Mortgages for the files that don’t fit the bank’s box.
Self-employed, just changed jobs, buying a condo the bank won't touch, or picking up a rental? I take your file to wholesale lenders and find the one whose rules actually fit, before you lose three weeks finding out the hard way.
What happens after your offer is accepted
A typical 30 day purchase. Every file is a little different, so treat these as rough ranges, not a promise.
- Day 1
Application
We go over your income, assets, and credit together before anything gets submitted.
- Days 1 to 3
Disclosures
You get your Loan Estimate within three business days.
- Days 3 to 7
Lender submission
I compare lenders, then send in a complete file.
- Days 5 to 15
Appraisal
Ordered early, since it is the thing most likely to push your closing date.
- Days 8 to 18
Underwriting
The lender will ask for a few more documents. That is normal, and quick answers keep things moving.
- Days 18 to 25
Clear to close
Final approval comes through and your Closing Disclosure goes out.
- Days 25 to 30
Sign and fund
You sign, the loan funds, and the county records it.
Why use a broker instead of your bank
Your bank has one set of loans and one set of rules. If you don't fit them, you get a no and you start over somewhere else.
I'm a licensed broker, so I don't lend my own money or make the approval decision. I work with wholesale lenders, compare what each one will do for your situation, and send your file to the one that fits. That matters most if you're self-employed, recently changed jobs, buying a non-warrantable condo, or financing an investment property.
The lender makes the final call. My job is knowing which lender is likely to say yes before you're deep into escrow.
Loans I can help with
- Conventional
- Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac loans, including high balance. Where most buyers with solid credit start.
- FHA
- Government insured. A good fit if your credit history is thin or you don't have much saved for a down payment.
- VA
- For eligible veterans, active duty service members, and surviving spouses. No monthly mortgage insurance.
- Jumbo
- For loan amounts above the conforming limit, which comes up a lot in the Santa Clarita Valley. Rules vary a lot from lender to lender.
- Bank statement
- For self-employed borrowers whose tax returns don't show what the business really brings in.
- DSCR
- Investment property financing qualified on the property's rental income rather than your personal income.
- Refinance
- Lower your rate, change your term, take cash out, or pay off debt. I'll tell you honestly if the numbers don't make sense.
- HELOC
- A line of credit on your home that lets you keep your current first mortgage and its rate.
You'll work with me the whole way
- Role Owner and only loan officer
- Experience 17 years inside mortgage companies
- Background Processing, closing, secondary markets, and the systems behind them
- Education BS Finance, Cal Poly Pomona. BS Computer Science, Oregon State
I'm Jeff Hughes. I've lived in the Santa Clarita Valley my whole life, and I spent 17 years working inside mortgage companies before opening my own.
Most of that time was on the side of a loan borrowers never see, and that's where most deals get into trouble: a lender question nobody answered for four days, an appraisal ordered late, a promise made before anyone checked the guidelines.
Hughes Mortgage is just me. You won't get handed off to a processor you've never met or stuck calling an 800 number. When you call, you get the person working on your loan.
Santa Clarita Valley, and the rest of California
I'm licensed statewide, but most of my work is here at home, where I know the neighborhoods, the HOAs, and the condo projects that trip up financing.
- Santa Clarita
- Valencia
- Saugus
- Newhall
- Canyon Country
- Stevenson Ranch
- Castaic
- Acton
- Agua Dulce
- Val Verde
Start with a quick call
Tell me what you're trying to buy and roughly where your income and credit stand. In about fifteen minutes we'll both know whether there's a loan here and what it would take.