Sophia Warner's Blog

Straight answers on buying, qualifying and choosing a loan in San Diego County.

A red-brick ranch house with an American flag by the front door, a large shade tree and fallen leaves on the lawn in late-afternoon light.Loan options

Using your VA benefit again: what your entitlement covers

How a second VA loan works with partial entitlement: a worked county-limit example, when lenders ask for money down, and how to restore entitlement.Sophia Warner · · 6 min readA shingled home with a garage and a small detached workshop on a lawn at golden hour.Qualifying

Student loans in your DTI: each loan type has its own rule

FHA, VA, conventional and USDA loans can count an income-driven student loan payment differently. See what goes into DTI and what to ask each lender.Sophia Warner · · 5 min readTwo people view a multi-story condo building with landscaped grounds in bright daylight.Buying

Condo vs townhome: how HOA dues change what you can borrow

How HOA dues shrink your buying power, a condo vs townhome table, and how self-employed California buyers can compare total payments before making an offer.Sophia Warner · · 10 min read
Two people sit at a table in a warmly lit room during an evening conversation.Loan options

Removing PMI from a conventional loan: a step checklist

A five-step checklist for dropping PMI on a conventional loan: find your CFPB 80% and 78% marks, ask in writing, weigh an appraisal and confirm it stopped.Sophia Warner · · 10 min read