Lara and Jenn are great! A dear friend referred me to Lara for mortgage financing for my first home purchase. I really appreciate all the detail that Lara shared with me about mortgages and the application process as well as hers and Jenn's quick responses and advice when some of my down payment money didn't come through as expected. I would definitely recommend Lara to a friend, too! Even in this age of getting mortgage rates online etc etc, having someone with SO MUCH EXPERIENCE by your side for what is probably the biggest financial commitment you'll make means a lot. Lara is honest, detail-oriented, knowledgeable and really nice. Contact her! read more

Lara is amazing! Never misses a beat and always looking out for us. We have been working with her since we bought our first home, 18 years ago. She is patient, informative, honest, and hardworking. She knows the market well and explains every detail throughout the process. She just locked into a 2.75 fixed rate! It's always a great pleasure to work with her and jennifer Hartman. I would highly recommend Lara Blake to any family or close friend. read more

Lara was amazing in walking me through a refinance, ensuring we got the best rate, and she took care of us through the whole process. I can not recommend her more highly! read more

Lara and her team were simply exceptional. As a first time home-buyer, I naturally had many questions and some anxiety going in. Lara spent hours patiently answering just about every question I had before it was even clear I'd go with RPM for the mortgage. She gave wise advice not just about the loan, but about how to think about and protect the biggest purchase I'd ever made in my life. There's no way I would have had this kind of personalized experience at a giant bank. Her expertise is obvious, as is her deep, local familiarity with the hyper-competitive East Bay market. Once we actually found a home, Lara and her team steered it to an incredibly fast close, under 2 weeks -- actually the only thing "slowing" it down were federal regulations. It was more like a 10 day close, which proceeded perfectly. My realtor, title agent, and others familiar with home-buying and mortgage lending in the Bay Area honestly couldn't believe how smoothly and rapidly my loan came through. I'd recommend Lara / RPM to my friends and family -- anyone I care about who I actually want to see succeed in an insane market -- without hesitation. read more

Lara and her team were great to work with. In our initial calls they patiently walked us through the process so we knew what to expect during the home buying/financing process. They clearly laid out the what we needed to do so there wasn't any last minute panic. Lara & Jenn were very quick to respond to emails and were willing to jump on a call any time to answer questions. They were very proactive in staying in touch with our agent so that all of us were on the same page at all times. I really like the approach RPM takes with getting a lot of the paperwork out of the way early in the process. When we were ready to make an offer Lara was able to obtain the final approvals without any hiccups. Being able to offer a quick closing really helped make our offer competitive! Thanks so much, Lara and team! read more

The entire team was fast, responsive and I felt that I was in good hands throughout the whole process. They made us feel that our business was super important and I highly recommend them to any in the market for a mortgage. I can't say enough good things about this team! read more

Lara was amazing, and I would highly recommend Lara and her team. As a first time homebuyer, Lara took whatever time needed to answer all my questions about mortgage loans. She broke things down in a way that I felt very informed and well taken care of throughout the process. I would describe Lara as extremely knowledgable, reliable, friendly, organized, and communicative. She also found a terrific loan rate for us. All-in-all, I couldn't have asked for a better experience and a terrific guide through what can typically be a stressful process, especially as a first time home buyer. And to top it all off, Lara ensured a super fast close! Thanks, Lara and team! read more

Here I go again on another journey but this time to help my parents buy a home. Lara Blake is phenomenal in what she does, Its difficult to describe the commitment and passion Lara shows when she takes you on as her customer. Working with Lara a second time was just as wonderful as the first. To make a long story short, Lara made sure my parents and I understood each step before hand and allowed us to answer any questions or concerns before gong forward. There were times during the process when my parents felt overwhelmed and did not feel comfortable doing everything online. Lara was very accommodating and meet with them in her office to answer any questions and when they left they gained confidence knowing they can trust her. Due to my parents being novice with technology I was there to hold their had every step of the way with ensuring their documents were sent to Lara and her team in a timely matter. What I love most about her service is her knowledge and expediting abilities to make things happen. I've already recommended her services to people in my family and colleagues at work because I believe she can turn any situation into a happy ending. Way to go Lara! Thank You again for your awesomeness My parents and I truly appreciate you and making our dreams come true. read more

My wife and I recently bought our first home. We were complete newbies to everything and our home loan was not very straight-forward for a variety of reasons. Lara walked us through the complex process and despite some interesting challenges thrown in during the process she managed to get the loan done on time! We are very grateful for help, patience and overall professionalism. read more

Dont think twice about working with Lara Blake and her team at RPM mortgage! I was a first time buyer in the super-competitive East Bay Real Estate market, Newly divorced and doing this all alone, I felt empowered by Lara and her team. They were always available to answer questions immediately, excellent communication, and none of my questions felt 'stupid'. They walked me through the process from soup to nuts and I'm so happy with the outcome! read more

I'm going to add to the chorus of praise here: Lara is fantastic not just because she is patient, hard-working, an excellent communicator, great on pro-active education (especially for home buying newbies), honest, and meticulous, but also because she and her firm have a sterling reputation for thorough vetting before providing pre-approval --- meaning that sellers can feel just as confident in your Lara-backed offer as they with one that was perhaps backed by more upfront cash. Here in the East Bay where inventory is low and there are lots of potential buyers with deep pockets, having Lara's backing proved to be a crucial factor that helped us to remain competitive and ultimately win out on a beautiful home which we love...and which Lara and Jillian helped us to close on in under 21 days! We cannot recommend Lara enough and will definitely do business with her again if we have refinancing or home purchase needs in the future. read more

My wife and I made the decision to purchase a home during a very competitive market, where time was of the essence. We entered the process knowing next to nothing about it, and were truly learning everything as we went. Three months later, we had our offer on a beautiful home accepted. None of this would have been possible without Lara's guidance, timeliness, and expertise. When we needed a pre approval letter within a day, she got it done. When our seller countered our offer, she updated the financials so we could respond quickly. She also did an excellent job *over*-estimating our costs, so that we could make sure we were prepared for a worst-case scenario, and yet relieved when the closing costs were several thousand dollars less than expected. She is also great to work with, very helpful to newbies like us, and truly a partner in the team effort of buying a home. Thanks, Lara! read more

There's nothing to say that hasn't already been said. Lara is the best in the business. She's honest, kind, patient, and knowledgable. Lara is quick to respond (sometimes at all hours of the night) and makes it work as best she can. She is your advocate, and Lara wants to get the best deal for you. She was with us every step of the way, and she promptly responded to all questions we had. The staff she works with is also phenomenal. Lara helped us sell our house and buy a new one. She walked us through our options, and helped think outside the box to make things happen. (Thankfully, we didn't need that much outside-the-box thinking, but it was so good to know we had an advocate to help us with it, if we needed it.) Lara's extremely knowledgable and helped walk us through the entire process. I didn't know I could love a mortgage broker so much, but Lara is the absolute best. read more

Working with Lara was easy and straightforward. As first-time home buyers, we didn't really know what was expected, especially during closing. Lara was constantly in communication with our realtor (see review for Julie Cuellas) and our escrow company to ensure that we closed in time. She was so efficient that we actually closed a week early on our home, which was GREAT. Lara was quick to reply to our emails, worked with us to put together multiple spreadsheets documenting our monthly payments, and answering any questions that we had. We'll definitely work with her again! read more

We had a complicated, many layered mortgage situation that required some tricky financial maneuvering. Lara and Jillian were diligent, easy to work with, detail oriented and very fast. We made several offers and they were able to put packages together within days, sometimes hours. She wrote personal letters, made phone calls to the other agents on our behalf and worked through the night to make our offers of the highest quality. She stayed with us until the papers were signed to make sure the deal went through without a hitch. Lara, we will recommend you to every one of our friends, family members and even complete strangers on BART. read more

Lara and Jillian are definitely an A+ team! As first time home buyers, my fiance and I were both pretty clueless on the whole process of buying a home. Lara went out her way to detail every nook and cranny of the loan process and was always very prompt in answering emails and returning phone calls. As far as closing goes, Lara and Jillian are definitely speedsters! Because my fiance was going to be out of town during the scheduled time we were supposed to sign, Lara and Jillian rushed all of our paperwork in order for us to complete and sign everything before he left. We were basically signing all our documents at the title company within 10 business days of getting our offer accepted! They kept us updated throughout the whole process and I can't recommend them enough! read more

Couldn't be more grateful for Lara and her team, who helped us every step of the way in the purchase of our first home. She was diligent about the pre-approval process, giving us her undivided attention even though our price point is probably the lowest she's working with (if I were to guess). We always got the feeling that we were just as important to her as her clients who are spending millions. Lara is an incredibly hard worker. There were times where we needed a new pre-approval worksheet in a pinch, and she was able to pull it off last minute. She would email or call us day or night, whatever we needed. The Bay Area housing market is so stressful, so it's relieving knowing there's someone like Lara who is able to help keep you calm through it. read more

I can not endorse Lara's services highly enough. She quite literally saved our home purchase from disaster, stepping in in the middle of our escrow period when my wife and I had to dismiss our previous mortgage broker two weeks before our closing date. Understanding the critical time nature of the situation, Lara and her assistant Jillian were very proactive about getting from us the documents we would need to fund and stayed in constant communication throughout the process. Because she was very honest with us at the outset when we started working with her, we know that she juggled her priorities for us total strangers to get our loan approved on time. If you work with Lara she will talk you through every step of the process and make sure you understand everything that will happen. This is our second home purchase and my wife and I marvel at how much more thorough Lara has been than our first loan officer was. As a bonus, she got us a better deal on our mortgage than we would have had if the other guy hadn't dropped the ball. read more

WOW. I was referred to Lara Blake three years ago when I was struggling to figure out how to refinance my home. She reviewed my case thoroughly and advised me on a long term plan, which we just successfully completed. I had talked with several mortgage brokers before Lara, none of whom helped at all. She took the time to explain things and lay out my options in a clear understandable and actionable way. All I had to do was follow through! The process with Lara was clearly explained and expertly managed. You just can't get any better than this. She and her assistant Jenn were completely on top of every detail and incredibly responsive. Lara has a gift of explaining things in great detail--she is so committed to you as a client and is such a pleasure to work with. You will be amazed! read more

Lara and her team are so amazing, I cannot recommend her enough! My husband and I were caught in such a unique situation - joint inheritance of a home. We had never purchased a home before, so we were completely lost in the whole process, not to mention getting the runaround from the Title Agency for over 6 months. Lara always had her situation under control, even if the title agency caused all of us to lose some hair. Not only did Lara walk us through the entire process, she held our hand the whole time, and was so very encouraging and supportive. Going through such a stressful process that drew out to almost a year, we could not have asked for a better person on our team. She is so professional, knowledgeable, and full of very helpful advice and guidance. If it weren't for her and her patience, we would not be sitting in our beautiful home right now. Thank you Lara! read more

Lara Blake is amazing! We went to her to buy a second home. Lara and Jillian were highly responsive and on top of everything. In a deal where the seller kept creating problems (so much so that we wound up getting a lawyer), Lara never blinked. When a 25 day escrow turned into a 4 month ordeal that went through probate (the seller had misrepresented the property), Lara continually updated our package. Each time things got postponed, Lara was quick to "hurry up and wait" with us. Lara made sure that when the seller was ready, so were we. Once the probate court approved the sale, Lara closed the loan for us in a week and a half. Lara's genuine nature and accessibility made her so wonderful to work with. We will definitely go to her the next time we want to purchase or refinance. read more

I was introduced to Lara by my realtor who knew I was unhappy with the service I was getting from a big bank that had previously given me a loan pre-approval. My original pre-approval had expired during a lull in my house search, but suddenly I found the perfect house and I wanted to get an offer in quickly since the market moves so quickly. I called Lara and despite it being late Friday morning AND her not being in the office, she worked with me to get all the paperwork done over the phone and by email, and had my pre-approval letter ready to go with my offer on Monday morning. Next thing you know, my offer was accepted and Lara was once again on top of everything. She locked me into a great rate (lower than anything I had seen from the big bank) and I was able to close escrow in a little over 2 weeks which was incredible. read more

Lara was a pleasure to work with on securing our home loan. The breadth and depth of her knowledge was comforting to first-time buyers that sometimes felt overwhelmed by the real estate market in California. Lara walked us through every step with in depth answers to every question we posed. She was an absolute joy to work with at every step of the process. read more

I extremely recommend Lara's services. I am planning to purchase a home in the next year or so and she has really helped me evaluate my current financial situation and evaluating my current qualifications. Thanks so much for your continued assistance. Hope to continue working with you as I get closer to my goal. read more

Lara Blake has been our mortgage broker twice so far - once when my husband and I purchased our house in December 2010 and again when we refinanced in February 2012. Both times she was great to work with. She's very responsive via email and also took the time to talk things out with me on the phone when I needed to understand an issue more completely. If not for Lara's efficiency, we probably would not have closed on our house - we have a strange situation and our first loan fell through due to the difference between that particular lender's local vs. national rules. Lara managed to find us a second loan in time (we also were buying a short sale which complicated things further)... I really think that we would have lost the house if she hadn't hustled for us. The refinance was easier, though we still had our unusual situation. Lara sent us very helpful spreadsheets and explained all the costs and options. It ended up being a lot less expensive than we expected and we got a great rate on a 30 year fixed mortgage. I highly recommend Lara, especially if you're a first time buyer. She'll take the time to explain what can be quite a complicated process. I agree with the other reviewer who wrote that her availability is outrageous. I felt like she always had time for us. read more

Long story short: Lara Blake did an exceptional job, allowed us to make an offer with a two week close, and got our family into a house on which we would have otherwise been outbid. More detail: this having been our first time buying a house, Lara and her assistants walked us through every step of the process, giving us clear and concise lists of what we had to do, and never overburdening us with explanations before they became relevant. They were fast and responsive to our questions, and gave us time to gather information and make decisions. When we decided to rescind our first accepted offer due to tenant issues, the process was simple and all the appropriate fees were refunded. And when we finally found the house we wanted badly, she made our offer very competitive by agreeing to a two-week close, which absolutely contributed to its success. It was a whirlwind close full of urgent emails and Docusigns, inspections and appraisals, all of which came together in the nick of time, and we had keys to our new house exactly two weeks after we made our offer. Incredible!!! I will recommend Lara Blake to all my friends and family. Exceptional work! read more

I'm a first-time homebuyer and I opted to work with Lara because she did something very simple and efficient - she called and explained the whole process to me. The call lasted for more than 45 minutes and in my experience, no one gives you THAT kind of time unless they're convinced you (as a client) will be working with them - at that time Lara had no idea I would be working with her and neither did I. I was telling my realtor how prepared I felt for the whole process because I was made aware of my financial obligations, how much paperwork was coming my way, and how fast things moved once an offer was accepted. All of this was explained upfront so I had few-to-none surprises/heart attacks;-) Lara and her team (Jenn and Theresa) are a well-oiled machine and they take the time to explain and reexplain things to you. In short, all I really did was read her emails and follow her lead and we closed 1 day ahead of time! If you're a first, second, third-time home buyer give her team a chance, you won't be disappointed! read more

Lara was highly recommended by my realtor as a very reputable local loan agent. I'm so grateful that Lara could help me on my condo purchasing. She and her assistants respond extremely fast. Lara is very experienced, and she takes her time to offer educational chats and emails for each step throughout the process, she explains things very comprehensively, it's very helpful and valuable to first time buyers like me. I would also recommend to use their online tool to upload documents as it's save lots of time. With their help, I could close the purchase within 3 weeks. I can't recommend Lara enough, she and her assistants will definitely make your home purchase a lot more smooth! read more

I called Lara for some advice about what about my monthly payments. Lara spent time explaining what kind of loan I have and what sort of loan I might be interested in. She took time out of her day to answer questions that I had. I can tell Lara really knows her business and doesn't mind answering questions‼ I will definitely use her when I refinance and when I'm ready to buy my new home‼ read more

Lara and her team are fabulous! She and her team helped me re-finance and they are so good at their job I;m still surprised at how smooth they made the process. Thank you! read more

Lara and her team, Jenn especially, were an absolute pleasure to work with. My transactions were without a single hiccup and the process was explained clearly so I always knew exactly what to expect. Lara and her team are extremely efficient, knowledgeable and very responsive. I could not imagine a better experience. read more

I can't say enough about Lara and her team. They are the best! We've been with them for our first home purchase, refinance as well as countless referrals to our family and friends. The experience has always been the same. All of them end up impressed by Lara's care, expertise and professionalism. It is rare when you find a mortgage team that is not only professional but operates at a high level of integrity, honesty and transparency. Lara is exceptional in this regard. You can find anyone to do a loan but it is rare to find a team that makes you feel 100% secure about your decision. Lara and her team take the time to make sure we understand every facet of the transaction (no matter what $ size) and the expected costs. We have never been surprised by any close in the ten years plus working with her team. I don't know how long she has been in the business but she knows everything about mortgage financing from first time home purchase, second home purchase, refinancing, conforming, non-conforming, etc. I have worked with both residential and commercial mortgage finance professionals. Lara's expertise is unparalleled. It is no doubt reflected by the volume of repeat clients that she has. I highly recommend anyone who is looking for a Mortgage Broker / Specialist. read more

Lara and her team performed off-the-charts for my wife and I in securing a mortgage in record time for our dream home in Berkeley. Having Lara as the mortgage lender also gave confidence to the buyer that we were working with someone who's proven to deliver on-time for her clients. The mortgage process was quite complex and subtle in its details, and her team guided us through urgent requests at all hours of the day, night, and weekend to turn around materials as soon as possible and guide us through the complexities of closing. The rate she secured was fantastic, she explained every step in clear detail. We wouldn't have our home without Lara and her team! read more

My wife and I have refinanced our home twice in the last four years with Lara. She and her team worked tirelessly, during and outside of normal working hours, to provide excellent customer service and, as importantly, the best rate possible. Bottom line: we have saved many thousands of dollars working with Lara. The mortgage business is not an easy game to understand, particuarly given the rush of new regulations that came out of the 2008-ish recession. Lara is a pro at explaining the consequences of those regulations and navigating them to the customer's benefit. We are currently looking at a mortgage for a new home, a real challenge since we may want/need to buy before we sell our current home. This is no easy task and not every broker has "products" that can accommodate this need. Lara does, and that's why we keep going back to her. She is reliable and she has solutions. read more

Lara and her team helped us close 2 days early on a difficult 21 day close. She and her assistants were fast, available seemingly 24/7, and knowledgeable. She assisted our realtor in putting together an offer, was available to speak to the selling agent about the strength of our offer, and then executed when it mattered. We've used RPM for two home purchases now and regard them as exceptional. read more

When I first met Lara, she made me feel at ease because of her knowledge and honesty. I was looking for someone I could trust who would help me refinance my house. When we met at her office, she explained in detail the process and emailed a list of documents she would need. I liked the way she left it up to me to choose when to get started. Lara keeps in contact step by step through emails and phone. She knows her trade and it's history. She's good at it and she's dedicated to it. She timed it right, checking the stock market every day in order to get the best rate, and knew of one repair I could make that would improve my appraisal. I feel safer with the loan I have now. If I did refinance again I would do it with her. There are so many choices out there and I think that Lara Blake is the best choice. Bobby B. read more

Lara and her team are the best of the best! I've purchased two homes and refinanced two. I wouldn't go with anyone else. My mother was a real estate agent for over 30 years so I've met a lot of people in the business. Lara is unmatched. She knows the business, is very responsive, easy get a hold of, funny and kind. She is nibble in the changing real estate landscape is is able to deal with any situation. You've found what you're looking for. Look no further! read more

The depth of my gratitude for Lara and Jenn are so profound, words seem a paltry offering in exchange for the hard work, dedication, compassion and wisdom they offered my partner and I during the purchase of our first home. We came to Lara with only a sliver of hope and little reason to think we could actually afford a home in Oakland. Lara, in her infinite wisdom and kindness, did what she could to help us, but the market in Oakland was just too far outside of our price range. However, Lara and Jenn turned the impossible into our dreams come true when we found a house in Vallejo! Our buying power was strengthened immeasurably by simply having Lara and Jenn in our corner! The seller accepted our offer over others only because Lara and Jenn are able to do their jobs with such efficiency! Among other wonderful qualities, Lara is so incredibly intelligent, educated and wise- it felt like we could ask Lara anything and she would be able to deliver a rousing dissertation complete with facts and figures to educate us on the process of buying a home. If it weren't for Jenn keeping track of all the piles of paperwork we had to submit (and Lara told us at the beginning there is always more paperwork than you expect!) and her superfast response times, our dreams of closing on our home would never have become a reality. My partner and I are so incredibly grateful to Lara and Jenn, there is no way we will ever be able to repay them. My only hope is that you, dear Yelp reader, will take my advice and call Lara now. Ask your questions- all of them. Lara will guide you and Jenn will will help you through the process in the most kind and wonderful way. Believe me when I tell you that you will be better off on this roller coaster with Lara and Jenn with you along for the ride. read more

We worked with Lara Blake and her amazing team (Dedreia McGeary is fantastic!) as first-time home buyers. We really appreciated all their time, patience and guidance with us during our long home search, which was a little over a year. There were so many times we contacted Lara in fire-drill fashion, as we got ready to make another offer - but like clockwork, she and Dedreia would have all of our information updated with an offer letter prepared within the day. When the offer fell through, Lara would encourage us not to give up and to be patient - that our home was waiting for us to find it. Her kind words kept us going at times! Spending all your Sundays at Open Houses for a year isn't easy! Lara is essentially the mortgage guru of the East Bay. For over a year, Lara took time to ensure that all questions were answered to satisfaction and was always available to help us. We even received responses to email over the weekend, when we really didn't expect to hear back until the next business day. Overall, with Lara and Dedreia's professional prowess on our side, we were able to make an offer with a quick close and secured a great, low rate. When it came time to sign our mortgage papers, we felt confident and understood everything, and didn't have that overwhelmed, confused feeling that we dreaded at 'go' time. Thanks to Lara and Dedreia, we were ready for the next step and there were no surprises. They really helped us to become informed buyers and navigated us through the process from start to finish. We would definitely recommend Lara and her team to anyone looking to buy or refinance a home. Thanks so much, Lara!! read more

Lara was a pleasure to work with and very patient, and that's coming from first time home buyers who had loads of questions. She always responded quickly via email and phone, making sure we understood exactly what was happening every step of the way. We felt supported and confident that Lara and her team were doing everything necessary to make us attractive buyers. We will definitely call Lara again for future needs and would recommend her to anyone looking to buy a home. Thank you so much Lara for all your help and guidance! read more