A Common Scenario I See
A Washington homeowner comes to me carrying a significant amount of high-interest credit card debt. Their credit score is below 600. On paper, it doesn’t look promising.
With credit card interest rates averaging over 20% APR — and often higher for borrowers with lower credit scores — it’s easy to see how balances grow faster than payments can keep up. Minimum payments barely cover the interest, let alone reduce the principal.
But they have something working in their favor: substantial equity built up in their home over time. [Read more…]
I have some exciting news to share — I’ve been nominated for Best Home Mortgage in the Seattle Times’ 2026 Best in the PNW contest!
A low appraisal on a refinance is one of those moments that can feel like the whole transaction is falling apart. I just worked through this with a borrower on an FHA refinance — the appraisal came in below what we needed, and we had to decide quickly how to respond. We got through it, and the experience is a good reminder that a low appraisal is not necessarily the end of the road.
