1st Choice Lending

1st Choice Lending Mortgage | Mortgage Lending | Mortgage Broker | Home Loans | San Fernando | CA | 91340 1st Choice Lending Inc.

is a full-service mortgage lending firm in San Fernando a Valley, CA . Our commitment to high quality client service and customer satisfaction has made us a leader in the San fernando Valley Mortgage Industry. Believing in having clients for life has been the foundation of our success.

1st Choice Lending has become an expert in working with the 1st time home buyer from government financing, Conve

ntional to Private money our staff is committed to tailoring the right loan for you. The mortgage ompany offers personalized services at no cost including a three year rate protection guarantee. This allows past clients to take advantage of a lower rate at no cost if interest rates were to go down within the first 36 months

History

Established in 2007

Anthony Barcenas the broker/owner of 1st Choice Lending graduated from Cal-State Northridge in 2001, since then he has helped many homeowners purchase their first home. Standing behind his mission statement of having clients for life he has built a successful mortgage company where 80% of all business is by referrals from past clients, CPA's, insurance agents and realtors. Mortgage Services

We are a full service mortgage broker offering diverse range of products

- Traditional 30 years, 15 years and ARM products
- Fixed ARM products-interests only 3,5,7,10 year ARM
- Jumbo fixed and ARM products
- FHA loans with credit loans as low as 560
- FHA streamline loans
- VA loans to $1,000,000
- FHA short refinance
- Private funding( No Income loans)

Buying in 2026 may take a smarter offer strategy.One option worth asking about is a seller-paid rate buydown.A rate buyd...
06/23/2026

Buying in 2026 may take a smarter offer strategy.

One option worth asking about is a seller-paid rate buydown.

A rate buydown uses upfront funds to help reduce the mortgage rate for a set period of time, or in some cases for the life of the loan. In the right situation, the seller may agree to contribute toward that cost as part of the negotiation.

That can help lower the monthly payment, depending on the loan, price, rate, and program.

The key is timing.

Talk to your loan officer before you write the offer. That way, your agent and lending team can build the strategy correctly from the start.

If today's market feels tight, do not guess your way through it.

We can walk you through the numbers step by step.

Call us at (818) 837-6600 or visit myfirstchoicelender.com to get started.

My First Choice Lending | Ca. Real Estate Lic. 322768 | Equal Housing Opportunity

The typical first-time homebuyer is now 40 years old.NAR reported that first-time buyers made up just 21% of recent home...
06/22/2026

The typical first-time homebuyer is now 40 years old.

NAR reported that first-time buyers made up just 21% of recent home purchases, the lowest share since the organization began tracking the data in 1981.

That number says a lot about what buyers are facing:

- Higher rents
- Larger down payments
- Student loan balances
- More competition from repeat buyers
- A longer path to feeling ready

If buying your first home feels later than you expected, you are not alone.

There are still loan options and assistance programs worth reviewing before you assume the answer is no. FHA loans, VA loans, down payment assistance, and local programs can all change the conversation depending on your situation.

We can walk you through the options step by step.

Call us at (818) 837-6600 or visit myfirstchoicelender.com to get started.

My First Choice Lending | Ca. Real Estate Lic. 322768 | Equal Housing Opportunity

Two months ago we started explaining how mortgages actually work. Now we're going to show you.This is the Mortgage Clari...
06/22/2026

Two months ago we started explaining how mortgages actually work. Now we're going to show you.

This is the Mortgage Clarity Method in 60 seconds:
1. Start with the payment that feels comfortable — not the income you have.
2. See ALL the numbers — principal, interest, taxes, insurance, PMI, HOA. Not just the quote.
3. Compare three loan paths, not one.
4. Leave with a next step — pre-approval, more thinking time, or a 60-90 day credit plan.

For the next eight weeks, we're running the real numbers on real Valley scenarios. Different price points. Different down payments. Different credit situations. You'll see exactly what the math looks like — before you ever make a call.

Follow along. Your scenario is probably in here.

Call First Choice Lending or visit myfirstchoicelender.com.

We make it easy.



Ca. Real Estate Lic. 322768

06/19/2026

What can 30 minutes actually change for a San Fernando Valley buyer?

One call. No commitment.

We run the real numbers on the home you're considering — principal, interest, taxes, insurance, PMI, HOA. You leave knowing your real monthly payment, not the lender-quoted one. You leave knowing whether to look higher, stay where you are, or wait 60 days and rebuild.

You don't need a decision. You need a call.

Call Anthony at First Choice Lending — San Fernando branch.

We make it easy.

06/17/2026

Two months of posts. One simple message. Time to make the call.

If you've been following along since April, you've seen us break down:

- The Mortgage Clarity Method — our entire approach to making mortgages understandable
- The myths that keep Valley buyers renting (you don't need 20% down, your credit doesn't need to be perfect, and so on)
- The real 90-day timeline from pre-approval to keys
- Every term you'll see at signing — APR, PMI, escrow, DTI, closing costs, points — in plain English
- The full math on a $700K Valley home (spoiler: the quote doesn't include half of it)
- The questions you've been afraid to ask — and the honest answers
- What actually happens when someone overthinks it and then finally runs the numbers

If any of it resonated, this is the post you've been circling.

Your first call with us is 30 minutes. No documents required. No sales pitch. No commitment beyond your time.

In that 30 minutes, we will:
- Ask you what payment feels comfortable (not what income you have)
- Show you the real monthly cost of a Valley home in your range — P&I plus taxes, insurance, PMI, and HOA
- Walk you through three different loan programs that might fit, not one
- Give you a clear next step: pre-approval, more thinking time, or a 60-90 day credit plan

You'll leave the call knowing more than you did walking in. That's our only promise.

The single most common sentence we hear from new clients: "I wish I'd called a year earlier." They weren't more qualified a year earlier. They just waited.

Call Anthony at First Choice Lending — San Fernando branch.

One call. 30 minutes. Real math.

We make it easy.

Your first call with First Choice Lending — what actually happens in 30 minutes.Swipe for the minute-by-minute breakdown...
06/17/2026

Your first call with First Choice Lending — what actually happens in 30 minutes.

Swipe for the minute-by-minute breakdown.

Minutes 1-5: We ask what payment feels comfortable — not what income you have.
Minutes 6-15: You share the basics. We show you three loan paths.
Minutes 16-25: Full math on a home you're considering.
Minutes 26-30: Your next step — no pressure.
After: Real numbers, written summary, direct text line to Anthony.

No documents required. No sales pitch. No commitment.

Call Anthony at First Choice Lending — San Fernando branch. Let's start clear.

We make it easy.

You don't need a decision. You need a call.30 minutes. No commitment. Real math. That's where clarity starts.Two months ...
06/15/2026

You don't need a decision. You need a call.

30 minutes. No commitment. Real math. That's where clarity starts.

Two months of posts, one simple message: you're probably more qualified than you think, and waiting costs more than you realize.

If you've been reading along since April, this is the post you've been circling. Call Anthony at First Choice Lending — San Fernando branch — and let's run your real numbers.

We make it easy.

06/12/2026

What 90% of Valley buyers overthink before their first call — and what happens when they finally run the numbers.

They assume they need perfect credit. FHA starts at 580.
They assume they need 20% down. 3% works on qualifying loans.
They assume they're too old at 45. We close for 60s and 70s.

Most of what stops Valley buyers isn't qualification. It's assumption.

We run the real numbers. The assumptions usually disappear.

Call Anthony at First Choice Lending — San Fernando branch.

We make it easy.

06/10/2026

What 90% of San Fernando Valley buyers overthink — and what actually happens when they run the real numbers.

After closing hundreds of loans in the Valley, we've noticed something: most of what stops buyers isn't qualification. It's assumption. Here are the four we hear most often — and what tends to happen when someone finally walks into our San Fernando office and lets us run the math.

"My credit is 590. I'll never qualify."
FHA loans start at 580. We've helped buyers with 590 credit close on Sherman Oaks homes — often with down payment assistance layered on top. Below 580, we don't say no; we build a 60-90 day plan to rebuild the score. Credit is a variable we work around.

"I don't have 20% down. This is impossible."
The median San Fernando Valley home is about $750K. 20% down is $150K. Almost no first-time buyer has that. Most of our first-time buyer closings happen at 3–5% down on FHA or conventional programs. You pay PMI temporarily, and it drops off at 22% equity. The down payment isn't the barrier you think it is.

"At 47, it's probably too late for me to start."
A 30-year mortgage at 47 finishes at 77. Most buyers don't hold one loan that long — you refinance, sell, or pay extra. We've closed loans for buyers in their 50s, 60s, and 70s. Age isn't a disqualifier.

"Student loans are going to block me."
Federal student loans on income-based repayment count at 0.5–1% of the balance for DTI purposes — not the full payment. That usually makes a bigger difference than buyers expect. We've closed loans for Valley buyers with six-figure student loan balances.

None of those stopped a single client from qualifying once we ran the real numbers.

The hardest part of buying a home in the San Fernando Valley isn't qualifying. It's getting past the assumption that you can't. One call, 30 minutes, real math — that's usually enough to change the answer.

Call Anthony at First Choice Lending — San Fernando branch. Ask the question you've been holding back. Let us run your real numbers.

We make it easy.

The single most common sentence we hear from Valley buyers:"I wish I'd called a year earlier."They weren't any more qual...
06/10/2026

The single most common sentence we hear from Valley buyers:

"I wish I'd called a year earlier."

They weren't any more qualified then. They just waited.

Waiting costs more than a slightly lower rate ever saves. San Fernando Valley prices keep climbing. The only real question is whether the payment fits your life today — not what rates might do next year.

One call. 30 minutes. Real math. That's all it takes to find out where you actually stand.

Call Anthony at First Choice Lending — San Fernando branch.

We make it easy.

Address

1027 N Maclay Avenue
San Fernando, CA
91340

Opening Hours

Monday 9am - 7:30pm
Tuesday 9am - 7:30pm
Wednesday 9am - 7:30pm
Thursday 9am - 7:30pm
Friday 9am - 7:30pm

Telephone

+18188376600

Website

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