Just wanted to give Melissa a big thumbs up! We are so thankful for all your help. Ten years ago Melissa gave us sound advice through a tricky short sale home purchase. My wife and I were able to secure a loan and successfully move into our dream home. This was our first home purchase and short sales aren't the easiest, yet Melissa taught us so much about the process. Four years later we were able to ask Melissa for help refinancing our home; this resulted in saving us thousands in the long-term. Just recently we contacted Melissa about a cash-out refinance. My wife and I were purchasing a second home abroad and needed extra funds in a very short time frame. Melissa came through for us! We still can't believe how smooth every thing went. Thank you Melissa; you're the best. (We also want to thank Chicago Title for their additional help). read more

Melissa is a true professional gem in the mortgage world. She just helped me refinance my mortgage and I cannot recommend her more highly. She's very responsive, provides information clearly and makes this stressful process very manageable. I'm only going to use her for all of my home financing needs and I'd recommend her to anyone who has finance or refinancing needs. read more

I watched a close friend going through an incredibly complicated refinance during a difficult life transition, at some point in the process she was referred to Melissa and from there on, while still complex, everything got better. And worked out well, not something I believe most mortgage brokers would have been able to accomplish given the complexity of the situation. I was impressed with Melissa before I ever contacted her to discuss our own mortgage needs and she exceeded our high expectations. To start, I sent Melissa a short email outlining our current position with regards to mortgage, debt, credit and our goals. I simply wanted to know if she felt she could help us. Not only did she reply promptly that she could help us, but she already had done her research and proposed a fantastic plan that would allow us to meet our goals to make repairs and improvements to the house, pay off high interest student loan debt, get locked in at a low interest rate and save money on our monthly expenses. From there the process was incredibly smooth, we were easily able to provide electronic signatures and documentation. Anytime we had a question, whether a basic, "which form do you need again" to the emotional "oh my god I am freaking out what if we don't get approved or our appraisal is too low" she was right there with wonderful guidance, calm, and expertise. In the end any fears we had were for not, as small things that came up getting to escrow, Melissa handled them for us with the above and beyond approach she takes with her clients. Adulting is hard and Melissa made this process so much easier. I am grateful we didn't put off making these adjustments any longer. We are beyond relieved to have moved out from our student loan debt and to have funds to make improvements to our home. I am not sure I am capturing just how great Melissa is, but I will shout to anyone who will listen that she is simply the best mortgage broker out there. read more

My experience with Melissa was nothing short of fantastic! She was truly the best professional I could possibly imagine, and walked me through every step of the process of securing a loan and purchasing my home. She was highly responsive and incredibly knowledgeable, and offered me options and next steps at every turn. She was also patient and thoughtful, and always picked up the phone or called me back when I needed just ONE MORE question answered after I thought I had all I needed but called her yet again for a follow up question about something. I really can't recommend her highly enough, and will be sending any of my friends and colleagues who are looking for a lender her way in the future. Thanks Melissa for making this incredibly daunting and time consuming process more manageable and more fun!!! read more

I can't rave about Melissa enough. This is the second time we used her services when purchasing a home and she was, once again, there for us every step of the way. She really knows her stuff. She gave us sound advice, crunched numbers for us based on different scenarios, and acted expeditiously when we needed her to. On top of it all, she's just so pleasant to work with! We completely trust her. I would recommend her to all of my friends and family. read more

I've worked with several mortgage brokers in the last 20 years and can say with certainty that Melissa was the best I've encountered. She made the entire process fairly effortless. Once we compiled the information needed for the loan, she handled everything for us. I had to be out of the country for 3 weeks during the loan period and it was a non-issue. I wish I had been referred to her years earlier to save me from previous frustrating experiences. If you are purchasing or refinancing and looking for someone to partner with you to make sure you get the best deal and the easiest process, you should give Melissa a call. I know that she will be the only person I call for my next loan! read more

I'm fairly confident in my abilities to navigate circumstances that involve multiple parties--in this case, real estate agents, title companies, banks and so on--but as first-time home-buyer, it was crucial for me to have a mortgage broker who was quick to respond, super knowledgeable and honest. Melissa perfectly fit that bill. As I walked through this new territory, Melissa never left me hanging, uninformed or feeling stupid. She was totally respectful of the fact that this was all new to me. And since we're talking about a Bay Area mortgage broker, I should point out that I am not a young tech worker or a corporate professional or an academic. I am, essentially, a cook in a homeless shelter who found a property I could afford...150 miles away. In other words, no one was getting rich off this transaction. Not once did Melissa and her great team (Jacob and Amy) make me feel unimportant given the modest numbers we were dealing with. If I'm ever in a position to buy again or refinance, I will be giving Melissa a call. read more

I was referred to Melissa Milton at Guaranteed Rate by a friend who had an excellent experience working with her. My home buying process took one year and Melissa was with me every step of the way. As a first time home buyer, I wanted to work with someone who had the knowledge, experience and patience to walk me through the process. In addition to being extremely professional and knowledgeable, Melissa is also friendly and sensitive to unique personal situations. She has an impeccable reputation amongst realtors, and is known for her reliability, responsiveness, and trustworthiness. I feel fortunate to have worked with Melissa, and would highly recommend her for your mortgage loan. read more

Melissa recently helped my fiance and I get our mortgage for our first home, and made it happen in less than a month. She is extremely organized, professional, and reliable. We felt like we were in such good hands. Melissa has a great reputation in the East Bay as well and it sounds like many selling agents really like working with her. We feel this contributed greatly to our offer being accepted, with 11 other offers on the table. Her ability to complete everything in such a short period of time was impressive. I highly, highly recommend working with Melissa. We hope to work with her again down the road. read more

This review is way overdue. My husband and I worked with Melissa on a cash-out refinance and thoroughly enjoyed working with her. This was our first time getting any kind of loan relating to real estate and Melissa was incredibly informative and kind and provided us with the best rates that we could find. We spoke with several other brokers before deciding to work with Melissa and so many of them didn't know even close to as much as Melissa does. We highly recommend working with her! read more

Melissa has been extraordinary to work with. She has helped my partner and I pace our buying process in an incredibly nonjudgmental way. She has been flexible, realistic and extremely giving with her time and energy. We really couldn't ask for more. Her wisdom and experience have been driving our focus on how and where to buy. Melissa will definitely be an asset to your buying process, if you are fortunate enough to work with her. read more

A great mortgage broker will give you an advantage in a competitive situation, help you fully understand the broad financial picture and save a deal when it is going south. Melissa gives you all this because she is invested in the success of her clients. read more

I would give her 0 star if I can. The reason is simple, she never bothered to follow through. Our real estate agent recommended her. The initial contact went fine. We contacted her, she responded within couple hours and give us a list of questions such as how much down payment we can come up with, how much is our current house worth, etc. So I responded back that I will need some time to gather the info and she responded back okay. We sent her an email about a week later with all the answers to her questions. Thats when we never heard back from her again. A week later we followed up with another email. Still no response up until today. It has been one month. What most troubling to me is that if she doesn't intend to take us as new clients, she should have said from the get go, and we would have been completely fine with it. Instead she appeared that she's willing to work with us and asked us all these questions. Then we responded back to her, she doesn't even bother to respond. I'm also very perplexed to see all these stellar reviews here. To me the only explanation is that she's capable to provide excellent services, yet she's not able to treat all her potential clients equally and she's completely lacking of the basic professionalism as an agent. read more

I've worked with Melissa twice, once to purchase a home and once to refi and I would HIGHLY recommend her. Not only is Melissa honest, sharp, and direct but her follow through and communication are amazing. I will never do business with another broker! Thank you Melissa for being a great partner in my real estate journey! read more

Our real estate agent recommended Melissa to us and we couldn't have been more happy working with her. It was our first home so we had lots and lots of questions which she took the time to answer patiently. She and her team were professional, knowledgable, and super efficient. I truly believe we were able to close so quickly on our first home thanks to Melissa's expertise. Thanks a million, Melissa! read more

Melissa worked with me on a very competitive real estate transaction in Crocker Highlands. Not only did she pre-approve my clients in a short period of time, she worked with me extensively to position my clients to win the offer. This included calling the listing agent of the property, the morning I presented my offer and encouraging them to increase their downpayment. After we one the offer process (there were more-than ten offers), she was able to meet all of our tight deadlines, and we even closed early in 15 days. My clients are VERY happy homeowners, and I know that they were delivered superior service. A great story and result all around. read more

We chose to work with Melissa at Commerce Home Mortgage at the recommendation of our real estate agent. It was our first time buying a home, and Melissa was very patient in walking us through all the steps required to get a mortgage. She was always prompt with e-mails and phone calls, and with her help, we were able to close on time. We love our new home! read more

Melissa Milton and her team were great to work with especially for a first-time buyer. Clear explanations, quick turn-around, easy uploading of documents and a friendly attitude! I highly recommend Melissa as a mortgage broker and hope your experience is as good as mine. read more

Melissa is about as good as you can get! Being a real estate broker in this highly competitive market, not only are you in very competent hands with her, but she becomes a strong term on your contract! I had seen/heard her speak at many meetings and became keenly aware of how smart she is and started referring her to clients and never looked back. She has strong morals and ethics in looking out for client's best interest, is well connected to help get the best rates and quickest close but also has a whitty personality to add fun to the process! You won't be disappointed working with her! She's a gem! read more

We cannot say enough good things about Melissa! She worked with us on a ReFi this spring, and from the very start the process was smooth and painless. She sincerely listened to our goals and found us a loan to perfectly fit our needs. She and her team are super organized and they make smart use of modern tools to help ease the paper chase. She did a great job explaining each part of the process and was very clear about what we could expect at each stage along the way. Over the course of the past 15 years we have engaged with various mortgage agents for real estate purchases or ReFis at least five times, and Melissa is by far the best we've ever worked with. There was only one really tiny hiccup when we went to the closing where some documents we had sent over were not included in the final closing package, which quite likely was an oversight on the part of the title company. In any case, Melissa and her team got the issue resolved straightaway, and the only reason I'm even mentioning this very minor thing here is so others will know this is a legit review! read more

We have worked with Melissa twice over the last five years. Melissa helped us through a refi on our home several years ago and then this Spring 2018, she helped us navigate a complex scenario that started as a refi and ended with the purchase of a new home. Through both of these experiences Melissa was the best possible partner we could have imagined. What separates Melissa from others is her true understanding and expertise in the mortgage business. Melissa knows what she can offer you and how she can help you get there. She is honest. She is realistic. She is an expert. We would not have been able to land the home of our dreams without the expert coaching and collaboration between Melissa, our real estate agents and our financial adviser. I couldn't have asked for a better experience. I strongly recommend Melissa - she's a trusted partner navigating a difficult and challenging time sensitive financial transaction that is the largest transaction most of us will ever make. You want an expert you can trust. Melissa Milton is that person. read more

Melissa helped me buy my home in Berkeley at a difficult time and everything went smoothly. With her knowledge, guidance and professional reputation she helped this seemingly impossible dream come true! I later used Melissa to refinance and while getting a great rate she also made everything easy for me despite my busy schedule. On several occasions she picked up or dropped off documents at my home when I was unable to get them to her electronically. If you want to get it done, Melissa will do it! read more

Melissa was great! She got us pre-approved very quickly and then stepped us through an FHA loan perfectly. No glitches. I would definitely do business with her again. read more

Melissa was recommended to us by our realtor and I had a wonderful experience working with her. As a first time home buyer, I had no idea how critical having a patient, thorough and responsive broker was but in the highly competitive Bay Area real estate market, these qualities were critical in getting our 2nd offer accepted on our first home. PATIENT During the pre-approval process, she walked us through our options and answered all the questions we had (and the questions we didn't think to ask). We spent over an hour during our first meeting and were able to move quickly into our house search with a realistic budget in mind. THOROUGH Melissa was very detailed oriented in all of our communications and outlined what she needed from us by when during the approval and offer process. She caught a MAJOR issue in our mortgage application that could have been a deal breaker for our loan approval but thanks to her we were able to catch the issue and resolve before submitting our loan application RESPONSIVE Having a responsive broker and agent team is critical in winning in this real estate market and Melissa was always available by office, cell or email and would even follow up with us over the weekend to remind us of deadlines for documentation. This approach was critical once our offer was successful with a very quick 21 day close I would highly recommend Melissa to anyone purchasing a home in the Bay Area and will un-doubt-ably use her again should I need to re-finance or purchase another home. read more

My partner and I recently worked with Melissa to get a mortgage. As first-time homeowners, there was a steep learning curve and we could not have done this without Melissa's assistance. We were working under challenging circumstances, as my partner and I live in different cities, my partner is transitioning jobs this summer, and we were leaving the country during closing week. From the beginning, Melissa was clearly committed to making this happen and quickly and skillfully guided us through the various steps, providing options and solutions to challenges along the way. She was always available (even when she sounded deathly ill!) for advice, to answer questions, or to explain something over the phone and email. She is an expert communicator, kind, talented, and thorough. Thanks to Melissa and our equally talented agent, Janet Kaplan at Red Oak Realty, we closed in three weeks! read more

This is about the 4th or 5th time we've worked with Melissa Milton on our primary and investment property refinances. Impeccable! Nothing short of stellar, amazing, on top of it, gracious, lovely. A tough transaction, with loads of paperwork, made seamless by an expert with a deft touch. She's our go-to mortgage broker forever. read more

An overdue but very well deserved 5 star rating for Melissa, who several months ago helped me purchase my first home. Melissa was incredible to work with -- very responsive, great at explaining things, and super sharp. Buying a home is very stressful, but having Melissa on your side is invaluable. I feel so thankful for all of the help and support she provided as I navigate buying my first home. Thanks you Melissa for being a key part of my real estate dream team! read more

My husband and I recently worked with Melissa to get a mortgage on our first home in the Berkeley area. We could not recommend her more! Melissa is the quarterback you want to have to make sure the various moving parts of obtaining a mortgage happen quickly and fluidly. We were able to get a great rate and she walked us through various lending options so that we felt informed when making our decisions. In our day-to-day interactions, Melissa was always available and responsive. We were juggling work and a new baby, so Melissa's help made the process super easy. As other reviewers have pointed out, Melissa is very well-respected within the community which helps a great deal when trying to communicate with so many parties during escrow. We would easily choose to work with her again in the future. read more

Melissa helped us get the mortgage for our home last year when, given the state of the financial system, lots could have gone wrong. Melissa was helpful, patient, informative, and supremely competent. Everything went through as smoothly as one could hope. A few months ago, when rates dropped lower, Melissa contacted us to see if we were interested in a refi and she saw us through that just as smoothly. Not only is Melissa a great person to work with, but she's also been around long enough to know other extremely competent and helpful people, such as the person she set us up with at the title company. Highly recommended! read more

We loved working with Melissa. She is super-efficient, quick to turn things around, hugely knowledgable, and very supportive. She helped us find a fantastic buyer's agent, and her reputation clearly precedes her in some very good ways. We worked with her to purchase a property in Oakland that went into multiple bids, including one that was higher than our offer, and the fact that we were working with Melissa was the reason the sellers went with our offer. Their agent knew that if she was in the deal, that it was solid and was going to go through. So she pretty much made it happen! read more

Melissa is amazing! She knows everything there is to know about the mortgage lending process. She also has a great reputation which is incredibly important in getting offers accepted in this competitive market. She is smart, thorough, patient, generous with her time and exceptionally clear about what to expect at every step of the way. Look no further! read more