Los Angeles Home Loans

A home loan should support the life you are building.

Buying or refinancing in Los Angeles is rarely just about finding a rate. It is about making a clear decision around your offer, monthly payment, liquidity, timing, and what comes after closing.

Talk through your options How the process works ↓

Short Answer

Los Angeles buyers have more than one loan option. The right one depends on the decision behind the home.

A useful mortgage conversation compares the full picture, including the home you want, how long you expect to keep it, cash you want to preserve, how your income is documented, and the strength of the offer you need to make.

Limited-time purchase promotion

Choose a 1-0 temporary buydown or lender credit.

Through December 31, 2026, eligible Los Angeles County buyers may choose a 1-0 temporary buydown or a lender credit equal to its documented cost. Available for qualifying primary-residence purchase loans with a 680+ credit score. Terms and eligibility apply.

See offer details

Start with the real decision

The payment matters. So do the choices it leaves you with.

Two loans can have similar rates and very different effects on your cash position, offer strength, and future flexibility. A down payment that feels responsible on paper can leave too little room for a renovation, a career move, or the normal surprises of owning a home.

That is why the conversation starts before a property is under contract. We look at the constraints and tradeoffs early, so the loan supports your plan instead of becoming the thing that limits it.

Loan situations

Where Los Angeles buyers usually need a clearer strategy.

Purchase and first-time buyers

Know your real budget, compare down-payment paths, and build an offer that gives a seller confidence without making promises your file cannot support.

Jumbo and high-balance loans

At Los Angeles price points, reserves and liquidity are part of the decision. The goal is a payment and cash position that still work after closing.

Condo and complex income

Property-level condo questions and self-employed or variable income both need to be reviewed early, before they become a late escrow surprise.

How it works

A calmer way to make a complicated decision.

1. Map the outcome first.

We start with the home, timing, and financial outcome you want. That gives the loan a job to do beyond simply producing a payment.

2. Compare the meaningful paths.

We compare the structures that fit your file, including cash to close, monthly payment, mortgage insurance, reserves, and your timeframe.

3. Prepare before the offer.

Before you fall in love with a property, the goal is to understand what your documentation supports and how your financing can be presented clearly.

Bring the question you have now. We will make the next decision clearer.

A 15-minute strategy call is a chance to understand what is possible, what still needs work, and whether it makes sense to move forward.

Schedule a free call

This page is for educational purposes and is not a commitment to lend. Loan programs, rates, terms, and eligibility depend on individual qualifications, property details, and underwriting.

Strategy Guide · RSU Income

Your RSUs are real compensation. The question is how to use them.

If you work at SpaceX, Aerospace Corp, Northrop, Boeing, Raytheon, Mattel, AT&T, or any of the other Fortune 500 employers anchored around El Segundo, restricted stock units are probably a meaningful piece of your compensation. Depending on vesting and documentation, they may support qualifying income, reserves, down payment, or liquidity.

Talk through your RSU strategy How RSU qualifying works ↓

Short Answer

RSUs can help you qualify when they are documented correctly.

Lenders need to see vesting history, continuance, stable valuation, and whether the RSUs are being used as income, assets, or both. The strategy is timing the file around the way your compensation actually works.

Why this matters here

El Segundo is one of the densest concentrations of Fortune 500 RSU compensation in the country.

Between the aerospace cluster (SpaceX, Boeing, Northrop, Aerospace Corp, Raytheon), the entertainment companies (Mattel), AT&T’s LA headquarters operations, and the broader South Bay tech footprint, the buyers I work with regularly have 30 to 60% of their compensation tied up in vesting stock. That compensation behaves differently from base salary, so the file has to distinguish what can count as income from what can count as an asset.

The better question is not simply how much the RSUs add to qualification. It is how they should support the purchase without creating unnecessary concentration, tax, or liquidity pressure.

The Rules

How RSU income is counted toward your mortgage.

Conventional underwriting rules distinguish between time-based and performance-based restricted stock, how it is paid, and whether it has vested and been distributed. The current Fannie Mae framework starts with these questions:

1. Is there an eligible history of vested, distributed restricted stock?

For time-based awards, Fannie Mae currently requires at least a 12-month history from the current employer. Documentation and calculation vary by award type and whether distributions are paid in shares or cash.

2. Do the award terms satisfy the applicable continuance rules?

A one-time time-based award generally must be expected to continue for at least three years from the note date. Recurring time-based and performance-based awards follow different continuance requirements.

For eligible income paid in shares, Fannie Mae uses a calculation based on the 200-day moving average and vested shares distributed over the applicable history. Income paid in cash uses distributed cash value. The exact file still depends on award type, history, documentation, and the selected loan program.

Income vs Assets

RSUs play two different roles in your loan file. Don’t confuse them.

As Income

Eligible vested and distributed restricted-stock income may increase qualifying income when the history, calculation, and continuance requirements are met.

As Assets

Already-vested shares (held or sold) can fund your down payment, closing costs, and reserves once we document the source and any sale or transfer. Unvested future shares generally cannot, because you don’t own them yet.

The Real Strategy Work

Timing and structure are where the real tradeoffs appear.

Once we know the rules work in your favor, the real conversation begins:

When to apply. If you have a large vest scheduled in the next 60 days, waiting can shift your 24-month income average meaningfully.
Sell or hold vested shares. Selling strengthens your asset position for reserves and down payment. Holding bets on continued upside. Tax treatment varies. We model both.
Loan structure for lumpy income. A standard 30-year fixed isn’t always the best fit for a buyer whose cash flow is highly variable across the year. Sometimes an ARM, an interest-only feature, or a recast strategy fits better.
Lender selection. Not every lender treats RSU income the same way. The wrong lender choice can cut your qualifying income by 30% or more for the exact same file.

Documentation Risks to Catch Early

The three RSU mistakes I see again and again.

Treating RSUs as bonus income and discounting them heavily.

The file should use the current guideline calculation for the award type, payment method, history, and continuance—not a blanket bonus-income assumption.

Counting unvested future RSUs as assets.

You don’t own them yet. Underwriting will catch this and the file falls apart late in the process.

Ignoring the timing of vests and lockup windows.

If you can’t sell shares during a blackout window, your asset documentation has to account for that. Document this before the shares are needed for closing.

No-Sales 15-Minute Call

Let’s see what your RSUs actually unlock for you.

Bring recent pay stubs and your RSU grant and vesting documents. We will map which amounts may count as income or assets, what still needs documentation, and which timing tradeoffs deserve a closer look.

Book a 15-minute call

Or call direct: 424-396-6967

This page is for educational purposes. RSU income treatment varies by lender, loan program, employer, and the specifics of your grant and vesting documentation. Stock prices and tax implications are individual. Daryn Fillis NMLS #1988371. Branch NMLS #2733710. NEO Home Loans powered by Better Mortgage Corporation. Equal Housing Opportunity.