Wrote an email to ask for help procuring a small commercial loan. I got no response after weeks. I also called. It went to voicemail. But you have to choose which of their agents to leave a message for -- but I don't know who does what. There was no general inbox. Very frustrating. read more

Karlo Agustin is a friend of mine. So naturally, when my parents were in need of a new loan, I sent them over to him. Making the introduction was pretty much the extent of my involvement, but right away, my folks were comfortable moving forward with the refinance. I think you should know how easy Karlo is to work with. He's very knowledgeable and knows how to deliver. I'm by no means an expert, but from what I am told, the process went smoothly and Karlo was able to lower the mortgage by about $200 per month! No complaints whatsoever. Thanks again to Karlo and the guys at KL Capital!! read more

I was referred to Karlo and KL Capital by a friend of mine who had been looking to purchase a house not too long ago. She had told me about the low rate she had received and how responsive Karlo had been throughout the entire process. And so when it came time for me to refinance my loan, I had to give him a call. Karlo was a pleasure to work with. I had never done this before, but he was extremely patient and very professional, and was always there to answer my calls / questions. From beginning to end, he walked me through the entire process and made sure I was aware of everything that I needed to do at the appropriate time so that we could avoid delays / additional bank fees. In the end, I could not be happier w/ Karlo Agustin and his team for the service they provided me. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED! read more

I've been working with Karlo Agustin on a condo purchase in Emeryville. Being my first home purchase, I naturally was clueless with a ton of questions. Karlo has been a godsend. He's informative, communicates everything clearly and simply, and is constantly answering my questions and concerns at any hour any day. He got me a great interest rate, made the loan process easy to understand, and got me to closing very quickly and painlessly. I would HIGHLY recommend Karlo to any home buyer, and if everyone else at KL is like Karlo - then I highly recommend KL to everyone. read more

Interested in a new development out in San Francisco and had only 3 days to get a pre-approval letter and Casey Mondragon from KL Capital Partners really came through for me. I sent him all the documents, he needed some more and called me to notify me and once we got it all squared away, I came away with a Pre-Approval letter quickly and smoothly! Can't want to return to them for lending once that next step happens, they are beyond professional and their documents, etc. all show some flair. Even their website looks downright Mad Men-esque in mid-century design aesthetics. Clean and cut like their business tactics. Really appreciate Casey's thoroughness and expeditious nature. Really a great company overall from what I have experience and I will have to update on their actual mortgage lending once I get to that aspect of the process... but one step at a time! read more

I was recently in the market for a new house, and was referred to Karlo Agustin by my real estate agent. With what's been going w/ housing prices and with the low interest rates I keep hearing about, I figured the timing couldn't be any better! Very exciting times. Still, the process can be intimidating, especially when it comes to dealing with the banks. Karlo and the guys at KL Capital came highly recommended. He was billed as a guy who can get my loan done smoothly and without any hassle. Talk is talk ... but as it turns out, it was absolutely true! From the very beginning, Karlo was very up front and honest about everything (the fees, the rate, the timing, etc). Once I was in contract, we were given 30 days to close. And with a lot of guidance from Karlo and his team, I was able to get them everything they needed, to get my loan approved. All in all, it took us 26 days to close the loan. And the best part about it... 3.875% on a 30 year fixed! Just like all the rest, I am extremely happy about my decision to work with Karlo. And whenever I need a new loan going forward, I know exactly who to call. read more

I recently brought a condo in Emeryville and KL Capital Partners was one of the recommended financing avenues. It was indeed a good recommendation by seller. My whole experience turned out to be very positive and painless. This 5 stars review goes to Casey Mondragon at KL Capital and his team, of course. He is patient, reliable, responsive and through. More importantly he summarizes and highlights the bullet point, thereby saving you from information overload. I'd highly recommend Casey and KL Capital Partners for your financing needs. read more

I put off refinancing because of a quirk in my original loan. I was convinced that this "quirk" would keep me from getting a rate low enough to make the whole process worthwhile. But I observed Yilam Kang's work with my neighbor (I'm HOA treasurer so I have to deal with lots of mortgage brokers--they are not all created equal) and was impressed with his professionalism and efficacy. It seemed that if anyone could find that elusive worth-the-trouble rate for me, he could. And I wasn't disappointed. Yilam somehow managed to find the one company wiling to save me $1200/month on my mortgage (yes, it's embarrassing that I waited this long). He worked magic clearing up the "quirk" to everyone's satisfaction, and talked me down off the ceiling several times when the inevitable annoying requests came trickling through from the bank, one after another after another. He'll tell it to you straight and get you closed as fast as humanly possible. What more could you ask? read more

My wife and I worked with Casey Mondragon at KL Capital Partners while buying our first home. As most first home purchases are, it was a very new process to us but Casey was there every step of the way to walk us through the process. He and his team at KL Capital were extremely professional, punctual, and knowledgeable. I can't imagine doing it without them. We closed on our house very quickly and got a fantastic interest rate. When interest rates continued to drop after we bought our home we went to Casey for help with our refinance. We got an incredible rate with no points and no closing costs. Again this process went very smoothly, and I believe this was due to Casey's attention to detail from start to finish. Casey's level of personal service was amazing as he always made himself available to answer our questions even after business hours and on the weekends. read more

After our offer was accepted on our current house, I was so excited but also knew I needed to start the loan process ASAP. I contacted 3 brokers and Kl Capital's rates were the best and they got back to me the fastest which is key when you are in escrow and every day counts. James was so professional and kept me in the loop once or twice a day and explained everything thoroughly. I was new to this and I felt so comfortable him and the whole process. At the end of the day, everything went smoothly and I got an awesome rate too! He was honest and the rate he quoted I really got not like some other horror stories I hear with other brokers where they bait and switch! I've also referred many my friends who all still thank me till this day. Thanks so much! I'll definitely be contacting James again if I refi (not that I need to since my rate is super low) or buy a new house. read more

My husband and I decided it was time to grow up and buy our first home. We knew that we had to get a loan somewhere, just didn't know where. I had heard from a friend that PLA was pretty awesome. Alright, let's see what they can deliver. Not only did Andre and his team deliver, they delivered in record time. For every offer we put in, Andre was kind enough to write pre approval letter after pre approval letter. And we would never have to wait longer than a few hours for it. A lot can happen in a few hours when it comes to real estate. We always knew we had 30 days to close escrow, but as soon as Andre knew that we had picked our house, he had us jump right into the paperwork. He wanted us to be ready when our damn short sale was approved. I'm so glad he was so proactive, because once that approval came through we submitted all our loan paperwork that same day. Our real estate agent complimented PLA multiple times, saying that they were super knowledgeable and organized. All emails were answered promptly, phone calls were returned in less than 24 hours, everything was done super efficiently. Even when I had non loan related questions, Andre and his team offered really good advice. When all was said in done, PLA worked to get my closing costs down to a manageable amount, they suggested sound advice that helped me and my husband save some money. They didn't upsell me on anything or hide any kind of fees. And can you believe we closed before 30 days? That's right, PLA worked fast and got us done 6 days before the actual date. With that said friends, if you're in the market for a home, check out PLA, they'll really work their butts off to get you that awesome rate and make everything as painless as possible. read more

After searching the market for over a year, I finally found the perfect place I was looking for. I was told by the realtors that the tenants were eager to move out and wanted all the paper work done faster than normal. A friend of mine had an effortless time getting a loan through PLA Mortgage, so I went with them as well. I sat down with Yilam, James and Andre and told them about the short timeline on satisfying all the contingency removals. They said not a problem. Not only did they satisfy every one of the contingencies ahead of schedule, they got me an awesome rate! PLA Mortgage treated me like I was their VIP customer, promptly answering any sort of questions I asked, following up with documents they needed to expedite the process. Without PLA Mortgage I wouldn't have the kick ass house I'm living in today! I recommend them to anyone that is looking to buy. True professionals! read more

My wife and I were going through the daunting process of buying our first home last year. Being that I'm in the finance field myself, I naturally took on the responsibility of researching our mortgage options. I ran across very positive reviews of Karlo on Yelp and decided to give him a try along with a few others I had selected through Yelp and by recommendation of my Realtors and friends/family. Right off, Karlo was easy to work with and seemed very knowledgeable about the process/industry. However, many of his positive qualities were consistent across all of the other Brokers/Banks I'd contacted so I needed a criteria to decide who to go with. Obviously, Bay Area homes are expensive so interest rate and fees were a dominating factor in my decision and KL had a compelling offer. Thus, I chose them and one other broker who my Realtors suggested. As we worked through the process of deciding on our house, it became apparent that an aggressively short escrow period would be a strategy we would employ in our offer to get a better price on the house we had targeted. Karlo and the other broker both reluctantly agreed to a 20 day escrow deadline so I kept them both in the running. During escrow, we had to meet a few deadlines that required deliverables from our lender. Karlo was always on time and organized and the other guy just wasn't. In the end, Karlo and his team won the business by meeting agreed to commitments and delivering on their promises. To me, finding someone who will do what they say they are going to do is so rare that it is incredibly refreshing when it actually comes to pass. Although mortgages seem like commodities, don't be fooled, the service that your broker is/isn't providing during the intensely stressful process of buying a home makes all of the difference. If you are currently in the market, be responsible and shop around. This is an important decision and it requires much diligence. However, if you are struggling to make a decision or are currently with a broker/bank who is not meeting your expectations, give Karlo a call. In the end, my wife and I got the house of our dreams and because of the amazing effort by our Realtors, title company, and of course, Karlo, we were able to meet all of our deadlines and get the keys to our new home on the day of our first anniversary. read more

If you are looking for a loan, I highly recommend working with Karlo Agustin. Karlo has been assisting us for several years and he has always been very helpful in making sure that all of our needs were met. We recently purchased a home and we were so lucky that Karlo was our broker. Not only did Karlo lock in an amazing rate, he was able to ensure that all of our loan fees were covered by the lender, plus we still had extra money to cover some of our closing costs. He also worked tirelessly to give us a 22 day close. One of Karlo's best qualities is his ability to clearly and patiently explain the loan process. Buying a home and then finding and applying for a loan seemed like a challenging and confusing task. Luckily, Karlo made sure we understood every facet of the loan process. I had a ton of questions and Karlo was so helpful in making sure I understood everything! Another reason Karlo was great to work with was that it was also very easy to communicate with him. He was almost always available to get in contact with, whether it be by phone or e-mail. During the entire home buying process, Karlo was always available to write us a new preapproval letter. We put in several offers and Karlo was always quick to provide us with the necessary paperwork. This was extremely important to me because with offer deadlines and a competitive housing market, it was always necessary to turn in our paperwork quickly. Karlo always had a quick turnaround which made me feel like we were always a priority to him. Prior to purchasing our current home, we also turned to Karlo to help us do some "number crunching" to see if we could even afford to buy a second home. Even though we weren't sure to purchase at this time, Karlo still provided us with information quickly and never once pressured us to lock anything in or sign a contract with him before he assisted us. If you are looking to finance a home, ask for Karlo Agustin at KL Capital Partners. He is a professional who is genuine and is one that truly shows that he cares about his clients needs. Thank you Karlo for helping us get into our dream home! read more

PLA was refer to me from a bank that I trying to refinance with. They recommended that I contact Yilam and that PLA Mortgage would be able to get me a better rate. I contact Yilam about refinance my house and true enough, he was able to get me a lower rate. My refinancing took longer than expected but that was not PLA fault as my previous bank wanted extra information before moving forward. Yilam and his team spent weeks speaking with my previous bank and finally was about to resolved the problem. He also always kept m up to date with the progress. read more

I worked with Casey from KL Capital Partners on the financing of my first home purchase. As an active duty military member I wanted to take advantage of my VA loan benefit. My realtor initially told me that all VA loans take 45 days to close but Casey assured me that we would close in 30 days. From start to finish my loan funded in 27 days. His knowledge of government and VA loans was top notch and his confidence throughout the process put me at ease. I appreciated the fact that before I even went into contract, Casey explained to me the timeline of events and what to expect. More importantly he was very clear on the documentation and legwork that would be required on my end to assist in funding the loan ASAP. Once I gave him the paperwork that he needed I was able to be hands off while Casey and his team worked closely with the lender and my realtor. read more

I recently purchased a house with the help of Karlo Agustin. His service was above and beyond. He answered all my questions and responded on a timely manner. Being a very anxious person, I look for answers right away and he delivered. Thank you for the great service! The best loan officer I have worked with. I highly recommend him! Thank you Karlo! read more

These guys offered very good rates. I really liked working with Casey.

James L- My home is completely permitted and the city itself has once again appraised its value at $773k. Funny it has never appraised that way including on initial purchase when b of a gave me a $725k loan for it. read more

I worked with Yilam of KL Capital Partners for my eight-month home-buying odyssey in San Francisco. He was professional, patient, and ensured I had the financing to buy my first home in the City. If you're looking for a broker, I highly recommend him. There are two qualities in particular that I'd like to highlight. First, throughout the process, he knew that I was also working with other brokers. Despite this, he continued to treat me as if I was his most important client. It's hard to imagine that he did so much work for me - from writing approval letters to answering my questions - knowing that I may choose a different broker. But he did just that - he still put me first. Second, he was patient beyond belief. I called him in the evenings, on weekends, even a day or two before his wedding. He was always available, responsive, and patient. He explained complicated processes to me and acted as if he had all the time in the world, as if my small transaction was his most important. That level of service is hard to come by. If you're looking to buy a home in the competitive SF market, Yilam is a great broker, and I highly recommend him. read more

I recently received a home loan through Casey Mondragon. He was extremely professional and was willing to work hard to resolve all the issues that popped up regarding my loan approval. He worked late into the evenings, even on a weekend, to make sure that I was able to meet my strict timeline. He is able to quickly process my situation and is able to keep everything I told him organized. In addition to going above and beyond, he was willing to patiently explain my options to me and ensured that I understood the consequences and outcomes of the decisions I was making. I am sincerely thankful to Casey, and I would not hesitate to contact him again. read more

Yilam and his team helped us with our first mortgage. They were patient, responsive, and truly a pleasure to work with. My friend recommended Yilam because he has been working with KL for many years on many transactions. The whole process was so painless. I am definitely going back to them for my next mortgage. read more

Found a place in Russian Hill that I really liked. Yes, even in 2011, there can be situations where buyers compete with each other. My real estate agent advised that we offer a quick close (25 days) and Yilam of PLA Mortgage said that he would be able to fund me in time. And that they did. The process went smoothly; there were no unreasonable fire drills. And we closed a day early with no surprise costs. I can't praise PLA enough for the great service they gave me. read more

Yilam Kang was an absolute pleasure to work with throughout the entire process of purchasing our new home. Extremely knowledgeable on every aspect of our loan and always available to me during the eventual successful closing of our home purchase. As a first time home buyer I may have needed a little more hand holding than the average client but Yilam was patient and invaluable throughout. Simply said I cannot recommend him highly enough to anyone seeking a home loan. read more

This is a 5 star review for Casey Mondragon at KL Capital Partners. I purchased a condo in Emeryville and Casey was with me every step of the way. He was patient, responsive, and detail-oriented - from answering my initial questions about the pre-approval process, to helping me to lock in a great rate, to finally closing escrow. Casey made the entire process easy to understand and easy to execute. He predicted any questions I had with the documentation and was more than happy to break down the numbers and language for me. I couldn't be happier :) Another plus is that Casey is pretty easy to get in contact with, whether it was by phone or email. He made himself available on the weekends and even late into the evening when we were trying to lock in a rate. I recommend Casey whole-heartily. read more

Karlo Agustin and PLA did an amazing job of walking me through the process of refinancing my house. It was virtually painless, and my new mortgage is saving me money each month, and will continue to do so since they were able to lock in a lower interest rate for me. Really appreciate the help I got from Karlo. read more

TL;DR - When I needed help, Yilam Kang and KL Capital Partners delivered! So I'm a first-time home buyer, and I made the decision to purchase a new-build in San Francisco. I did everything I was supposed to: worked with a different mortgage broker and got pre-approved before looking around; when I found the property, I reviewed it with the broker and got the greenlight that it was finance-able; submitted a million documents and got an initial conditional approval on the loans with very limited conditions. JUST AFTER THE FINANCING CONTINGENCY ON MY PURCHASE CONTRACT EXPIRED, THE BROKER (NOT KL CAPITAL) CALLED ME TO PULL OUT OF THE DEAL. (Note: This is a broker who was recommended by my real estate agent and has 4+ stars on Yelp.) This was the worst possible result I could have had - and if it hadn't been a new-build, I probably would have lost the property and my 3% deposit. As it was, I managed to negotiate an extension to the close of escrow with the developer and then had to scramble to go find a mortgage. Super, super stressful, as you might imagine! This is where Yilam and KL Capital came in. I actually ran a two-track, parallel application process with KL Capital and another mortgage lender - so all in all, I worked with 3 lenders. The first one ran a great process but delivered a terrible result, the second lender ran a terrible process but delivered a good result -- KL Capital ran a great process and delivered a great result. Some of the highlights: + Yilam took the time to explain the complexity of the mortgage - including the particulars of my case and why the initial mortgage broker failed to deliver, given that this was a new-build property + Yilam provided a pretty attractive set of financing options with a solid underlying lender -- no finance points and significantly lower rate than the other 2 offers + Yilam laid out a very clear process - AND THEN HE DELIVERED ON IT! As in, he laid out what each step of the process would look like, and then it all came true just as he predicted. + This is perhaps a weird point, but Yilam was transparent -- when push came to shove, he was pretty open about what he needed to see and what he needed from the deal (i.e., he wanted to be sure that if he approached banks on my behalf, that I would follow-through and do the deal with him). That may sound weird, but I actually really, really appreciated that conversation, because it surfaced both our interests and allowed us to work out a way to make sure our interests were aligned. After that, I had the comfort of knowing that he would be on my side. For everyone else, their internal incentive structure was really opaque which made it a bit harder to navigate. The above might seem simple or obvious -- but it was completely not my experience with the other lenders. I truly treasure those attributes and that quality of service and help. I honestly couldn't recommend Yilam and the team at KL Capital more highly. read more

We recently worked with Karlo Agustin to buy a condo in Emeryville, and have already recommended him to several friends looking to buy in the area. Throughout our escrow period, he kept us updated and made sure we completely understood what was happening. As first time buyers, we had a lot of basic questions that Karlo answered patiently and thoroughly. We really appreciated his explanations at each step of the way and felt that everything was handled very smoothly. He was very responsive and easy to get in touch with, even on the weekends. We are thrilled to be in our new home and will continue to recommend KL Capital to buyers in the area. Thank you Karlo!! read more

I worked with Karlo Agustin on our mortgage refinance. My husband and I are extremely happy with the rate, the process and the interaction with Karlo. Karlo is the best broker I have ever worked with. He is knowledgable and informative. He is always available by email or phone. I switched jobs in the middle of the loan process. Karlo not only extended our loan closing period and sent me reminders of required documents when I started my new job. He streamlined the otherwise-painful mortgage application process. Highly recommend. read more

I've been working with Karlo Agustin for several years now. When we bought our house a few years back, I went to him for the loan. At the time, the rate he was able to get for us was fantastic (4.875%, 30 year fixed), and better yet, he was able to deliver our new loan on time (30 day close). I was a first-time homebuyer back then, and my experience with mortgages and banks was minimal. But Karlo was able to make the entire process, from beginning to end, very easy and uncomplicated. I remember having to provide a letter of explanation for something silly regarding one of my bank accounts. Not only did he help me to put it together, but he also drove out to my office in Santa Clara to pick it up so that it was certain to be delivered to the bank on time. Now that's going above and beyond! So when interest rates dropped (3.875% 30 year fixed), and the time came for me to refinance my loan, I gave him a call once again. Same story... -Always answered my calls (even nights / weekends) -Responsive over email -Clear/Minimal requests for documents Needless to say, I'm very happy with my interaction with Karlo and KL Capital. I can't say it often enough - he just makes the process, which can be very frustrating at times, as painless as possible. The next time I'm in need of a loan, there's no doubt I'm going straight to Karlo again. read more

Casey Mondragon is the best! He was a workhorse and always follows through. He always answers his phone and is quick to return calls. I would highly recommend working with him you will not be disappointed. read more

Yilam and his team at KL helped us refinance recently. They got us the best rate on the market for a 20 year fixed, were very professional, transparent and straightforward about the process. They understand the complexity of the process, and we never felt unsure about whether our loan would be funded or not. Their rates and fees were very competitive, and the bank that funded our loan is reputable and has great customer Svc. Thanks KL Capital! read more

Let me start by saying it takes a lot for me to write a review. In this instance I felt compelled to give credit where credit is due. My Dad wanted to lower his interest rate, payment, pull money out to do some remodeling, and of course, he didn't want to pay anything out of pocket. Kind of a tall order if you ask me, but those were the conditions. After some research and luck of the draw, I ended up on the phone with Karlo, and right away I felt comfortable. He is very easy to talk to, listens well, and a straight shooter. As requested, he kept me informed and in the loop during the whole process. We never had any doubts because Karlo was always on top of things, and seemed to always be a step ahead. Even when there were issues, he was great about warning us before hand, and knowing what to do when they came up. In the end, my Dad got everything he wanted and couldn't be happier. With all the deadlines, paperwork, coordinating, and synchronizing with multiple parties, it still blows my mind at how effortless he made it. Karlo is a true professional that clearly puts 100% into what he does and seems to genuinely care about his clients as real people. read more