My first time buying a home and Dave & his team knocked it out of the park. The immense value he offers with insights, advice, perspective, is second to none! Extremely thoughtful and patient. Since it was my first time buying a home I had questions, and LOTS of them. Dave and Stephanie took there time to put my mind at ease and answer all my questions in a prompt and professional manor. I wish i could give 10 stars! read more

This was my first time buying a home and so needless to say, I was nervous. Dave and his team were extremely helpful and were ALWAYS there when I had questions or needed answers. Dave also goes out of his way to break down all the numbers and takes the time to explain everything. Dave has great attention to detail and I would HIGHLY recommend Dave Brown! Thanks again Dave ! read more

We had the luxury of working with Dave Brown and Monica. We were recommended to Dave by John Corby at Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage (Check my review on Zillow). Dave met with us. Late. He had a power point ready to go to explain the process. It was Lending 101. From day one they were organized and transparent. They had to work fast since we had a 30-day escrow. Dave and Monica showed real leadership and great communication. There were no surprises and no games. They stepped up to the 30 day escrow demand of the seller. Dave even called the seller's realtor to inform her we were such strong borrowers. No doubt that was a benefit to our negotiation and the seller ultimately accepting our offer. Everything was organized. I shopped around and they had great pricing. A real office , not a virtual lender. Great experience and I highly recommend. We were pre-approved in a couple hours and officially approved in less than 10 days. We did our part and were very organized. I expected the same from Catalyst and they delivered! read more

Selling a home is stressful enough but add purchasing concurrently, there are no words to describe especially when you are not sure of your next location. We were that couple but a real estate friend of mine recommended Dave Brown very early in the process. I was a frantic maniac through most of the procedure but Dave was my rock. The ups and downs we experienced were nothing I would wish upon anyone. Dave wasn't just my mortgage broker, he stepped up and took care of many issues that he by not means should have had to have dealt with. He made lemonade out of lemons. Dave Brown is a man of his word and then some. Thank you Dave and Monica, you kept me afloat and we're doing great. read more

Great experience with Dave. Its been awhile since I last purchased a home and Dave was extremely knowledgeable in answering our questions with all the current changes. Dave would respond to emails immediately and kept us informed throughout each step of the process. Would very much recommend Dave to anyone purchasing a home. read more

Dave and his team were great to work with! Buying a house is no easy task. Doing it while planning a wedding took our already busy lives to another level, but it was a task that we were willing to take head on! They were easy to work with! Got us pre approved. Dave spent over an hour with us explaining our options and explaining what EVERYTHING is/means. Got documents to us that we needed to sign with no problems. Helped us stay within our timeline. And got us a great rate! We would definitely recommend them to anyone! Thank you First Class Lending for all you've done for us! read more

I am a first time homebuyer and the process can be intimidating. Finding the right lender is definitely one of the most important parts of the process. A friend who had just worked with Dave in buying her new house referred us to him. From day one, I was impressed. I called Dave to get a quick prequalification because we setting out to look at homes that day, it was a Saturday and he was out of the office but returned my call as he was on his way to a family wedding. We were able to get a prequalification and pre approval before the weekend was out and able to make an offer on the home we loved by Monday morning. Dave and his loan officer assistant Monica, went above and beyond to make the lending process easy to understand and navigate. Dave explained everything so clearly and truly helped us qualify for the most that we could. Dave and his team are really well organized. When I had a question along the way (which I did often), I was able to call, text or email my question and get a very timely response. Another unique touch that Dave offers is that once you are preapproved, he will even contact the sellers' agent to let them know you are in fact a desirable buyer. We believe that put us over the top when bidding on our home. Finding Dave Brown made our home buying experience so much easier than it could have been. Dave and Monica were always on the ball and usually a week ahead of schedule with all of our paperwork. Even our real estate agent was impressed! I definitely recommend Dave to anyone buying a home. read more

The Catalyst Lending team were highly recommended by our real estate team. We were impressed with the conversation we had with Dave initially and how organized his team was. The security and safeguard of our information was very important to the team and the systems were very easy to use and were very secure. In addition, their ability to remind us of document submission deadlines was spectacular and allowed us to stay within schedule in obtaining our loan. We were warned by some real estate experts that some lenders don't like to work with VA loans; we did not feel that at all with the Catalyst team; if anything, they made us feel welcome and happy to actually get a VA loan for our home. They even helped mitigate some of the cost of a real estate extension caused by a closing delay (delay that was not at all their responsibility). Selling and buying a home where there are multiple contingencies takes true real estate professionals who can guide you and keep you from making mistakes along the way and this is THE team to work with for your loan services. They are true professionals and we actually felt we got a great deal in the purchase of our home! read more

Working with Dave and his team has been really great. He went above and beyond, helping to get the best rate for us beating all other offers. We also refinanced through Dave and the process went very smoothly. Will continue working with Dave and refer him to all our friends. read more

I love working with Dave Brown! My transactions with him are seamless. He fights for my clients for the best rates and insures that my clients have received the best rates possible.He continually is wanting to help in any way with my business via marketing ideas, calling possible prospects, ensuring that he is there for me. Dave keeps it fun and always a learning experience with his "get togethers" at the greatest of places to learn new things to always help our business. Dave's team is wonderful to work with and have utilized Adam who is his marketing director who always takes extra time if I need it to help with a marketing piece or tool or even to help with things that need some extra attention. This is free!!! read more

I have successfully closed a few transactions with Dave Brown and his team at First Class Lending. From approval to funding a loan the whole process was a breeze. Dave and his team went above and beyond, working relentlessly including sometimes on their days off. Their deep industry knowledge, excellent communication skills and work ethics are to be admired. I am proud to have such a solid parter and highly recommend using Dave and his team for your financial needs! read more

I thought refinancing our home was going to be a nightmare. However, between Dave Brown and Monica Flores' assistance, we prevailed in completing the refinance process with little stress. Monica's kind understanding with the technical issues we encountered due to our inexperience with digital signing of documents made our experience positive. We felt supported and cared about as customers. Thank you to both Dave and Monica for shepherding us through the process. Not only did they provide outstanding professional assistance, but they also found a favorable rate for our loan. Karen Sharp read more

Great experience! They made the home buying process simple and easy. Would highly recommend!

I found myself in a predicament having found a home unexpectedly! I was not far enough into the proper loan qualification process and in danger of losing the home to a competing offer. A referral to Dave at First Class Lending made the difference! He worked on my app immediately and qualified me in less than a day! Thereafter I was guided thru the process and every question was thoroughly answered. My family and I owe First Class more than words can describe. Don't get caught in the dark...go to Dave / First Class before you start looking for your new home! read more

We had a great experience with Catalyst Lending. Dave Brown and his staff were the ultimate professionals. They made what often is a very stressful process easy and painless. They are very knowledgeable and experienced, so they could quickly answer our questions and resolve any issues that popped up unexpectedly. We were anxious to move into our new home, and they worked with us to get our loan approved and funded in a short time. We highly recommend Dave Brown and Catalyst Lending. read more

Dave was referred to us by our realtor. He conducted a thorough consultation and made sure we made the best decision in choosing the right mortgage strategy for our situation. He and his team were always responsive and helpful. We closed early and love our new home. I highly recommend The Dave Brown Team at Catalyst Lending. read more

Dave and his team provided professional and timely service. They went the extra mile and often responded after normal business hours. We appreciated the effort and results! read more

We've used Dave now a few times to purchase two homes and to refinance and him and his team are great. We recommend him regularly to friends and family - looking forward to working with him again. read more

We were moving from Seattle to SoCal in May 2015. We had lined up financing with another lender and everything was set for our house-hunting. When we finally found a house, we discovered it was not in the county we expected and the FHA loan we had set up would not work. The lender could not help us out. So now we had a house, but no loan. Fortunately our realtor hooked us up with Dave at Catalyst. He somehow managed to get us a non-FHA loan with a HELOC and the terms we wanted. We got a great deal and the home we wanted. Thanks Dave! read more

I was referred to First Class Lending by my Realtor and until that day I had no clue of what role a lender plays in the home buying process. I first met Dave and Monica a year prior to my buying my first home. This meeting was to go over where I currently stand and where I need to get in order to stick to my plan of buying my home a year from then. Dave did a great job of explaining me how credit works and what I can do raise it. It wasn't part of his job but he still gave me great suggestions which was great. Since we first met and until the day I bought my home Dave and Monica were always there to answer any questions I had along the way. Their responses were prompt and thorough. I believe that I have found a Lender that I'm going to stick with for life and when I buy my next home in Laguna Beach, Dave and Monica would be the team I am going to be working with. I had heard from my friends that home buying experience is worse than buying a car from a sales man but I am thankful that I ended up with First Class lending as my lender coz they have been truly amazing and make the whole Home buying experience a glide by. I highly recommend First Class lending! read more

Dave Brown at Catalyst Lending was great to work with while wading through the short sale purchase of my house. It took 1 1/2 years for the sale from bid to close, and Dave kept in touch with me throughout the process. He even got my chosen financial institution to manage the loan after the sale. I highly recommend Dave Brown at Catalyst Lending to anyone needing mortgage services. I plan to use their services again when I purchase my next house. read more

Working in the industry, there are many choices in choosing a preferred Lender to refer to my Clients. I can not say enough about Dave Brown and his Team at Catalyst Lending. Knowledgeable, professional, communicative and competitive rates are just a few of the words I hear from my Clients during their experience in financing their Home. I would highly recommend Catalyst Lending! read more

I can't say enough good things about Dave Brown and his team. I had been unemployed for over 2 and a half years and the job I was finally able to acquire paid half of my previous position. I was drowning in debt, struggling financially, and stressed out, as a result of it all. I did not think I would be able to qualify to refinance my home due to my lower income and larger debt. But, Dave was relentless and incredibly patient in helping find a solution that worked in order to successfully refinance my home with a cash out that allowed me to pay down almost all my debt. He looked for and offered me all possible options. He was not judgmental about my situation or how I got there. Instead, he was ever patient, took the time to answer all my questions, and worked hard to help me successfully refinance. I am incredibly appreciative to him and his team for all the time and effort they took with my refinance. I'm especially grateful to them for relieving a major source of stress and allowing me to sleep better! read more

I had a great experience with Dave Brown and his team at Catalyst Lending when purchasing my current residence. They were very personable, efficient and on top of the process the whole step of the way. And, that definitely helped make the financing process less stressful. The best home loan processing I have ever experienced. I highly recommend Catalyst Lending for your next purchase or refinance! read more

Catalyst was great in assisting us with our recent loan. They were great at assisting us through the entire process and ensuring that all our questions were answered. A very smooth experience and reasonable rates too. Great people on staff and would recommend if looking for a home loan. read more

Dave did a great job for my family! My escrow was complicated and could have been cancelled at several stages, but Dave's expertise allowed us to close. I would highly recommend Dave to other house hunters. read more

Working with a knowledgeable mortgage broker to obtain a loan is essential. And it is very comforting to be in the hands of one with the experience, tools and connections to identify the best options and timing. Dave Brown is certainly such a broker. He not only had a vast array of traditional mortgages from which to select, but also presented us with a totally unexpected loan program to consider for our situation. Exceptional service is the other element that makes a huge difference, especially when navigating the complexities of securing a home loan. Monica Flores who is Dave's Loan Officer Assistant, was always ready with time and answers, reminders, copies of documents and reassurances as she walked us through the process. We really felt cared for from beginning to end which relieved much stress. Thank you Dave and Monica. You are the best. Wally and Lynne read more

Dave and his team are fantastic. If you are looking for a mortgage, you won't go wrong with them. They helped me figure out how to get my ducks in a row to qualify for as much as possible, and once I had that worked out, they helped me through the loan process and were there to explain everything and offer guidance every step of the way. I had a number of questions and they always responded quickly and with all the information I needed to make good decisions. They also recognized that I was searching in a competitive real estate market, and they did everything they could to help me strengthen my offer and stay on top of the closing process. Everything was handled quickly, professionally, and pleasantly. I can't recommend them highly enough. read more

Dave Brown and the Catalyst Lending team exceeded our expectations by closing on two home transactions on-time. We have known Dave Brown for quite some time and we always admired his work ethic and transparency which is why we decided to work with him to sell our home and purchase a new one. Dave and his team at Catalyst Lending made the home transaction as seamless as possible. After a thorough discussion of the intricacies of our circumstances, Dave was able to present us a comprehensive report of our loan options and what the qualifying guidelines were. He was very knowledgeable of the industry and products available and was able to explain it down to laymen terms. He was also able to solve a few nuances with our applications which were critical to closing. We always had access to Dave and his team and had frequent correspondence with updates to our loan. Dave Brown and Catalyst Lending made our experience a comfortable and stress-free life event. I would absolutely recommend them to anyone looking for an elite home buying experience. I would absolutely recommend Dave Brown and Catalyst Lending to anyone looking for an elite home buying experience. read more