Stephen went above and beyond during mine and my boyfriend's first home purchase. He was super…read morecommunicative and even connected directly with my agent to ensure everything went smoothly. We recently had the opportunity to refinance and without hesitation, Stephen reached out directly to us as soon as he noticed rates were coming down. We did not need to chase him for it nor constantly inquire about it--he just felt like it was the right time and reached out! I'm very grateful for Stephen and his team and will definitely be referring him to our friends and family.

Based on his numerous good reviews, I messaged Stephen early last August about the possibility of…read moregetting a United Wholesale Mortgage (UWM) 15-year fixed home loan at 1.99%. This was a new program announced by press release, which I read about in a Yahoo! Finance article, through a link on Google News. Having worked previously in real estate and finance, I knew what the key points were to our situation, so I included those in the message to Stephen, asking whether he would be able to do the loan. Stephen responded abruptly by saying that he would have to talk with me by phone, to discuss "details." After I called him, he proceeded to try to browbeat me into accepting a different program at a higher interest rate. His approach was to use old-fashioned psychological pressure tactics, along the lines of: "Are you so naïve that you think you could actually get such a loan? That rate is just a teaser that you would never actually get." He was crude, demeaning and even insulting. I informed him, politely, that I had a background in real estate and finance, so I was not naïve about these things, offering him one last chance to do business with us, if he was so inclined. But he insisted that the loan would not be possible for us, so I thanked him and said goodbye. Shortly thereafter, I found a straightforward loan broker who in fact did the loan for us, on exactly the terms I had in mind: 1.99% 15-year fixed, with a reasonable fee. We closed in less than three weeks and none of the things that Stephen said were obstacles turned out to be an issue. I am pleased to report that my wife and I are now enjoying substantially lower monthly payments. BOTTOM LINE: If you want someone with an "old-school" approach to sales--involving psychological games, pressure tactics and absence of transparency (resulting in your not getting the best deal that you could)--Stephen Wong may be a good fit for you. Anyone interested in connecting with the straightforward broker we ultimately used is welcome to send me a private message, as I'm not allowed to include that information in my review.

We sold our Mountain View townhome with Rainmaker Real Estate. Their in-depth knowledge of the…read moreMountain View, Los Altos, and adjacent towns was key in our selection of Rainmaker. Another factor in selecting Rainmaker was Yao Li's diligent preparation and planning of the pre-sale process. She is awesome! Leading up to the on-market listing, Alex was super clear and explicit on what will happen and how to prepare. He also provided thoughtful advice on what listing price to select in order to attract the most buyers. We were able to go on-market, do showings, send out disclosures, and request offers in no time. Alex's support extended to a great conversation on the pros/cons of each offer, which led us to being under contract very quickly. In the end, Rainmaker Real Estate was awesome to work with. Alex and Yao provided a great product with *ZERO* drama, which is what we wanted. We will use them again, if we are in the market to purchase something in the MTV/Los Altos area.

I purchased my current home with Rainmaker about a decade ago! Alex paired me with the right…read moreperson on his team to work with. I always felt I could go to either of them with questions and concerns. Through the years, we've stayed loosely in touch. Recently I asked Alex his thoughts on a second property, sharing my concerns and parameters. He had/has really good ideas, has experience with handling different situations, and I didn't/don't feel at all pressured to purchase. When it comes, hoping the second time goes just as well!

First home buyer here! Jay has been absolutely helpful in our journey in home ownership, not just…read morethe securing mortgage part. He was my go to person for all things financial related to home ownership and he knew i could count on his honest advice. He always delivered the honest feedback regardless whether or not we'll end up with his services or not. He also did fair price and rates comparison with other providers and was always available to answer any questions or take those lengthy calls if needed. But not just that, he also offered the best rates in the town which always helps financially. 10/10 from us. I'd highly recommend working with him and his team!

Great job with our initial loan and refinances. Clear, proactive, professional, and helped educate…read moreus along the way.

Allen was essential to the wonderfully successful sale of our home, and was vital to helping us…read morenavigate the process while mitigating the attendant stressors. Allen and Toby made this process enjoyable! Crazy as that may sound.... Amy and I are very grateful to them.

Allen was extremely helpful in guiding us through the rather quick process of finding our home! I'm…read moresure he would have been extremely patient, had we not found what we were looking for. But we did, and that is surely thanks to his help and expertise! We couldn't be happier.

We moved to the peninsula less than a year ago and started renting with the plan to buy a house in…read morethe coming year or two. When we interviewed realtors we were drawn to Raziel because it felt like every question we had was answered and backed up by data-driven analyses. We were also really intrigued by his unconventional process that is extremely involved in the beginning. Coming from out of state we learned so much about the area and what kinds of properties we could expect for our budget in each neighborhood we were interested in. This allowed us to really hone in our search and made the process less stressful because at that point we knew exactly what we wanted and were prepared for the right house to come along. During this time Raziel also guided us through the process of understanding buying a turn-key property vs. something that would need renovations. When we found our ideal property, we were a little anxious because it was an off-market Hillsborough house. But Raziel was quick to move and get us a showing and guide us to make the right offer for the property. It was complicated, as some off-market listings can be, but it was Raziel's strong relationship with the listing agent that helped our offer prevail. We have to say that every time we saw a house and the listing agent heard we were working with Raziel they had a genuinely warm reaction that made it obvious he is well-liked and respected in his field. Also, Raziel knew our plan was to buy in the 1-2 year range and we never felt pressure to move that timeline up. Instead, for every house we considered putting an offer on, Raziel gave us a thorough discussion of all the reasons why someone would not want to buy the house, and that helped us really decide if it was the right property for us. It always felt like he truly wanted to find us the right house for our family, not just make a business transaction. We feel so grateful that we worked with Raziel and his team to find our ideal property (thank you Jenny and Angilee!).

Raziel and his team (Jenny, Angilee, Emily) are exceptional! With their support, we bought our home…read moresooner than we expected, and the entire process was incredibly smooth: our very first offer was accepted. In the Peninsula's competitive market, we couldn't believe it! As first time home buyers, we were looking for someone deeply knowledgeable who could guide us through the entire process: from understanding local neighborhoods and why buyers might choose one over the other, narrowing down our criteria along with what's realistic in our budget, doing diligence when the right house pops up, and navigating the offer process. We didn't know what we didn't know, and we really wanted an expert. Raziel was exactly who we were looking for! He has a very well-structured process that we loved - touring neighborhoods, looking at past sold homes together, and moving quickly when the right house pops up. I really enjoyed learning as much as I could from Raziel, as he has so much local knowledge that I would never have learned otherwise. For the home we ultimately purchased, he suggested bringing an engineer on-site to take a look at the house before we submitted our offer. He also flagged an unusual item in the seller's disclosure packet that he hadn't seen before and recommended reviewing it with a real estate attorney. We followed both suggestions. Everything checked out, and because of that diligence, we felt confident submitting our offer. We would not have taken those extra steps without his guidance. Raziel truly de-risked the process as much as possible. By offer day, we felt informed and prepared. We love our home and are incredibly grateful for Raziel and his team. We can't recommend them highly enough!

Julie and her team were amazing partners in helping us purchase our first home. She was able to…read moreget us an amazing interest rate, provide excellent service AND close within 22 days. From the first call we were drawn to Julie by her attention to detail, focus, efficiency, and industry expertise. She was supportive every step of the way, and made sure to email and call to make sure we fully understood and were on the same page about everything from the documentation needed for our pre-approval, to our numerous offers, choosing the right loan, and finally the closing. When it came to choosing and finalizing the loan, Julie and her team really stepped up. She called me within an hour of closing to talk through the loan options available, and recommended that we pull the trigger immediately to lock in the best rates with the best chance of closing on time. From there we moved at a quick pace and her team was helpful and responsive in guiding us through the home loan disclosure and final home loan process. When we had questions about the logistics or numbers or process she and her team were always there to help us out. We had a contractual need to close within 25 days, and we were able to beat it by nearly half a week. I would highly recommend Julie Malta for all of your mortgage needs!

Guarantee Mortgage has been around for many years. They have a basic easy to comprehend website. It…read morelets you know in northern california their offices are spread out and discusses the type of programs available to potential clients. They are a good lender to work with. I have worked with them in the past and found them to be a useful tool.

Jeff is one of the best loan agents that I have ever done business with. He was able to get me a…read morerefinance for my multiple rental properties and deliver as promised whereas other loan agents have failed. He saved my failing refinance from my previous loan agent and we were also able to use the previous appraisals that were done at the properties, thank goodness. Jeff is not only patient and explains every question you may have in detail but responds very timely and has a great team behind him, especially Alexis. The entire process was very streamlined and I was kept in the loop with no surprises all the way from the start to closing. No words can describe my appreciation for Jeff, and I will definitely be back for more refinances or any other loan needs. I highly recommend giving Jeff a message if you have any loan needs, he won't disappoint you!

Jeff and his team are amazing . Doing a refinance can be stressful but they are open , honest ,…read morewith good humor and efficient which made our refi experience easier to handle and smooth . I highly recommend HPI Financial .

Twice they told me they reversed the unauthorized charges for depositing money in my account. Twice…read morethey lied. Hidden fees everywhere! Phone service sucks. I closed the account. Good Riddens Bank of Nobody!

George and the team at this BofA branch provide top-notch service. Whether I am opening a new…read moreaccount, depositing a check, making a withdrawal, or accessing my safety deposit box - the employees here have consistently provided helpful, efficient, and courteous service. Also, this branch is conveniently located with plenty of customer parking.

We used American Coast because we wanted to do business with a community-based business. Although…read morewe did wind up with a good mortgage, our experience with American Coast completely sapped any enjoyment out of the process of buying our first home. Were it not for a VERY patient seller, the consistent delays and inconsistent business hours would have cost us the house as we were more than a month out of contract when the loan finally closed. Our list of issues is too significant to list here but we are drafting a formal letter of complaint and urge prospective clients to look elsewhere. We are dismayed by the level of service we received for $6,000+ and equally dismayed that our broker never attempted to make the situation right even after knowing of our dissatisfaction.

From the owner: Paul Sanfilipo, Mortgage Financing Analyst conventional & Reverse Mortgages (property Management)…read moreServing the Bay Area Since 1982. Call or email for Appointment. NMLS #358863/DRE #00368711 Where here to help call or email americancoast@msn.com American Coast Mortgage.

We have worked with Michael on the purchase of two homes and a refinance. Michael and his team are…read moreincredibly knowledgeable, responsive and completely on top of their game. Special shout out to Rebekah who is extremely detail oriented and made sure we got all of our paperwork in correct and on time. Michael clearly loves his job and interacting with homebuyers. We recently bought our dream home and Michael and his team made it happen.

This review is overdue! My husband and I closed on our first home with Michael Haig and his team at…read morethe end of last year. As a realtor, I've worked alongside many mortgage brokers and lenders with my clients. When it came time to purchase my own home, I felt 100% confident in choosing Michael and his team. Michael and Rebekah are extremely knowledgeable (like only veterans in the industry can be), they're efficient, and think outside the box to get their customers the best rate/loan for their individual situation. They were super responsive by email/text/phone and clearly laid out what needed to be done to close on time. We even closed earlier than expected which is rare! I would work with Michael again without hesitation and continue to refer my clients to him and his team.