The lender who actually answers - and gets it closed. From first-time buyers to refinances across the Capital Region, Brian Marchand makes the mortgage the easy part.
Licensed mortgage lending through New American Funding.
Home sales Brian closed as a Realtor before he ever wrote a mortgage.
Started in Capital Region real estate in 1993, so he knows this market cold.
A five-star average from clients across Google, Zillow, Facebook and Experience.com.
Offers don't wait for business hours, so Brian doesn't either. Call or text.
New American Funding, LLC · NMLS #6606. Serving Albany and the Capital Region.
Buying or refinancing a home in Albany shouldn't mean chasing down a lender who never calls back. Brian Marchand has spent years helping buyers across the Capital Region - from first-time buyers near Washington Park to homeowners refinancing in the suburbs.
What Albany clients say again and again is simple: he answers. Text him on a Saturday, call him after hours, ask the "silly" first-timer question - you'll get a real answer, quickly, in plain English.
And when a file is tricky, that's exactly when Brian does his best work. Yes, when other lenders say no.
Price gets all the attention. In this city, these are the line items that actually change what you qualify for.
Albany's effective tax rate isn't one number. It ranges from about 2.00% in 12204 to 2.51% in 12207, and median annual bills run roughly $3,152 in 12202 against $6,897 in 12211. Same purchase price, very different escrow.
School district lines typically account for 60% to 70% of a New York tax bill, and rates across Albany County districts can differ by 30% to 50%. That gap shows up in your debt-to-income ratio, which is why the district gets checked before the offer, not after.
Listings frequently show the seller's bill, which may carry STAR, Enhanced STAR or a veterans exemption that doesn't transfer to you. Underwriting uses the real forward number. Finding that out at closing is a bad day.
Tax figures are 2026 estimates derived from U.S. Census / ACS data and published third-party assessments. Effective rates are calculated as median taxes paid divided by median home value, and county-level estimates vary from roughly 1.9% to 2.5% depending on the basis used. Rates and exemptions are reset annually by each taxing authority. These are for general orientation only, not a quote. Always confirm the exact figure for a specific address before making an offer.
New York's capital and the economic heart of the region, a walkable city of historic brownstones, tree-lined parkways and a state-government job base that holds steady through national swings. Buyers range from young professionals near downtown to families in the quieter western neighborhoods. Housing stock skews older than the suburbs, which matters more for financing than most people expect.
Neighborhoods & areas: Pine Hills · Center Square · Buckingham Lake · Delaware Ave · New Scotland
Population is a U.S. Census / ACS estimate. Median list price and median days to contract reflect third-party aggregated Albany data for July 2026. Median effective tax rate is a city-level figure derived from ACS data; county-level estimates range from roughly 1.9% to 2.5% depending on methodology. For general reference only.
Beyond the sticker price - the monthly math, local property taxes, the school districts and the programs that can shrink your out-of-pocket.
*Illustration only - $310K price, 10% down ($31,000), 30-yr fixed at a sample 6.5% rate, taxes estimated at the citywide median effective rate. A home in a higher-rate ZIP could add roughly $130/mo to this. Your actual rate and payment depend on your credit, loan program and the day you lock. Not a commitment to lend.
Albany's median effective rate runs about 2.26%, against a New York median near 1.90% and a national median near 1.02%. But the city number hides a wide spread by ZIP, from roughly 2.00% to 2.51%. On a $310K home that difference is about $130 a month, which is real borrowing power. STAR and veterans credits can reduce it, and Albany assessment appeals are filed with the Assessment Review Commission each spring.
Albany is served primarily by the City School District of Albany, and the school line is typically 60% to 70% of the total bill. Districts across Albany County vary in rate by 30% to 50%, so the exact lines get confirmed for a specific address before an offer goes out.
Brian works with 3% & 5%-down conventional, FHA (3.5% down), zero-down VA, plus USDA in the rural stretches of Albany County, and SONYMA first-time-buyer loans with down-payment assistance. First-time buyer? He'll line up every credit you're eligible for.
There's no single best loan in Albany. The one that fits comes down to the property, your credit and how much you're putting down. Here's how the programs Brian runs every week actually play out in this market.
Best for stronger credit and older homes
Conventional financing is the most forgiving on a home's condition, which matters a lot on Albany's older housing stock. If you're eyeing a Pine Hills rowhouse or a Center Square place that needs a little love, this program often clears an appraisal that a government loan would flag.
See conventional details →Best for lower down payment or thinner credit
FHA opens the door with less down and more flexible credit. The trade is minimum property standards, so on a pre-1978 Albany home an appraiser can flag peeling paint, an aging roof or a safety item as a condition of closing. Knowing that before you write the offer keeps it from becoming a surprise.
See FHA details →Best for veterans and active service members
If you've earned it, VA is one of the strongest loans out there: no down payment and no monthly mortgage insurance. It follows property standards like FHA does, so the same condition notes apply on older Capital Region homes. Worth structuring early so your offer stays competitive.
See VA details →Best for the rural edges of the county
USDA offers zero down, but the geography is the catch. It's available in the rural stretches of Albany County, not inside the city itself. If you're looking out toward the county's edges, it's worth checking your address against the map before you rule it out.
See USDA details →Best when the down payment is the hurdle
New York's own first-time-buyer program pairs a competitive loan with down payment assistance, and New American Funding is a participating lender. At Albany's price point, that assistance can be the difference between watching from the sidelines and getting into your first home this year.
See SONYMA details →Best for a home that needs work before it's right
This is Brian's wheelhouse. FHA 203k and HomeStyle renovation loans let you roll the repairs into the mortgage, so a dated kitchen or a fixer on a great Albany block becomes possible instead of impossible. On a two-to-four family, a portion of the rent can often help you qualify too.
See renovation details →If you've never done this before, the process can feel like a black box. It isn't. Here's the whole path, and the few spots where Albany specifically trips people up.
Before you tour a single home, we figure out what you can actually buy - often same day or next. This is where we set your real numbers, including a forward-looking Albany tax estimate rather than whatever the listing shows.
Albany homes go to contract in a median of about 23 days, so you want to move fast and clean. Because Brian was a Realtor first, we match the loan to the house up front instead of fighting the appraisal later.
Once you're under contract, we turn the pre-approval into a full application. If it's a two-to-four family, this is where we build in the rent schedule so a portion of the market rent can help you qualify.
The lender orders the appraisal to confirm value and, on government loans, condition. This is the step Albany's older housing stock can complicate, so if a pre-1978 home flags peeling paint or a safety item, we've usually seen it coming.
Underwriting verifies the whole file: income, assets, the property, the corrected tax figure. Tough files are where experience earns its keep, so if something's complicated we sort it here rather than at the closing table.
Once you're cleared to close, we walk through the final numbers together, you sign, and the home is yours. No surprises at the table, because we handled the surprises weeks earlier.
Everyone was so friendly, helpful, and professional! We really appreciated the fast and clear communication. The entire process went smoothly from the beginning to the end.
From pre-approval to finalizing our mortgage, Brian consistently made us feel like a priority. Every time we reached out he got back to us in less than two days.
As a first-time buyer I was clueless about the process, and it was especially tough during the pandemic. Brian was extremely helpful to me as a newbie.
I highly recommend Brian. He consistently provides a five-star mortgage experience for my clients - quick response time, strong communication, and in-depth knowledge.
Brian pre-qualified me and my wife for our new home after helping us three years ago for our first. A must-use in the Capital District.
Brian was responsive and kept me in the loop throughout. I'm really glad I had such a great experience.
Verified reviews from Google & Zillow · See all 166+ reviews →
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