know this is home and you are ready to make it official, I would love to be part of that.

Message me. Welcome to being stuck. 😄

You found the house. Your offer got accepted. You are under contract.Immediately you get a call, text, and email from me...
08/17/2026

You found the house. Your offer got accepted. You are under contract.

Immediately you get a call, text, and email from me. I give every single client the same talk.

Here is what I tell them.

Do not open any new credit. No new cards, no financing a vehicle, no furniture store accounts. Nothing. I cannot stress this enough. Your credit profile needs to stay exactly where it is until after you have keys in hand.

Do not make any large or unusual deposits into your bank account. If money moves in that I cannot document and explain to underwriting it becomes a problem. Cash gifts, transfers from family, side income, whatever it is, tell me before it hits your account not after.

Do not change jobs. Even for more money. Even if it is a great opportunity. Call me first. Always call me first. CALL ME FIRST!

Do respond to my document requests quickly. When I ask for something I need it because something is waiting on it. The faster you respond the smoother everything moves. This is a team effort.

Do keep paying all your bills on time. This is not the moment for anything to slip. You are so close to the finish line, let’s not get derailed.

The under contract period is typically 30 to 45 days. I have seen deals survive a lot. I have also seen deals fall apart over things that were completely avoidable.

Stay steady, follow these rules, and we get to the best part, key day!

If you have questions, message me!

I'm going to date myself here but I miss the days when your BAH was equal to or more than your mortgage payment.Those da...
08/16/2026

I'm going to date myself here but I miss the days when your BAH was equal to or more than your mortgage payment.

Those days are mostly gone but here is one thing that hasn’t changed…

Your BAH is going somewhere every single month. You don't get to keep it. You use it for housing or the government keeps it. So the real question isn't whether to spend it. You're spending it regardless. The question is what you're spending it on.

If you're living in base housing your BAH is going toward that. If you're renting off base your BAH is going to your landlord. Either way at the end of your time at this duty station you have nothing to show for it financially.

Now think about what three years of BAH looks like sitting in a mortgage instead. You're building equity. You're making appreciation on an asset and if you get orders and have to leave you have options. Sell it. Rent it out. Keep building.

I don't recommend buying for everyone. If you're only here for a few years, if the timing isn't right, if it just doesn't make sense for your situation, I will tell you that straight.

But if you're going to be in the Kings County area for an extended period and you're watching that BAH disappear every month, it might be worth a conversation about whether you could be doing something more with it.

Message me. Let's look at your numbers.

I got off a call recently with an agent who was already nervous about the VA appraisal before it even happened.The value...
08/15/2026

I got off a call recently with an agent who was already nervous about the VA appraisal before it even happened.

The value hadn't come in yet. We didn't actually think it was going to be a problem. But she wanted to talk through the what-ifs.

I asked her if she had ever worked through a Tidewater initiative or a reconsideration of value on a VA appraisal.

She had heard of Tidewater but said it never works. Said she has had no luck with VA and just tells her sellers to pass on VA offers.

I spent the rest of the call walking her through the process, reassuring her that I knew it well, and promising that if we hit a value issue I would do everything in my power to work through it the right way.

The call ended well. But it stuck with me.

Here is the thing about VA loan reputation. A lot of it comes from agents and lenders who just don't do enough of them to get good at them. Tidewater isn't a last resort that never works. It's a formal process where the appraiser is signaling they may need more support on value and inviting the lender and agent to submit comparable sales before the appraisal is even finalized. When it's handled correctly it absolutely can move the needle.

Reconsideration of value is another tool. Not a guarantee, but a legitimate path when an appraisal comes in short.

The VA appraisal process has more built into it than people think. The problem isn't the process. It's working with people who haven't done it enough to know that.

I have. Message me.

08/14/2026

Your closing date probably isn’t the first thing you think about when trying to keep her home by cost down, but truthfully, it can affect how much money you need to bring to closing. It’s a small detail that’s worth understanding before you pick that date.

If you’re ready to have a discussion about purchasing a home and how we can utilize other methods to reduce your out-of-pocket hit me up! ✌️

Address

1560 W Lacey Boulevard Suite 105
Hanford, CA
93230

Telephone

+15595725554

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