Licensed & lending in CALIFORNIA
We're licensed across eight states, but home is three blocks off University Ave in North Park. That means we can talk fluently to a Navy E-5 buying in Chula Vista with a VA loan, a self-employed founder in La Jolla stacking a bank-statement jumbo, and a Bay Area remote worker eyeing Sacramento — because education-first advice matters most exactly where California's math gets complicated.
Home base
Plan Prepare Home is headquartered at Granada House, 3855 Granada Ave, in San Diego's North Park (92104) — Craftsman bungalows, the Ray Street arts district, a walk score in the high 80s, and the county's most accessible walkable entry point for a first-time buyer.
Being here, in the neighborhood, is the whole point. When a client asks whether the East County foothill home they love is going to be a FAIR-Plan wildfire headache, or how San Diego's loan-limit ceiling compares to Orange County's, that's not something we google — it's the market we live in.
The market, honestly
California is cooling but still competitive. Inventory in early 2026 sat near a decade high, yet San Diego, LA, and the Inland Empire's Riverside/Bakersfield corridor still posted price and sales growth at the same time — a combination market-watchers flagged as the state's hottest pockets. San Diego prices keep climbing (detached homes up mid-single-digits year over year) while sales run roughly flat; the Inland Empire and Sacramento are the genuine affordability plays, with softening prices and rising inventory that finally hand buyers some leverage.
Where we spend the most time
California isn't one market — it's a handful of very different ones. Here's where we spend the most time, and the local thing we make sure every buyer hears.
Our NMLS-licensed HQ and the market we know block by block — a uniquely split buyer base of Navy and Marine VA households alongside high-earning tech, biotech, and self-employed professionals priced into jumbo territory. Recent county data shows San Diego among the state's top metros for combined price-and-sales strength.
The state's deepest concentration of self-employed, entertainment-industry, and complex-income borrowers — squarely our niche — with LA among the highest-volume of the major California metros per recent county data and Orange County the higher-end jumbo complement.
The affordability release valve for buyers priced out of the coast — one of the largest for-sale inventories of any California metro right now, and some of the most negotiating leverage in the state.
The clearest flight-to-affordability story in California — a recession-resistant state-government and healthcare economy plus a sustained Bay Area remote-worker migration wave.
Down-payment & assistance
California's down-payment landscape changes every budget cycle, and several programs stack. We check your fit against current availability — we never promise eligibility, we confirm it.
A deferred junior loan up to 3.5% of price for down payment and/or closing costs, combinable with a CalHFA first mortgage. First-time buyers up to 150% of area median income; homebuyer education required.
Up to 20% of price (cap $150,000) with no monthly payment, repaid as a share of appreciation later — aimed at first-generation buyers. Note: the last application window closed in early 2026 and a new round's timing has to be confirmed before we quote it.
A CalPLUS FHA or conventional first mortgage paired with a zero-interest deferred loan of 3–4% of the loan amount, used purely for closing costs.
City and county deferred loans and closing-cost grants that can stack with CalHFA — including a new-for-2026 county Moderate-Income tier. A must-check for San Diego buyers specifically.
Every program above is subject to qualification and current availability — limits, funding, and windows change constantly. We never promise eligibility; we check your fit against what's actually open the week you apply.
True-payment math
Two California-specific surprises can quietly reshape your real monthly payment, and we'd rather you hear them from us now than from a bill later.
Property tax: California's Prop 13 caps assessed value at 1% with ~2% annual growth — but new buyers should expect a separate SUPPLEMENTAL tax bill 3–18 months after closing that often isn't covered by your escrow account. It's the #1 surprise-bill complaint from new California buyers.
Insurance: California's homeowners market is in a genuine crisis. The FAIR Plan now backs roughly 6% of new California mortgage originations — more than 1 in 17 loans — with premiums averaging ~$3,000/yr statewide and climbing far higher in wildfire zones after a state-approved 29.1% average increase. In East County and foothill San Diego ZIPs, that can materially change your true payment, so we model it before you fall in love with the house.
Straight answers
With full entitlement there's no loan limit in San Diego County, so $0-down works even on higher-priced homes above the conforming ceiling — and if you carry any VA disability rating, the funding fee is waived entirely. We'll run your real BAH-to-payment math up front.
It depends which California. Coastal San Diego and Orange County still lean toward sellers on well-priced homes, but the Inland Empire and Sacramento have shifted toward buyers, with softening prices and real negotiating room. We'll tell you honestly which bucket your target market is in.
It's a one-time reassessment bill that lands a few months to a year and a half after you close, often outside your escrow account. It catches new buyers off guard constantly — we build it into your plan so it's a footnote, not a shock.
Self-employed income is exactly where we do our best work — but instead of promising an approval, here's how we find out together with real math. Bank-statement and Non-QM programs for self-employed, 1099, and gig-income buyers are our stated specialty, and demand for them is highest right here across LA, San Diego, and Sacramento-bound relocators. We'll walk your actual numbers and tell you honestly where you stand — no promises, just the math.
Three doors, pick any
Two minutes of questions, zero commitment, no credit pull — or skip straight to the application, or just text us like a person. We'll tell you the real California number, wildfire insurance and supplemental tax included.
Licensed in California under C2 Financial Corp NMLS 135622.