American Pacific Mortgage

American Pacific Mortgage 🏡 Every buyer. Every price point. Fin. Act | EHO American Pacific Mortgage is a direct lender. Licensed by the Financial Protection and Innovation under the CRMLA.

Every loan type.
📍 Ventura, CA | CA, WA, NV, TN, AZ, OR
⚖️ Licensed by the DFPI under the CRMLA
🆔 Greg Abrams NMLS 225908 | Branch 779500 | APM 1850
🛡️ Licensed under the OR Cons. As a mortgage bank we can provide competitive rates to the retail consumer. We also have the capabilities to broker, offering the widest of array of programs available in this ever changing market. We are proud of our ma

ny accomplishments and are looking forward to assisting in your home financing solutions. Licensed under the Oregon Consumer Finance Act. Licensed in CA, OR, WA

09/04/2026

Are you self-employed and house hunting? This mistake could cost you the deal 👇

🏠 Finding the home before getting pre-approved
Self-employed buyers tend to find the home first and figure out financing after. It feels efficient, but it's actually working backwards.

🤝 The trust problem it creates
If your agent never confirmed your pre-approval, or you gave them a number based on what you think you make, they're building expectations on a guess. When the real numbers come back different, that trust is hard to rebuild mid-transaction.

📋 The fix is simple
Get pre-approved first, especially if you're self-employed. It protects your timeline, your agent relationship, and your negotiating position.

This is a clip from my full conversation with Eric Olson, non-QM specialist at Angel Oak, on the "G" Money Real Talk podcast. Full episode is up now if you want to hear the whole conversation on non-QM lending.

Self-employed and thinking about buying? Send me a message, let's get you pre-approved the right way before you fall in love with a home.

08/31/2026

Most people focus on getting approved. The mistakes that actually cost you happen in who you choose to work with.

🔍 Not doing your research
Every lender and loan officer is licensed through the National Mortgage Licensing System. You can look up their employment history and any disciplinary action online before you ever apply.

💰 Shopping purely on rate
Rate and fees go hand in hand. A lower rate can come with higher fees, and a quote from a few days ago isn't today's market.

🏦 Shopping at a box bank
A lender who does checking, savings, CDs, and mortgages is a jack of all trades, not necessarily a mortgage expert.

❓ Not asking enough questions
Who's your main point of contact? Who's the actual decision maker? What hours are they available?

📞 Not asking for references
Talk to past clients and realtors, including ones where things didn't go perfectly. Ask why, and ask if they'd use that lender again.

The lender you choose matters just as much as the loan you get.

Send me a message if you have questions about finding the right lender for your situation.

08/19/2026

What is your debt-to-income ratio? Here's how lenders actually calculate it 👇

DTI is the math equation that determines how much you qualify for. It's not guesswork, it's a simple formula.

There are actually two ratios lenders look at:

📐 Top ratio: your proposed housing payment (mortgage, insurance, taxes) divided by your gross income
📊 Bottom ratio: that same housing payment PLUS your minimum monthly debts (car payment, student loans, credit cards), divided by your gross income

Most lenders qualify you off the bottom ratio.

🏠 Take your proposed house payment
💳 Add your minimum monthly debts
➗ Divide that total by your gross monthly income
📈 That percentage is your DTI

Most loan programs like to see 43-50%, sometimes higher depending on the program. And if your DTI comes in at 50%, that doesn't mean you're maxed out, it means the remaining 50% is what covers things like cell phones, utilities, groceries, and gas. Lenders build that room in on purpose.

The lower your DTI, the more buying power you typically have.

Send me a message if you want to find out your DTI and what you qualify for.

08/17/2026

5 mistakes first time real estate investors make. Don't let it be you 👇

Most people focus on finding the right investment property. The mistakes that actually hurt you happen before and after the purchase.

🏘️ Buying on emotion instead of letting the numbers speak
⏱️ Underestimating preparation costs and how long it takes to get rental ready
💸 Underestimating carrying costs like vacancy, maintenance, and property management
📋 Not treating it like a business and preparing a plan
🧾 Getting carried away with tax write-offs and creating a sinking ship on your qualifying income

That last one is the one nobody talks about. You qualify for the first investment property, but those same write-offs can make it nearly impossible to qualify for the next one.

Send me a message if you have questions about financing your first investment property.

08/11/2026

Most buyers don't find out about these until it's too late 👇

Here are the scenarios that can affect your approval or closing and how serious each one actually is.

🔴 These can kill your deal:

Unexplained cash deposits. If a large amount of money shows up in your account and you can't document where it came from, your file stops until it's resolved. The bank of under the mattress is not acceptable in the mortgage world.

Opening new credit. A new inquiry can drop your credit score and change your debt to income ratio overnight. Do not open anything during the process unless your lender tells you to.

Non-warrantable condos. It's not just about you. Your lender vets the entire HOA including finances, insurance, and reserves. One weak link and the deal can fall apart before you even knew there was a problem.

Insurance in California. Fewer companies are insuring in the state right now. Worst case you end up on the California Fair Plan which only covers fire, meaning you also need a separate DIC policy. Two policies, added cost, added time, and it all has to be sorted before you can close.

🟡 Serious but workable if you catch it early:

Changing jobs before closing. Lenders do a final verbal employment verification within 10 days of closing. A job change at the wrong moment sends your file back to underwriting. Communicate with your lender before anything changes.

Missing or inconsistent documents. When your lender asks for something it needs to be provided quickly. Delays don't just slow things down, they can hold up your closing entirely. Work with your lender and it almost always gets resolved.

📩 With over 20 years in the mortgage industry, I've seen all of these play out firsthand. Send me a message if you have questions about your specific situation.

FAQ Friday 💬Will paying off your credit cards before applying for a mortgage actually help? Often, yes. Lowering your re...
08/08/2026

FAQ Friday 💬

Will paying off your credit cards before applying for a mortgage actually help? Often, yes. Lowering your revolving debt can improve your debt-to-income ratio and strengthen your credit profile, which may help you qualify for better loan terms.

That said, it's worth keeping a balance in mind. Paying down debt matters, but so does making sure you still have enough saved for your down payment and closing costs when the time comes.

Have questions about your specific situation? Send me a message, I'm happy to help you think it through.

08/06/2026

Five things that can quietly wreck your pre-approval, and most people don't realize it until it's too late.

Lenders keep watching your credit and finances all the way through closing, so a few common moves can cause real problems if they happen at the wrong time.

1️⃣ Opening new credit
Even a quick "just checking" inquiry can shift your credit profile enough to affect your approval.

2️⃣ Quitting your job or changing careers
Doesn't always kill the deal, but your lender needs to know the moment it's a possibility. Surprises are the real risk, not the change itself.

3️⃣ Making large deposits, especially cash
Lenders are required to source large or unusual deposits. If something doesn't add up, it can trigger a SARS report, and in some cases the deposit can't be used at all.

4️⃣ Cosigning for someone else's loan
You're already mid-process on your own file. Adding someone else's liability complicates your numbers.

5️⃣ Big purchases on credit
Financing new furniture before closing can shift your debt-to-income ratio right when it matters most. Easy fix: put it on layaway and buy it after closing.

The theme across all five? Talk to your lender before you make the move, not after.

📩 Have a specific situation? Send me a message and let's talk it through.

Gen Z is buying differently.LendingTree studied 130,000+ mortgage inquiries across the 50 largest U.S. metros, and the d...
07/30/2026

Gen Z is buying differently.

LendingTree studied 130,000+ mortgage inquiries across the 50 largest U.S. metros, and the down payment gap between generations is bigger than most people realize.

📊 Gen Z: 10% down, $41,250 median
📊 Millennials: 15% down, $65,000 median
📊 Gen X: 20% down, $56,250 median
📊 Boomers: 20% down, $65,000 median

Worth noting, bar height above reflects the percentage down, not the dollar amount, since home prices vary a lot by region. That's why Millennials' dollar figure is actually higher than Gen X's even though their percentage is lower.

A generation ago, a down payment was a straightforward savings milestone. Today, nearly 80% of Gen Z buyers need some kind of help from family just to get there.

So where's the rest of the gap closing? A few different places: down payment assistance programs, gifted funds from family, or simply longer timelines to save before buying. There's more than one path into homeownership right now, most people just don't know all of them exist.

With over 25 years of experience, I've helped buyers at every stage figure out what a realistic down payment actually looks like for their specific situation.

Curious what that could look like for you? Send me a message, happy to walk through it.

07/28/2026

If you're buying or selling a condo right now, August 3rd is a date worth knowing 👇

Here's the thing most people don't realize. It's not just your unit at stake when you finance a condo. Lenders are essentially evaluating the entire building and the HOA behind it. If the HOA isn't financially healthy, your loan can fall apart even if your credit is perfect and your down payment is solid.

That's always been true, but starting August 3rd the bar gets significantly higher.

The simplified review process that allowed a lot of condo deals to close quickly is gone. Every applicable project now goes through a full financial review. And HOAs that have been underfunded for years are suddenly under a microscope.

What this means practically:

🏢 Deals that would have closed easily six months ago may hit delays
📋 Sellers may need to disclose HOA financials earlier in the process
💰 Buyers should ask about HOA reserve levels before falling in love with a unit
⚠️ Some condos may temporarily lose warrantable status until their HOA gets compliant

This isn't the end of condo ownership. Long term these rules make HOAs stronger and protect buyers. But the short term transition is going to catch some people off guard.

We've been through a lot of these changes over 20 years. Send us a message if you want to talk through how this affects your specific situation.

You're paying a mortgage every single month. The only question is: is it yours, or your landlord's? 🏡Here's what's actua...
07/27/2026

You're paying a mortgage every single month. The only question is: is it yours, or your landlord's? 🏡

Here's what's actually happening with that payment:

🏠 Every mortgage payment splits into two pieces, interest and principal. (Talking specifically about that portion here, taxes and insurance are their own thing.)

💵 Interest is the cost of doing business. Principal is the money you're actually paying back to yourself.

🚫 Rent has zero principal built into it. Every single dollar leaves your bank account forever.

📈 Early on in a loan, most of your payment goes toward interest. But every year you hold the loan, that ratio flips in your favor.

🔑 By the end, you don't just have a roof, you have equity in a home you own outright.

Homeowners, did you know this before you bought? Renters, does this change anything? Drop a comment below 👇

📩 Want to see how much of your current payment could be building equity right now? Send me a message and let's look at your actual numbers.

Address

481 N Ventura Avenue
Ventura, CA
93001

Opening Hours

Monday 9am - 5pm
Tuesday 9am - 5pm
Wednesday 9am - 5pm
Thursday 9am - 5pm
Friday 9am - 5pm

Telephone

+18056678465

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