mortgage | firsttuesday Journal

California tiered home pricing

by ft Editorial Staff | Jul 28, 2026 | Bay Area, Charts, first tuesday Local, Los Angeles-Santa Barbara-Ventura, Mortgages, Real Estate, San Diego | 58

Home prices continued to slide across California in November 2025.

Student debt and work around for homeownership

by ft Editorial Staff | Jul 21, 2026 | Charts, Economics, Market Watch, Real Estate | 2

Get your buyers with student debt on track to homeownership.

Buyer purchasing power levels out in Q2 2026

by Carrie B. Reyes | Jul 16, 2026 | Charts, Interest Rates, Real Estate | 0

Buyer purchasing power fell back slightly in mid-2026, still positive over a year earlier.

Form-of-the-Week: Credit report disclosure forms for originating an SFR mortgage — Forms 302, 217, 217-1, 217-2 and 219

by Amy Platero | May 5, 2026 | Finance, Forms, Fundamentals, Mortgages, Real Estate | 0

A mortgage loan originator (MLO) processing an SFR mortgage application pulls a credit report, advises the applicant of the credit agency’s score and any derogatory financial information which suggests adverse action on the application. Critical to approval, the applicant provides the MLO with explanations for the derogatory items so the MLO can process the application.

New legal bar to foreclosing on long-time nonperforming second mortgages

by Carrie B. Reyes | Dec 8, 2025 | Mortgages, New Laws, Real Estate | 1

A new law provides property owners additional defenses against servicers of old, “zombie mortgages.”

May a homeowner in a Chapter 13 bankruptcy plan cram down the principal balance on a short-term second mortgage encumbering their primary residence and include rent from a rent-a-room tenant as income to support the new mortgage payments?

by Lily Hart | Oct 27, 2025 | Real Estate, Recent Case Decisions | 0

A United States court of appeals holds cramdowns on short term mortgages during Chapter 13 bankruptcy are enforceable.

Down payment download: 20% has your back

by Lily Hart | Aug 18, 2025 | Features, Fundamentals, Real Estate, Your Practice | 0

A homebuyer sourcing a 20% down payment experiences significant cost reductions when choosing to save up a full down payment before investing in ownership.

Nationally MLOs are far fewer in 2024; CA DRE MLOs increase, DFPI MLOs decrease

by ft Editorial Staff | Jun 26, 2025 | Charts, Licensing and Education, Loan Products, Real Estate | 20

The trend for state-licensed MLOs is down in 2024.

BPO series: Deeds, covenants and agreements

by ft Editorial Staff | May 8, 2025 | Feature Articles, Real Estate, Your Practice | 1

Here is the fourth post in our series drawing on appraisal concepts from our unpublished...

Form-of-the-Week: Personal Property Inventory, and Security Agreement For Note Secured by Personal Property — Forms 256 and 436

by Amy Platero | Jan 5, 2024 | Finance, Forms, Mortgages, Real Estate | 0

These forms are used by a seller’s agent or escrow officer when preparing a purchase agreement or counteroffer for a real estate transaction when the transfer of personal property is included and when on a carryback sale the price includes the transfer of personal property which together with the property sold will be security for the carryback note, to grant the seller a security interest in the personal property.

May a second trust deed note holder on a call of a recourse note now unsecured due to foreclosure by the senior note holder, judicially collect the payment due on the call when monthly note payments are more than four years delinquent?

by David Swistock | Dec 7, 2023 | Finance, Laws and Regulations, Loan Products, Mortgages, Real Estate | 0

Piedmont Capital Management, LLC. v. McElfish

Form-of-the-Week: Agreement to Modify a Promissory Note, and Modification of the Promissory Note — Forms 426 and 425

by Amy Platero | Dec 7, 2023 | Finance, Forms, Loan Products, Mortgages, Real Estate | 0

These forms are used by a holder of a mortgage, their servicing agent or broker when arranging the modification of the mortgage note, to set forth the terms sought in the modification effort, to evidence the modification of the original note and state the change in terms of the note.