Michael Stowers, NMLS ID 1573007

11/03/2026

🚨 Think VA loans take forever to close and are harder to get across the finish line? Think again!

We just closed a VA loan in 10 DAYS!

VA loans typically don’t allow rush appraisals, but with the right lender and team, it’s absolutely possible.

Closing quickly also helped us secure better pricing and an interest rate BELOW MARKET for our client.

I specialize in VA financing and love helping veterans maximize the benefit they’ve earned.

🇺🇸 Who do you know who served and is looking to buy a home using their VA benefit?

11/02/2026

🐾 The Loan Patrol is on the move!

No job too big, no loan too small. 🏡

Loan Patrols reporting for duty! 🚨

Let’s finance your home! 🔑🏠

10/28/2026

🏡💰 A HOUSE IS A PIGGY BANK! 🐷🏧

Did you know a seller credit could help a buyer save thousands in upfront costs WITHOUT the seller having to drop the price?

Let’s say you’re selling a $1,000,000 home and offer a $30,000 seller credit. The seller effectively nets $970,000 before other selling expenses, while the buyer can use that credit toward eligible closing costs, prepaid expenses, or an interest rate buydown.

Here’s how much sellers may be able to contribute on a $1M home:

🏡 CONVENTIONAL
• 3% to 9.99% down: Up to $30,000 (3%)
• 10% to 24.99% down: Up to $60,000 (6%)
• 25% or more down: Up to $90,000 (9%)

🏡 FHA
• Up to $60,000 (6%) toward eligible buyer costs

🏡 VA
• Seller-paid eligible closing costs plus certain concessions, with the VA’s 4% concession limit applying to specific items

The key? Seller credits generally CANNOT be used for the buyer’s down payment or handed over as cash. The buyer must have eligible expenses, and loan program guidelines apply.

💡 Sometimes, instead of dropping the price, a seller can use their equity to help the buyer lower upfront costs or buy down their interest rate.

Buyers save cash. Sellers make their homes more attractive. Everybody wins when the numbers make sense!

📲 Want to know how to negotiate seller credits on your next home purchase or sale? Send me a message!

RealEstateTips

10/27/2026

🏡 WHAT DOES YOUR MONEY GET YOU IN TODAY’S MARKET? 👀

With a 7% interest rate, 20% down, property taxes, and homeowners insurance included, here’s a rough idea of what your monthly payment could look like at different home prices!

💰 $850K to $1.25M homes
📉 7% mortgage rate
🔑 20% down payment
🏠 Includes estimated property taxes and homeowners insurance

The numbers might surprise you! 👀

Thinking about buying in San Diego? Let’s run the numbers and see what makes sense for you.

📲 DM me “BUY” and let’s put a plan together!

Payments are estimates. Actual rates, taxes, insurance, and loan terms may vary.

10/21/2026

10/17/2026

My opinion- Many sellers won’t lower their prices they will simply take their homes off the market.
Now, yes, there will always be the sellers that are very much in need to sell (ie relocation, divorce, outgrowing home), but overall sellers with extremely low rates aren’t as motivated to sell.

Fewer listings mean less inventory, which could keep prices higher than expected.

🏡 San Diego’s housing market: Then vs. now

In September 2019, before COVID, San Diego County had 6,587 active listings.

In September 2026, we had just 5,749.

That’s 12.7% fewer homes for sale than before COVID.

So even though more sellers are cutting prices and offering credits, we still have fewer homes on the market than we did in 2019.

The market is shifting, but inventory tells only part of the story.

In the San Diego market, 57.1% of homes sold involved seller concessions in August 2026. That means buyers are negotiating more than just the purchase price they’re also getting help with closing costs and other expenses.

That’s 6 out of 10 homes the sellers will be willing to help a prospective buyer! The opportunity could be now!

10/14/2026

🌉 Walking across the Spruce Suspension Bridge got me thinking… have you heard of a BRIDGE LOAN? 🏡💰

Just like this bridge helps you get from one side to the other, a bridge loan helps you get from your current home to your next one!

🤔 Think of it like this: You found your dream house, but you haven’t sold your current house yet. You need the money from your old house to help buy the new one. What do you do?

A bridge loan can give you access to some of the equity in your current home so you can buy your next home before your old one sells! 🙌

🏠 Buy first. Sell later. Make your move with less stress.

Of course, you’ll need to qualify, and the loan terms, costs, and repayment requirements matter.

Thinking about making a move but don’t want to sell your house first? Let’s talk about your options!

📲 DM me “BRIDGE” and let’s see if a bridge loan makes sense for you.

MortgageLender

10/09/2026

Have a stuck listing or maybe you’re a potential homebuyer waiting for lower interest rates?

Consider this-

You’re looking for a 5.99% payment, but rates are at 7.5%. Now what?

$1,000,000 purchase price. $800,000 loan. 20% down.

At 7.5%: $5,594/month

At 5.99%: $4,791/month

That’s an $803 monthly difference!

OPTION A: PRICE CUT

The price would need to drop approximately $143,500 to achieve that same principal and interest payment at 7.5%.

Good luck getting that deal!

OPTION B: NEGOTIATE A RATE BUY-DOWN

Negotiate a $40-45k seller-paid rate buydown.

Estimated combined seller cost: approximately $40-$45k depending on actual lender pricing. Seller nets more and buyer pays less interest AND a lower monthly payment. Win-win situation 🤝

That’s potentially a much better strategy than relying on a price cut alone.

THE TAKEAWAY:

Don’t just negotiate the price. Negotiate the financing, too.

Stop waiting for rates to drop. Create the opportunity

10/08/2026

STOP GUESSING WHAT YOU CAN AFFORD. 🏡

If you and your spouse or partner are thinking about buying a home, here are 4 simple numbers you can use to get a pretty good idea of what you can afford without even talking to a lender.

These examples are based on a household income of $250,000 per year, typically between two borrowers.

#1 Your comfortable payment 🏡

Take your monthly household income × 35%.

That gives you a good starting point for a mortgage payment that you can potentially afford while still having plenty of room in your budget to actually enjoy life.

#2 Your lender’s max 📊

Take your monthly household income × 50%, then subtract your monthly debts.

That gives you a rough idea of the maximum monthly housing payment a lender may allow based on your debt to income ratio.

And remember, what a lender will approve you for and what you actually feel comfortable paying can be two VERY different numbers.

#3 Your cash to close 💰

Take the purchase price × 6%.

That gives you a quick estimate of the total cash you may need to close, including your down payment, closing costs and prepaid expenses.

#4 Your safety net 🛟

Add up ALL of your monthly expenses, including your new mortgage payment.

Then multiply that number by 3 months.

Ideally, that’s the amount I’d want you to still have available after buying your home, whether it’s sitting in checking, savings, retirement or investment accounts.

The goal isn’t just to get you into a house.

It’s to get you into a house and make sure you’re still comfortable once you’re there.

Save this for when you’re ready to buy, and send it to someone who’s thinking about purchasing a home.

And remember, these are quick rules of thumb, not loan approval guidelines. Your actual numbers can vary based on your loan program, credit, assets, debts, taxes, insurance and more.

Know your numbers BEFORE you start house hunting.

10/02/2026

ZERO DOWN. LOW TO NO CASH TO CLOSE. And they weren’t even first time homebuyers 😲🏡🤝

We just helped another buyer purchase a home along Lake Murray in La Mesa with 0% down.

Their REALTOR® Amanda Carrera | San Diego Realtor helped negotiate concessions that covered their closing costs AND helped buy down their interest rate.

The result?

A buyer who was able to get into a home in a highly desirable San Diego area with very little out of pocket.

This is exactly why I keep saying, don’t wait for interest rates to drop before you start looking.

When rates drop, more buyers come back. Competition increases. Sellers have less reason to offer concessions. Opportunities like this can become much harder to negotiate.

There are programs and strategies available right now that a lot of buyers don’t even know exist.

If you’re waiting for rates to come down, you could be waiting yourself right out of some of the opportunities available today.

Take advantage of this market while it lasts. 🏡

DM me “ZERO DOWN” and I’ll show you what options may be available for your situation.